Summary: Raised by druids and fully aware of his place in destiny, Merlin patiently waits for the time when his King will have need of him. However when his fiance is killed by Arthur Pendragon, he travels to Camelot in search of revenge, only then learning that the Once and Future King is in fact the very Prince who killed Freya. AU.

A/N: I'm having a difficult time writing one of my other stories, Thursday. And this story has been sitting around on my Google Docs account for weeks now. So I figured I'd edit and lengthen it while waiting for inspiration to strike me.

This is story is meant to be very AU, not a recap of the same episodes with a different Merlin. I'll use some episodes, and totally ignore others, the Knights of the Table are in this despite it being pre-first season, etc.

Had his purpose for being there been a little lighter he may have enjoyed the view as the sun set behind Castle Camelot. The town was ringed in light and the sounds of birds echoed throughout the forest. It was a peaceful evening, the sky was vibrantly colored, the weather cool; the Earth didn't seem inclined to share in his turbulent emotions.

He'd never killed someone in cold blood before, only in defense of his people, and he didn't even like doing that. Could he really take the life of Arthur Pendragon?

Of course you can. A more vicious part of him mind snapped. He killed Freya.

He shuddered and stopped walking. Oh Freya. His beloved Freya! He'd have done anything for her. There was no one nearer to his heart, he'd loved her more than anything else in the world.

Was that why she had been taken from him? His destiny!? The Elders had always told him that his bond to the Once and Future King would be the stuff of legends one day. Had destiny been jealous? Had it felt the need to remove the one person for which he would have forsaken his purpose?

He didn't know, and he didn't like to think about it. But he did need to think about what he was going to do next. He sat down on a rock a little ways off the path and sighed.

He had left the scarred ground his camp had once rested on, with the sole intention of hunting the Prince of Camelot down. Hours after Freya's and the rest of his camp's death, it had seemed like the only option open to him. But now, even though anger and grief still raged through him, he couldn't picture killing the younger Pendragon.

People had always said that he was a gentle soul with a strong moral compass. The idea of murdering someone purely for revenge's sake didn't sit right with him.

He placed his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. A single dry sob wracked his body. It was soon followed by several others. For a time he sat there, and he probably would have sat there for the rest of the day if a cry for help hadn't pierced the air.

"Help!" was yelled again.

He stood up and ran towards the voice. He reached the edge of the clearing and crouched down in the bushes.

In the clearing was what looked like a group of bandits and an old man. The old man was restrained by two bandits, two other bandits were going through a bag while, what was most likely the leader of the gang, paced back and forth in front of him. The elder's robes marked him as a physician and the round bag two of the bandits were destroying in their search suggested he had been out collecting herbs.

"Well old man," the leader said. "How much is your life worth to you?"

"I have nothing of value," the physician said calmly.

"Nothing tangible I'll admit," the leader replied. "But information is worth a lot in these parts too."

"I will tell you nothing."

"They always say that," the bandit said. "But trust me, we have ways to persuade you."

Gaius flinched away as the leader brought his hand up. Fully expecting to be hit, Gaius hesitantly opened his eyes and looked at the bandit when it didn't come. The thug's had hand had been lowered on his sword and he was slightly turned to watch as someone walked into the clearing.

He was a dark haired young man, most likely not even twenty. Contrasting with pale skin, he wore a dark blue, high collared, short sleeved shirt and a sleeveless, black leather vest. His pants, boots, and a pair of fingerless gloves that reached his elbows, were also dark. The only real color in the whole ensemble was a bright red scarf wrapped once around his neck that then went on to hang past the boy's waist and a golden sword attached his belt.

What really struck him though was the boy's eyes. They were the bluest he had ever seen, and they were completely expressionless. They reminded him of eyes he'd seen on corpses. Glassy and distant.

And yet he had a certain presence about him. Gaius wouldn't have been able to describe even if he wanted to. It was completely irrational but something in the stranger's stance screamed power and wisdom, despite his youth and empty eyes. Gaius' once dormant magic seemed to hum as he walked closer.

Obviously the bandits noticed something strange too, as they were all rather tense.

"It's pathetic really," the boy said. "You need five men to attack one old man?"

"Look boy," the bandit said. "You should mind your own business. Normally I'd teach you some manners, but I'm a little busy so go play the hero somewhere else."

"Let him go," the boy replied.

"Fine," the bandit sneered. "If you insist." He gestured for his men to attack.

The pressure on his arms released, Gaius took a few steps back and watched as four large men ganged up on the smaller one. All thought's about the boys' strange presence forgotten, Gaius mentally apologized to him as he prepared for what was most likely going to be a painful beating for the boy.

"Cowards," the boy said softly before drawing his golden blade.

The bandits lunged forward and, to everyone's surprise, the boy dodged gracefully around them before his own sword flashed forward, bringing one of the bandits down in a single stroke. Compared to the boy, the bandits seemed to move in slow motion and, although Gaius couldn't see them, the boy's eyes burned gold.

The battle was over in minutes.

The boy walked forward and the leader turned tail and ran. He shook his head and wiped his sword off in the grass before placing it back in it's sheath. He turned to look at Gaius.

"Are you alright sir?" he asked.

"Thanks to you," Gaius said gratefully. "I owe you my life. My name is Gaius."

The boy looked mildly embarrassed, the first emotion Gaius had seen on him. "It was no problem. I am," here he paused. "My name is Merlin."

Well if he didn't want to tell him his real name, then Gaius couldn't fault him for that. These were dangerous times after all. "Well then Merlin, again, thank you."

Merlin opened his mouth to respond when he winced in pain and grabbed his stomach. His fingers came back red.

"You're injured," Gaius said.

"Not badly," Merlin replied. "It's fine, it's only a graze, one of them must gotten a lucky hit in."

"It most certainly is not fine," Gaius stated. "I'm a physician, let me see it."

Gaius ignored Merlin's protests and examined what he could see of the wound. The boy was right, it was shallow and probably wouldn't do much damage, but he did owe this boy his life.

"All my supplies are at the castle," Gaius said, gesturing towards his destroyed pack. "You should come to the castle with me and let me treat it."

"The castle?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, I am Camelot's Court Physician."

Merlin's face went white as two trains of thought battled through him.

Yes, go, a better opportunity will never present itself to infiltrate Camelot.

No, don't tempt yourself, you're better than him, revenge will solve nothing.

"I don't want to be any trouble," Merlin said, choosing the less violent option. "Really, it's nothing serious."

"It's no problem," Gaius said. "Besides, if you were headed towards Camelot anyways I'd appreciate the company."

Well, he'd need to gather more supplies if he was going to continue travelling. Where he'd go next, he didn't know, he'd just have to trust destiny to lead him to his King.

But, no matter what he decided to do, stopping in Camelot would be the fastest way to restock his depleted stores.

"I," Merlin bit his lip. Just a supply run. What harm can it do? "Alright then. Thank you."

Gaius smiled at the youth before bending down and grabbing his pack. The two turned towards Camelot.

Merlin set his bag down by the door and looked around the physician's room. Having a bit of training in medicine himself, he could tell that Gaius knew what he was doing. His stores were well stocked and a quick glance at an open journal showed that he was very well versed in his craft.

He was pulled out of his examinations by Gaius's voice.

"Take your vest and shirt off and let me have a look," he said.

Merlin complied and undid his belt so he could take his vest off. He placed it and his sword on a nearby table and removed his vest. However he only rolled his shirt past the injury. After all the last thing he wanted to do in the heart of Camelot was reveal the Druid symbol on his shoulder.

He sat down and Gaius approached with a paste. The physician bent in front of him and began applying it.

"That's a beautiful sword," Gaius said, glancing at the blade as he began bandaging Merlin's wound.

"Thank you," Merlin said. "It's called Caliburn. It has a brother blade which is even more impressive."

"Who forged them?"

"I don't know," Merlin replied. "The two of them are ancient. While not lost to history themselves, their origins have been for some time."

"Fascinating. You could always have it examined by our smiths or our book-keeper. They might be able to provide some clues to their origin."

Merlin grimaced. "I really wouldn't feel comfortable letting a stranger handle my weapon. When I took it, I swore to its guardian that I wouldn't let it out of my sight. I would never betray her trust."

Oh Freya.

"Of course," Gaius said, wrapping the bandage for a final time. "Well that's done. Keep the wound clean and you'll be fine."

"Thank you," Merlin said pulling his shirt down and standing up.

"You're quite welcome, although I don't think you owe me any thanks."

Merlin smiled and stood up, grabbing his sword and vest as he did so. He put both on and slung his pack over his shoulder.

"It was nice to meet you Gaius."

"You as well Merlin, I wish you luck in your travels."

Merlin turned to the door as it flew open and a group of red-cloaked men burst in.

"Gaius! We need you!" a dark-skinned man said.

Merlin moved out of the way and into the shadows along the room.

Knights of Camelot. It was taking all his willpower not to lash out at them.

"It's Lancelot," the man continued. "He just came back from a patrol. We don't know what happened, but he's been terribly injured."

"Set him down," Gaius said, rushing to the knight's side.

"I need to report to the King," a wavy haired knight said.

"I'll go with you Leon," the dark skinned knight said.

"Sirs Gwaine and Percival," Gaius said. "I need you to help me stop this bleeding."

"Of course," they said grabbing towels and pressing them to Lancelot's wounds.

Merlin watched the elderly physician dash about the room, trying to treat the injured man and grab supplies at the same time. He could tell Gaius was frantic, and a quick glance at the knight's injuries, several deep gashes to the chest, was enough to tell Merlin how fragile the knight's hold on life was.

He closed his eyes and fought another internal battle before stepping forward.

"Gaius, I have a minor knowledge of herbs and healing. Focus on the treating wounds and tell me what you need to do," he said.

Gaius and the conscious knights looked at him in surprise.

"I need clean bandages, there's a bucket of them soaking by the fire," Gaius then listed off a few herbs.

Merlin nodded and ran to the shelves and grabbed the herbs. Instantly, he realized what Gaius needed them for.

"Are you going to create a poultice with these?" Merlin asked, gesturing to the small pile of herbs as he handed Gaius a set of newly soaked bandages.

Gaius's surprise increased but he responded "Yes, once I have his injuries bound."

"Do not rush yourself. I can make it for you."

"Do you know how?" Gaius said.

"I would not risk another's life by offering if I didn't," Merlin said.

"Very well then," Gaius said. "But bring me the honey so I can wrap his wounds."

Merlin and Gaius set to their appointed tasks. Several minutes passed and Gaius wiped a layer of sweat of his brow and smiled at the young man applying poultices.

"It seems that you've saved another life today," Gaius said.

Merlin smiled self-consciously and said, "It was your expertise that saved him."

The two knights in the room stepped forward.

"Don't be too modest friend. We all know it was going to hell until you stepped in," the knight extended his hand. "I'm Sir Gwaine."

Merlin took a step back and away from the hand. His eyes grew hard and then blank. Gaius was just as unnerved by the corpse-like stare as he had been when he'd first seen it.

"Forgive me for not shaking your hand Sir Knight," he said, his voice as hard as it had been when he'd been addressing the bandits. "I am called Merlin."

Gwaine responded to Merlin's blank look with a confused one. "Have I wronged you in some way healer?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow at the title but replied. "My reasons for not shaking your hand are my own. I owe you personally no grudge."

Gwaine retracted his hand and gave him a wary look. "Fine then, in gratitude for saving my friend, I will respect your privacy," he said.

The two knights turned to Gaius and exchanged a few words. Was the conversation ended, the two knights nodded at the physician, gave Merlin a wary look and left.

Gaius turned to Merlin after watching the knights depart.

"You've saved my life and the life of one of a knights," he said. "King Uther will most likely want to thank you in person."

"That is not necessary," Merlin said. "I'll be leaving tomorrow anyways."

"Really? That's a shame. You'll at least stay for dinner?" Gaius said.

"I don't want to intrude," Merlin replied.

"And you won't be." Gaius smiled. "Again I find myself in your debt. It is the least I can do."

"Alright, thank you."

A small pile of dirty dishes lay forgotten as the two laughed.

"He thought it was a sign of what?" Merlin asked.

"Purple tongue sickness."

"Who told him that? Does that even exist?" Merlin said, snickering.

"No of course not, I'm sure it was just another knight taking a prank too far," Gaius chuckled. "But we'll never know for sure. He refuses to speak of the incident anymore."

Merlin smiled. "I wouldn't either."

"It led to an interesting idea though. I've been experimenting with valerian. It's lead to some very useful scientific discoveries."

"Really?"

"Indeed, for example," Gaius went on to explain several experiments he'd ran and the results.

Merlin nodded. "Interesting, I thought those herbs didn't react well together."

Gaius's eyes lit up. "You're right, normally they wouldn't, but I've found that by significantly raising the temperature that effect can be negated."

"Fascinating. Why do you think that is?"

"Well, I have several theories actually."

"I'd be interested in hearing them if you don't mind sharing more of your research."

"Not at all, my boy. It's been a long while since I've had someone knowledgeable enough to discuss my craft with."

They continued on for nearly an hour before a lull in the conversation took place. A companionable silence filled the room before Gaius decided to break it.

"Who is your master?" Gaius asked.

"I'm sorry?" Merlin said.

"Where did you gain your knowledge of medicine? It's much more extensive than I'd expect for someone your age." Gaius said, having learned earlier that Merlin was eighteen.

"Here and there," Merlin said. "I just sort of found people to teach me things as I needed to know them," his eyes grew distant. "I suppose there was a man in my village," (Well technically it had been a camp, but Gaius didn't need to know that.) "who I learned the most from. But I never thought of him as being my master."

"He must be very talented."

"He was," Merlin said, his eyes still glazed over.

"I'm sorry if I've brought up painful memories," Gaius said after a few moments of awkward silence.

Merlin shook his head and his eyes cleared. "No, it's fine," he replied, yawning.

The yawn prompted Gaius to look out at the window. He raised an eyebrow at the dark sky. "I apologize Merlin, I've kept you here much longer than I'd meant to."

Merlin followed his gaze and glanced out the window. His eyes widened and he stood up. "I need to get to the inn," he said, realizing how much time he'd spent talking to Gaius. He didn't have a place to stay for the night or any of the supplies he should have picked up in preparation for leaving Camelot the next day.

Gaius stood up and placed a hand of his shoulder.

"It's late, and the inn might not even have any rooms available. I have an extra bed," Gaius said gesturing towards a small staircase leading up to a door. "You're welcome to it for the night."

Merlin nodded. "Thank you."

Merlin stripped down to just his shirt and pants and lied down on the bed. Compared to the last few weeks of sleeping wherever he could make camp in the forest, the thin mattress was heaven, and he felt better than he had in a long time. Talking with Gaius had been nice. After weeks of travelling with only his troubled thoughts, having such a light-hearted conversation with a like-minded peer was a much-needed break from the veil of sorrow he'd been trapped in for awhile.

He fell asleep in moments.

Emrys.

Emrys.

Emrys.

His eyes flashed open and he jerked forward.

Who's there?

Come to me, Emrys.

The sound of pounding wings and clanging chains filled the cavern. He looked up and to his surprise, a dragon descended from the ceiling.

Anger filled his being as he noticed the chain around the noble creature's neck.

"So young warlock, you're here at last," the dragon said.

Emrys inclined his head lightly in respect before saying, "I did not realize Uther had managed to capture one of your great race."

"I am surprised, he told me the entire world would know of his 'accomplishment,'" the dragon said darkly.

"Then I suppose the Elders didn't feel the need to tell me of your imprisonment," Emrys said. It made sense in a twisted way. He probably would have left on a self-imposed crusade to free it if he had known. And the Elders had always been a little overprotective of him. Entering the heart of Camelot in order to release a dragon probably wouldn't have made it on their list of "Things Lord Emrys is Allowed to Do".

He continued, "I am sorry for your captivity, if I am able to do anything to free you then I will. Is that why have you summoned me?"

"Your words give me more hope than I have had in a long time. But I only called you so we could be acquainted. After all, you're going to be here for awhile, I saw no reason for us not to meet."

"You are mistaken. I leave tomorrow."

"You've only just gotten here," the dragon replied. "Why would you leave so soon?"

"What reason is there for me to stay?" he countered.

"I don't understand," the dragon said. "Are you not here because of Arthur Pendragon?"

"He murdered my fiance, I had come to avenge her-" Emrys was cut off as the dragon blinked once and then burst into throaty chuckles.

Emrys' eyes narrowed, "Does the death of my beloved amuse you?"

"You poor boy," the dragon said, ignoring the question. "Did they not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Emrys asked.

"Arthur Pendragon is the Once and Future King."

A/N: Not sure if I'll do anything with this, but I do like the idea. Anyone interested in seeing it continued?