Chapter 1

Merlin did not expect to be dropped into another world by a magic carriage in his life.

That night was like any other in Camelot. He was walking to Arthur's chambers to retrieve some laundry he had forgotten. The last thing he needed was to have to do extra work tomorrow. Even when Merlin used his magic to help him, doing his daily chores for Arthur was a difficult job. And when he did not complete his chores, Arthur became difficult.

Just as he turned the corner, Merlin saw the guards outside Arthur's room were missing. Realizing that something was wrong, Merlin hurried to Arthur's room. Nothing seemed out of place at first. Except, Arthur was not in his bed. Panicked, Merlin ran to the window to see if anyone in the courtyard. Good decision, because he saw someone carrying Arthur over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Merlin shouted to alert the guards.

Unfortunately, his yelling also alerted the kidnapper. He ran, not to the gates, but to the well in the courtyard. In order to try to help Arthur, Merlin jumped off the window ledge. Using his magic, he slowed his descent. So, he landed without injury. Normally, he would never use his magic when he was so exposed. However, it was night and the guards were focused on the intruder. When he reached the ground, he ran to the intruder, who now stood inches from the well.

Guards surrounded the kidnapper. Merlin pushed through to the front. The intruder wore black leather armor and a hood over his face. There was something metallic attached to his belt, along with a sword.

"Release the prince!" One of the knights commanded.

"Actually, I'll be taking my leave." The intruder said with an arrogant tone.

Then he tossed a coin into the well. For a second, nothing happened. Merlin was sure that the intruder would be captured and Arthur would be safe. That thought was shattered when lightning burst from the well. It struck all guards, knocking them unconscious. The only reason Merlin did not get hurt was because he instinctively used his magic to protect himself.

He almost wished he did not when he heard an evil laugh. Actually, it was more of a roar. As soon as Merlin heard it, he wanted to curl-up into a ball. Only through the use of all his willpower, did he remain standing. What came next nearly made him wet his pants.

A chariot pulled by vampire horses flew out of the well. The chariot seemed to be made completely out of a black metal. Its wheels glowed with a purple light. There were only two horses pulling the chariot. Both were as red as blood and had sharp fangs. Their feet appeared to be made of gray mist.

Looking at the driver was like looking at the night sky. His body was black, except for star all over it, like chicken pox. Two bright blue lights on his face must have been his eyes. The whip he used on the horses was made of white lightning.

First, the chariot flew in a circle above the castle. Then it landed near the intruder, who jumped onto it. That is when Merlin unfroze. He grabbed onto the side of the chariot as it ascended into the sky. Using all his strength, Merlin managed to pull himself into the chariot. When he did, a white light blinded him. However, he did grab Arthur's arm as he was blinded.

No free rides!

The voice that spoke sounded like an explosion and the roar of a savage beast fused together. Next thing Merlin knew, he and Arthur were falling to the ground in a completely different location. Luckily, there were tree branches to break their fall. However, it still hurt when they hit the ground.

"Ah, what happened?" Arthur said, now awake.

"Oh, now you wake-up." Merlin said.

When Merlin tried to stand, he discovered his left leg seriously hurt. His pants were being stained red with his blood.

"Merlin!" Arthur said, concerned.

"I think I broke my leg." Merlin said while in pain.

Quickly, Arthur examined it.

"Relax, you just have a sprained ankle and a large cut." Arthur said.

"Oh, is that all?" Merlin replied, sarcastically.

Then, with Arthur help, he was able to walk by leaning on him. Together, they made their way out of the forest. After a few minutes, they came upon something strange. A wide, black-stone path with a yellow line down the middle.

"What's this?" Arthur asked.

"I think it is a road." Merlin said. "Could someone have built it?"

"Don't be an idiot." Arthur said. "No one could make a road this smooth from stone."

"It still looks like one to me." Merlin replied. "All roads lead somewhere. Perhaps we should follow it?"

"Okay, but which way?" Arthur asked.

"Left." Merlin suggested.

"Then we are going to the right." Arthur decided.

Shortly after they started walking down the road, they saw a sign. It was rather strange-looking. The words were painted white, while the rest of it was painted green. Written on it was "Welcome to Storybrooke".

"That is a weird name for a town." Merlin said.

"Definitely." Arthur replied.

Up ahead, he saw what resembled a small, yellow carriage. It had driven off the road and nearly hit a tree. Oddly, they did not see any horses nearby. Perhaps they had broken free and run away. As they got closer, they saw a blonde woman replacing a strange wheel.

"Hello!" Merlin called out.

When the two of them were close enough, they could see that the woman was wearing odd clothing. A winter hat, a black leather jacket, and weird blue pants. Despite her clothing, she was quite beautiful.

"Hi," the woman said. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night, dressed like that?"

"We, ah-" Arthur did not want to tell this woman too much about them.

He had been taught to untrusting towards strangers. Especially, those that look so weird. However, he has never been good at lying on-the-spot.

"We were camping nearby." Merlin said quickly. "But there was an accident."

He gestured his bleeding leg.

"Oh my god!" The woman said. "I'll give you a ride into town."

"Thanks." Arthur said.

The seats in the carriage were very comfortable. Far more comfortable than riding a horse. In the right front seat sat a boy, either ten of eleven, with brown hair. He looked a little upset, but he did his best to conceal it. On his lap, he had a large book. Its title was "Once Upon a Time".

"Hello, little boy." Arthur said. "How are you?"

"Fine." The boy replied.

Merlin leg was beginning to hurt more. He needed something to take his mind off the pain.

"Where are you from?" The child asked.

For some reason, Merlin felt he could trust the boy, so he was honest.

"Camelot."

"Wait, Camelot?!" The boy exclaimed. "The magical land filled with dragons and all kinds of magic creatures. The home of the great sorcerer Merlin and heroic king Arthur."

"Hold on, I'm still a prince." Arthur blurted out.

"You're Arthur!" He said, his expression was one of awe.

That made Arthur grin. He liked being admired.

"Where did you hear such things about Camelot?" Merlin asked.

Before replying, the boy checked to make sure that the woman was still changing the wheel.

"Okay, don't panic, but I read about Camelot." He said.

"Why would we panic about that?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Because Camelot does not exist in this world!" The kid replied. "You have traveled to this world from another."

"What?!" Both Merlin and Arthur said simultaneously.

"This world is a place void of magic and monsters." He continued. "The only way to travel from world to world is with magic."

Now things were starting to make sense. Everything they had seen since they landed looked so strange. It was because they were in another realm.

"How do you know of Camelot if it is in another world." Merlin asked.

"Like I said, I read about it." He replied. "In this world there are dozens and dozens of stories with events and characters that are similar to people and events in other worlds."

"Everyone in this town is from another realm, like you." The boy said. "It is called the Enchanted Forest. They had their memories stolen and were taken here by a powerful curse."

"If everyone has forgotten about their true lives and magic, how do you know?" Arthur asked.

"I was never cursed." The boy said. "And I have this."

He held up his book, then handed it to Merlin. Oddly, it felt very warm in Merlin's hands. When he opened it, all the stories within it flashed before his eyes. Like a vision. In an instant, he knew every word of every story by heart.

"Merlin!" Arthur shook him awake from his trance.

"My mother is almost done replacing the tire." The kid said. "Don't tell her who you are or where you came from. She will think you are crazy."

"Got it." Merlin replied.

"Alright, we're ready to go." The blonde woman said. "I'll take you straight to the hospital, so your friend can get some treatment."

"Thanks." Merlin said. "Oh, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I am Mathew and this is Alexander."

"Good to meet you." She replied. "I'm Emma and this is Henry."

"Our pleasure." Arthur said.

Apparently, the carriage could move without horses. The two of them did their best to act like such a thing was natural. They did not want to seem suspicious. Also, the carriage moved faster than the ones in their realm. It only took them a few minutes to arrive at their destination. The hospital was a tall building made of red brick and had many square windows. Stranger still, the doors they entered through were made of glass and opened by themselves. Again, they did there best not to look surprised.

Upon walking into the hospital, a nurse quickly examined Merlin. She bandaged his wound and gave him some medicine to help ease his pain. Emma and Henry left as soon as the doctor arrived. His name was Dr. Whale. A very odd name. Who has the same name as a giant sea creature?

"Well, clearly your friend has sprained his ankle." Dr. Whale said. "May I ask how this happened?"

"Uh, Alexander dared me to climb a tall tree." Merlin replied. "I made it to the top, then fell off."

At first, the doctor looked doubtful. However, he quickly excepted the lie. It made sense, after all. Or, at least, Merlin hoped it did.

"Well, I think you should stay overnight for observation." Dr. Whale said. "But I don't think you have anything to worry about. Now, I think you should get some sleep."

He did not have to tell Merlin twice. The bed he was laying on was remarkably more comfortable than any he had slept in before. He was exhausted, and so was Arthur. This night's events had made them greatly tired. Almost instantly, Merlin fell asleep. Following his example was Arthur.

Quickly, they both regretted their decision, because they did not enjoy any sweet dreams. Instead, they suffered terrible nightmares.

Merlin found himself running through the streets of Camelot. He felt that someone was chasing him. There were footsteps behind him. The fear he felt was intense. Then, when he turned a corner, he bumped into Arthur. Merlin opened his mouth to say something and found he could not speak. The same was true for Arthur. Both of them were completely mute. They tried to communicate with each other through charades. Their attempts were cut short when an arrow nearly pierced Arthur's head. When they looked in the direction it had came from, they saw the same man that tried to kidnap Arthur.

At least, they thought he was the same man. They could not see his face, but he wore the same clothes. Only now, he had a bow and quiver. Already, he had drawn another arrow. Though, how he was aiming it so well with a hood covering his face remained a mystery. The next arrow cut Merlin's arm as he and Arthur ran away. This was definitely more than a dream because Merlin still felt pain.

They ran towards the castle with the hooded man following them. His arrows were shot with terrifying accuracy. Each time they avoided them, it seemed like a small miracle. However, their luck did not last. While they were running across the courtyard, one of his arrows hit the back of Merlin's knee. Pain surged through him like a tidal wave. Despite his best efforts, he could not scream.

Rather than continue running, Arthur remained by Merlin's side. Their attacker still had some arrows left, but decided to change weapons. Now, he held his sword. There were odd carvings in the blade. He charged at Arthur, trying to impale him. Fortunately, Arthur had been trained in how to fight without a weapon. He managed to knock the blade out of his opponents hand. The two of them dove for it. They struggled over it. Arthur won that struggle, but the hooded man still had a trick up his sleeve. Or rather, hidden in his boot. He pulled out a knife from his boot. When Arthur swung his blade, the attacker avoided the sword and stabbed him in the arm. The pain caused Arthur to let go of the blade. Then, he was stabbed in the heart.