Through the Trees Chapter 1: Somewhere in a Dream, a merlin fanfic

This story is dedicated to my best friend and muse, Taylor Roberts. Without whom this story would have never been inspired or written. 3

A/N: 1) This story was almost hard for me to write because I'm such a huge Merlin/Freya shipper, but...well...she died. And Merlin needs some lovin' too lol 2) There's just as much Armor as there is Merlin/OFC, and it's written to follow the same format as the show, so it's not just a fluffy love story, I swear! But no worries, there's plenty of fluff as well ;)

Chapter One: Somewhere in a Dream

And when she breaks down and makes a sound
You'll never hear her the way that I do
And when she says she wants someone to love
I hope you know that she doesn't mean you
'She Says' by Howie Day

Trees…with faces. Their moaning was ripping her insides apart, the pain that coursed through them as the axes cut and sawed, seemingly real inside her own limbs. Fires burned away their roots, destroying the bushes and the fertile earth. The smoke was thick, choking whatever animals had fled to the nearby glens and ridges. Everything was dying a slow, painful death and she could feel herself dying with it.

Running through the woods, through the fire and around the burning trees, something began to fight back. It had been here as long as the trees, as long as the earth itself and it wasn't going to see this sacred place waste away without a fight. The men fell, screaming in pain, the sickening crack of breaking bones loud in her ears. Blood streamed across the forest floor. Far beyond, at the gates of Camelot, women and children froze in terror as the sounds of death were carried to them on an angry wind.

With a gasp, Morgana sat up, her heart pounding almost as hard as her aching head. Sweat had gathered on her brow, making her dark hair stick to the sides of her face. Throwing her heavy blankets aside, she struggled through the throbbing in her skull, the dull ache of fatigue in all her muscles, to find a robe. Quietly, she padded down the cold, stone halls of Uther's castle, hoping Arthur was still awake.

The dreams had been easing off a bit as of late, blurry and difficult to remember. This was different. Even as she made her way through the quite corridor, Morgana had trouble convincing herself that what she had seen was yet to be. With shaking hands, she looked down at her arms, half-expecting them to be sawed off or burnt. But her pale skin was as smooth and flawless as ever. She had nothing to fear. Forcing her lungs to breathe evenly, she knocked on Arthur's door, assuring herself that she would be in his arms soon and everything would be fine.

His voice bade her enter and as soon as she did, all sense of composure melted away. Tears welled up in her jade eyes, and as she curled up beside him, the sobs began.

"It felt so real." She breathed, his arms cradling her against his shoulder.

"It's alright," He assured her, voice calm and steady as he combed his fingers through her hair. "It was just a dream."

"No," Stubbornly, she pulled away from him. "I think it was a warning."

"Morgana…" Arthur sighed, rolling over onto his back. He was used to her nightmares. The presence of her in his bed at least once a week, the tears, the hysteria that usually passed within a matter of minutes. His heart ached to see her so weak and vulnerable (so different from the graceful creature that walked his father's halls during the day), and if he was honest a part of him enjoyed it. The fact that when her world began to fray at the edges, it was him who she turned to. The fact that she needed no one else the way she needed him. But sometimes it was a little ridiculous.

"Don't do that." She pleaded with him, sitting up to look down into his unconvinced eyes. He didn't understand her intuition and tended to shut it out for that very reason. But she was right, she knew she was right. Couldn't he just listen to her this once?

"We've been over this." He looked up at her helplessly, running a hand up and down her arm affectionately. "They're just dreams. Nothing is going to happen."

"I saw the forest." She plowed on despite his resistance, "The one Uther is planning to cut down. The one you're men are supposed to clear tomorrow. Please, Arthur, I don't think it's a good idea if"-

"I can't go against my father because you had a bad dream." His frustrated voice interrupted hers. He hated snapping at her, treating her as though she were just some ineffectual child. But what was he supposed to do? The King's orders had been firm: Clear the site for the axmen. Mark it off. Disperse the new farmland accordingly. He was powerless to get in the way of it.

"Just…" Taking a deep breath, she collapsed beside him, no longer able to ignore the aching inside her head enough to continue fighting him. "Just don't go in there unarmed."

She didn't see it when he cocked an eyebrow, the expression on his face seeming to beg the question of whether or not she had lost her mind.

"Morgana, no one's been in that forest for decades. The villagers have this ridiculous notion that its haunted. Our scouting the area is just a precaution, to keep stray children and travelers safe when they begin to burn the underbrush."

"I'm telling you, something was fighting back." She grumbled against his chest stubbornly, all the while settling in to the crook of his shoulder. Whether he was taking her seriously or not, arguing with Arthur usually made her feel better about most things. This was no exception and she could feel sleep coming to reclaim her swiftly.

Looking down at her as she snuggled along his side, her stance finally calming as she wrapped an arm across his bare chest, Arthur knew he was going to regret this. But if he didn't concede, at least a little bit, he'd never be able to concentrate on the task at his father had entrusted him with and that could put the entire plan in jeopardy.

"Would it make you feel better if I sent some men ahead of us tomorrow? Just to send warning in case anything is in there? Even if we both know there isn't…"

Laughing softly against his skin, she nodded faintly, her eyes already closed.

"Yes, it would."

"Then consider it done." With a kiss to the top of her head, he pulled the covers up around the both of them and closed his own eyes. "I love you."

He felt her smile, her small fingers reaching down to curl between his.

"I love you too. Even if you are an insufferable prat."

"Explain to me again why I'm going on ahead of you, despite the fact that I know nothing about picking up or following trails of any kind." Merlin asked, giving his master a rather wary look the next morning. From her window, he caught Morgana peering down into the courtyard, waving halfheartedly. She looked tired, her eyes heavy and her smile forced. As Arthur threw an assuring smile and a stiff wave back, the picture started to come together.

"Because," The King's son replied, tightening the sword belt around Merlin's waist with a rough jerk. "Morgana had another one of her dreams and is insisting that I send someone ahead in case we face a threat in the woods."

"And I'm supposed to face that threat?" Suddenly he was feeling a little lightheaded. He couldn't use magic in front of Arthur's soldiers and any other means of defending himself seemed a bit daunting. As Arthur continuously assured his manservant, he was useless with a sword.

The Prince only rolled his eyes, shoving a water sack against Merlin's chest.

"There is no threat. She's just being ridiculous, as usual."

"She's usually right about these sort of things…" Merlin mumbled absently, trying to figure out how the canteen was supposed to fit along his belt.

"Pfft." A sound of unconvinced amusement ruffled the air beside him. "Come off it, Merlin. No one's been in that forest since I can even remember. You'll be fine. Just hurry back, I want to get this over with as soon as possible."

Merlin's gaze drifted back to Morgana's window for a moment and he snickered as the Prince steadied the horse his manservant would be borrowing. It took a few tries, but once he was securely in the saddle, Merlin looked down at Arthur, a mischievous smile twitching at the sides of his mouth.

"No doubt you have much more pressing matters to get back to."

Arthur's eyes narrowed threateningly as he tightened the stirrups.

"Yes. I do. Heading up the guard? Protecting the city? Carrying out my father's orders?"

"Keeping the King's ward on your good side…" For that, he got a curt smack to his horse's backside, sending it galloping wildly out of the courtyard. Though not completely useless in the saddle, Merlin had never been properly trained in horseback riding and had a very difficult time staying balanced atop this one as it careened through the market. From his place at the palace steps, Arthur just laughed, a silent prayer of good luck for his most faithful servant whispered in his mind.

About ten miles from the city gates, just beyond the fields of Camelot's most out-skirting farmers, sat the Atrum forest. From its very beginning, the trees grew too close together for horse-treading and so the three or four men Arthur had sent alongside his manservant tied their horses up to the strongest trunks they could find and went on their way. There seemed no decipherable path, so the men decided to separate and fan out, covering what area they could. Occasionally Merlin caught a glimpse of the others at the edges of his vision, but for the most part he found himself walking this strange place alone.

Part of him was glad of this, for the clink and clamor or chain mail had no place in this wood. Surely, he thought, his eyes soaking in as much of his surroundings as he could, no forest could hold a candle to this one. It's trees were strong and proud, blossoming with the brightest, green leaves, wrapped in elegant strands of ivy and separated by tufts of soft, healthy grass. Thick moss covered the rocks and boulders that only grew more formidable as Merlin ventured deeper and the ground began to gradually slope upwards.

He was sure he had to be imagining it but there seemed to be an energy filling the air, streaming in the sunshine that fell in spots across the forest floor. Was the air pulsing? More than once or twice he could have sworn he heard whispers through the branches, almost as though the leaves themselves were spreading messages through the canopy. Unable to shake the feeling of being watched, Merlin now understood why the villagers stayed away from this place.

'No wonder they think it's haunted. I'm beginning to think so myself.'

Suddenly, far to his left, he heard a cry of attack from one of the soldiers. The pulse of life among the trees grew so strong that it seemed to consume him, the air around him growing almost too dense to breathe in. Out of the endless depths of branches, arrows began to rain down, narrowly missing him as he ran forward through the trees, gasping for breath. All around him, the continuous heartbeat of the forest grew only stronger and Merlin was sure his eardrums were going to burst. And then-

"Oh." His hands flew up at his sides, his feet coming to a stop and jolt running through his heart. An inch from his face sat an arrow, the string of its bow pulled taught. Behind it, stood a tall woman barely distinguishable from the trees for all the foliage strung through her hair and clothing. Her eyes, green as the leaves around them, bore into his own angrily.

"Why are you here?"

Merlin's tongue seemed frozen in his mouth. She hadn't killed him yet. Why hadn't she killed him? What was she waiting for? At the edges of his consciousness, he could feel something (almost like the static shock that nipped his fingers after folding Arthur's socks or making his bed) brushing against his mind. He'd never felt anything like it in his life but instinctively he recognized the energy as magic.

Just as this realization dawned on him, he caught glimpses of silver running along the far edges of the wood. Arthur's men were coming, surely they were going to close in on this woman at any moment.

"You need to go or they'll kill you." He ordered the woman, who's steady arm twitched in confusion against her bow. "I'll lead them away from here but you have to go!"

Her bow lowered, she stood staring at him for a moment, unsure of whether to trust him. Taking a deep breath, Merlin began to run back in the direction they had come and to the right-opposite of where the woman stood.

"They're over here! Come on!" Turning to glance over his shoulder, Merlin gave the woman a nod and then continued on his way. He ran and ran until the men, who looked to be suffering significant woods were in sight. Slowing his pace, he allowed their strides to eclipse his until finally falling behind enough to hide under the precipice of a small gorge. They had all been running so far apart he was sure they wouldn't notice his absence until having reached the horses anyway. By that time they would never turn back just to save a simple servant.

It was a good twenty minutes or so before he felt it safe enough to move. Without even a thought of acting otherwise, he ventured back towards the place where he had come face to face with the mysterious woman of the wood. She had been unlike anyone he had ever seen before. Tall and proud, she had stood as the trees around her, hair the golden-amber color of sap shading her face in the dim forest light. The smudges of dirt on her skin had seemed normal and he could imagine her no other way. Leaves and ivy had been strung through her hair, curled around one of her arms, sewn through the deer skin of her sleeveless dress. She may have scared him witless, but she had also been stunningly beautiful.

It seemed he walked the forest for nearly an hour before the familiar pulsing began to intensify once more. Down through a sloping glen, at the edges of a far off clearing, he could make out smoke through the trees. As he got closer, he saw the light of the fires and closer still (though the underbrush was growing increasingly thicker, almost as if the forest itself were protecting this place) he began to make out little huts of waddle and reed. Crouching behind the large bushes that blocked the tiny village from view, he peered down and saw people walking between the huts, around the fires, through the surrounding trees. All of them dressed as savagely as the woman he had met before, but seemingly very organized and peaceable.

He wondered if he should venture down to tell them of the King's plans. How could he not? Surely, if he failed to warn them they would be leveled in Uther's efforts to expand the farmlands. In very little time at all, Merlin had made up his mind and began taking a few cautious steps through the bushes, when suddenly-

"Ahh!" How he ended up on his back he wasn't at all sure. All he knew was that it hurt and there was another arrow in his face.

"Why did you betray your men?" Looking up, his hazel-blue eyes were arrested by a familiar sight. The same woman who had stopped him before. And she didn't look much happier than last time. Still on the ground, he grasped around for a reply that wouldn't cost him his life.

"How can you be sure I am one of them at all?" His eyebrow quirked, hoping to convince her that he was of no threat. She only rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Do you think us so careless as to leave our borders without patrol? I have been watching you and your fellow soldiers since you entered our realm."

"I am no soldier." He promised ardently, still on the ground. "Honest. I was only sent to scout the wood for signs of life."

"Well it looks as though you found some." She growled, eyes narrowed. "Not that I can say I have ever seen a forest absent of life."

"I only meant"-

"Human life? Yes, because to your kind that is the only sort of life deemed valuable." Though her words were icy and resentful, her fingers were fastening the bow and arrow to the quiver along her back as she spoke them. "You have yet to answer my question."

"I…" She was going to think he was crazy. But the truth was the only excuse he had. "I felt something in the wood. This entire place…it's magic, isn't it? And so are you." His voice was slow, careful as he cautiously stood, heart still pounding from the rush of his life having been in peril for the second time that day. But his words were as good as an accusation of treason and she took them as a viable threat. When her fingers strayed to the sword at her hip, he flung up his hand. "No, it's alright. I promise. Watch."

Facing his palm toward the ground, he focused all of his energy on the leaves that lay fallen in the grass.

"Cenhadau, arwyrain a chwildro*." As he spoke, his eyes flashed amber and the leaves began to rise around the two of them. Swirling like a small, gentle dervish, they came to rest in the palm of his hand after a few moments, continuing to float in the shape of a ball, floating just an inch above his outstretched palm. Looking up, he met the woman's rather impressed gaze with a nod of assurance. "See. I'm magic too."

She nodded absently, watching the globe of energy that continued to float in his hand for a few seconds more before Merlin let the leaves fall back to the earth, as lifeless as they had been before.

"So, why did you come back? How can I trust this isn't some trick to lead your men to my people." It was clear she wanted to trust him, or at least, that was the way it felt when the edges of her magic began to brush against his own again. The sides of his mouth twitched at the funny sensation and he shrugged.

"You know my secret. If the King's men do find you, you have only to tell them of my abilities and I promise they will kill me. But that is the least of your concerns now. The King is trying to destroy this place, we have to get your people out of here before they start the fires."

"Absolutely not." She shook her head stubbornly, "We have called this place home for as long as the trees. Your King will die before he drives us away."

"I don't think you understand." Merlin pleaded. "They won't stop until they have flattened this place. And if they find out about your people…The King hates magic more than anything. He won't hesitate to kill you. All of you."

She stood silently, wrestling with herself over the decision. Bringing his kind into the village would go against everything she had ever been taught. He was a human, destroyer of the earth and never to be trusted. But if she let him go, he might bring the King's men back here anyway. Shaking her head, the woman sighed, leading him around the bushes.

"Follow me."

o.0 Uh oh, Merlin's about to get himself in troooouble lol If you read and enjoyed it (or even if you didn't) please try and leave a comment or two about what you liked or didn't like. Thanks so much! As long as there's an interest, look for an update within the week ;)

*Welsh for 'Leaves, rise and spin.'