A/N- I haven't written a fic in years but this one sprung into my mind and refuses to go away! I hope you enjoy! Updates will be as regular as I can make them, but please bear in mind I work full time (and am also studying for a qualification)

Also, I don't own Merlin. Never have, and probably never will! (Sadly)

*MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN*

Merlin paused for a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow and to admire his handiwork. Yet again he had somehow managed to earn the ire of Arthur, and had been ordered to muck out the stables as punishment. Worse, he had been forced to do it at night, since Arthur had also piled several chores on top of his normal duties. He hadn't even had a chance to eat. He wondered if Gaius would save something for him, or whether he would be having stale bread for tea.

Sighing at the irony of being a powerful warlock and not being able to use his power to sweep the stables clean in mere seconds, he picked up the broom and began to sweep with swift, sure movements, whistling under his breath as he did so. In fact surely the most ironic thing was that he was a powerful warlock cleaning stables in the first place. Not for the first time he wistfully wondered how things might be if Arthur wasn't such a clotpole, and accepted magic.

Finally! He was finished. With a small smile of satisfaction, Merlin propped the broom against the wall. Too bad really that the horses would mess it up within a day.

He stepped out of the stables into the cool night air. There was no one around. Just how long had he been cleaning? He looked up at the sky, but the moon was hidden by a thickening layer of fog. He frowned. He hadn't thought the conditions were right for fog.

He paused. Something didn't feel right. Looking over his shoulder, he attempted to ascertain the cause of his worry. Seeing nothing, he moved to head back to the castle, starting to picture the warmth of his bed.

"Merlllinnn." A voice seemed to call to him. He froze in place. "Merlinnn. Come to me."

Merlin moved towards the source of the sound, step by step he moved closer, ignoring the warnings his magic attempted to spark in him.

The fog seemed to press in on him as he made his way to the voice. "Merlinn."

He squinted as he tried to see through the fog. It dispersed slightly, allowing him to see the outline of a woman.

He almost stumbled in his haste to reach her. The closer he got the stronger the pull to be with her became. He stopped just in front of her. Her face stayed in shadow but he could somehow tell she had just smiled.

"Close your eyes, Merlin."

He did so without question. She untied his neckerchief and pulled it free, causing his skin to shiver into goose bumps at the sudden contact with the night air.

She kissed him on the lips then, roughly. He found himself responding to the kiss even as part of his mind screamed at him to run away.

She kissed him into a stupor before the kisses moved, beginning to trail down his neck. He didn't even flinch at the sudden sting in his neck.

The warmth on his neck stayed for a while. He tingled in anticipation even as his thoughts seemed to float further away. The part of his mind that had screamed at him fell silent.

It was some time before he realised that she had gone. Shaking himself slightly out of his daze, he trudged back towards the castle.

Gaius had already gone to bed but had left some bread and cheese on the table. Feeling odd, Merlin left the food untouched, and went straight to bed. He didn't even have the strength to change his clothes, yet for some reason he had a strong compulsion to tie his neckerchief tightly around his neck. He found it in his pocket. Strange, he couldn't remember taking the neckerchief off, let alone putting it in his pocket. He tied it round his neck, and laid on the bed, asleep within moments.

His dreams were filled with fog, darkness, and the low laugh of a woman.