A/N: This chapter was shorter than expected. The first few chapter will be purely centered around the plot.
Laying in bed was an exasperated young man. He's been tossing and turning all night, unable to fall asleep. When sleep seemed to peek into his head, the incessant whisperings began to seep into his conscious causing him to become fully alert. He thought he was imagining it at first but as the night wore on, the sound began to grow louder until he was able to make out the occasional word. He tried to block out the sound with the thin, uncomfortable pillow he was laying on, but he wasn't hearing the sound with his ears. The sound was intruding into his thoughts. The whisper grew louder and clearer until he was able to finally make out one word.
"Emrys" Merlin heard the name he knew the druids have given to him.
"Oh please just be my imagination" Merlin thought to himself. The druids have never brought good news when they spoke to him.
"This is not a trick of the mind Emrys. This is all very real." The voice was indistinguishable. Merlin could not identify the voice as being a man, woman, young, or old. He couldn't even tell if it was a group of people speaking in unison or a single voice. He also noticed that the voice was speaking in a very serious tone. This definitely didn't sound good. "Now if we have your attention we have very important matters to discuss."
"I don't suppose this conversation will be the sort that could help me relax and get some rest, because so far I've had some awful luck with that." Merlin said with obvious sarcasm in his voice.
"We apologize for disturbing your precious slumber, Emrys," the voice retorted "but your rest matters little compared to what we have to say. Now listen to me carefully. There is an imminent invasion of Camelot, and you have been chosen to be our emissary."
This caused Merlin suddenly to sit up in his bed. Throwing his blanket aside and his head reeling he began a rapid slew of questions. "What! An invasion? By whom? Why should there be an invasion? And what do you mean I was chosen to be your emissar..."
"Be quiet, boy!" the voice interrupted. "I will not answer questions. You will be told only what we want you to hear and nothing more."
The voice made a brief pause. "As we were saying before your interruption, you are to be our emissary to the king. The magical beings of Albion and the surrounding kingdoms have suffered far too many losses at the hands of the men the tyrant Uther commands. You are to tell the insufferable Zealot that we propose an ultimatum. Either he lifts the ban on all magic and pays reparation to all those who have been persecuted and have mourned for a loved one that was lost by the bigoted iron fist of Uther, or the magical beings that have suffered will invade and Uther will be overthrown. We also demand for The Lady Morgana to be released into our care."
Merlin was able to keep control of his tongue until the final command. "If you request for Morgana, you must work with Morgana's witch of sister, right?"
"Again, you will only be told what we want you to know." The voice said, sounding more frustrated. "And be certain that our numbers can more than make good on our threat."
"Says the oh-so-scary voice that can only speak to you when you are falling asleep." said Merlin.
"Silence!" the voice clearly angry with Merlin's disrespect. "We've planned to present a very kind offer to you so it would be wise to respond kindly, and listen to what you are told." they said "We have decided to allow you to join our forces. You have respectable power and would be a great asset to our cause. But do not think we are not capable without you. If you refuse our offer you will suffer along with the rest of Camelot."
Merlin found the thought of betraying Camelot insulting. "I'll never betray Camelot for a group of rebels who will kill innocent people just for their own revenge" he growled.
The voice sneered "Yet, you are loyal to a tyrant who has already done the same and would do the same to you if he were to find out what you are." they said. Merlin glared at the empty air around him but remained silent.
"Very well, you have until dusk three days from now to change your mind and tell Uther of our commands. There will be no negotiation on this matter. I bid you farewell, Emrys. We pray you reconsider your foolish choice." And there was a distinct silence left in Merlin's head.
Merlin was very shaken. The inner turmoil was overwhelming.
"What should I do?" he thought to himself "The voice was right about Uther; he would definitely kill me if he knew I had magic in me. And there is no way that Uther will agree with those terms. If they are truly powerful enough to overthrow Uther, Arthur and everyone else will be killed."
He began to think how horrible this all could turn out. "How am I supposed to protect Arthur from an entire army?" he asked himself "Maybe if I join them I can persuade the other sorcerers to let all my friends live." he thought about this, but the thought disgusted him "No, I can't betray Arthur and everyone else. And anyway, there's no way of know they will listen to me. We'll just have to fight this invasion and win. If we don't, then I'll just have to do my best to get everyone out of this mess."
With a determined nod, Merlin lied awake for the next two hours in bed until the morning sun showed through his window, fretting over how he was to give this information to Arthur and Uther.
A/N: Because this is my first fic I'm kind of nervous so be nice. =3
Please review! I know all of us say it but I'm nervous about this, so a little self-esteem boost would help with my motivation. Although, I would very much appreciate any constructive criticism you could give me.