Chapter 2, I'm really enjoying writing this. It's so fun to write this. I love doing Arthur's parts and the dream sequences especially. I hope you enjoy it ;D As ever crits/reviews are encouraged. Merlin is not owned by me yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah


"I don't understand." Merlin told Gaius as he paced the floor later that evening, "All I remember is having a headache and going to get some water." The court physician watched Merlin over the top of his glasses as he walked to and fro,

"For God's sake Merlin, stop pacing like that, you're going to give me a headache." the manservant stood still and looked over to him,

"Sorry Gaius…" he replied, "But I don't understand how this happened. You don't just forget these things in the space of an hour. Do you?" Gaius sighed,

"I don't know Merlin. Different people have different lengths of memory, you could have merely forgotten." The manservant shook his head,

"I don't think so… there was something underlying… something I can't quite remember…" Gaius walked over to Merlin slowly,

"You need to rest Merlin." he said calmly, "I'm sure everything will sort itself out." he smiled gently,

"Y-yes. You're right Gaius, thank you." Merlin replied slowly as he walked to his room, but deep down he wasn't so sure.

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Uther Pendragon sat at his throne leaning on one arm,

"One of the village houses set alight you say?" he asked the guard curiously,

"Yes Sire." the guard replied, "The occupants didn't notice until it was too late." he added gravely,

"Do you know how this happened?" the King questioned,

"We believe a cooking fire may have got out of hand my lord. We are still looking, to be sure."

"You may leave. Tell me when you have answers." Uther said ushering them out with a movement of his arm. He sat pondering what could have happened. One idea always stood out above the rest. Sorcery.

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Morgana shifted under the covers of her bed, she had been trying to sleep for a good while now. She looked over to Gaius's concoction, which stood in a small bottle by the side of her bed. She ought to take it. It would at least help her to sleep, perhaps even prevent the dreams. Morgana sat up and took the bottle in her hand, popping the lid off and placing it on the table she had taken the bottle from. She braced herself for a strong and disgusting taste as she downed the liquid, only to be pleasantly surprised by its sweetness. The ward sank back under her covers and closed her eyes hoping desperately that the dreams wouldn't come back.

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Merlin slept fitfully, a dark dream seeped into his slumber, grabbing at him and dragging him under its spell. He could not see who, but in his dream someone was standing behind one of the old houses in the village. They were murmuring words, an enchantment, and their voice was no more that a whisper on the breeze, so quiet that not even a keen-eared mouse would have heard them. Flames flickered in the corner of Merlin's eye, he could only watch as they sprang up at the house, fighting each other to consume the walls. Only after the flames had surrounded the house did Merlin hear the screams, ear-splitting, blood-curdling screams. Screams of fear and horror, of misery and of death. The smell of burning flesh floated on the air, taunting Merlin. He heard voices, and knew immediately they were the spirits of the people who had died,

Why? they asked, Why did you do this? Why didn't you stop? Why didn't you save us? Merlin woke from his dream with a sharp intake of breath. His heart hammering wildly against his chest. For a moment he heard the voices again,

Why?

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When Gaius awoke Merlin was already sat at the table, dark rings under his eyes told Gaius that Merlin had not slept at all well,

"Merlin?" Gaius's voice floated across the room, "Are you quite alright?" Merlin lifted his head up groggily,

"Huh?" he mumbled looking up at Gaius, "Sorry, I um… didn't sleep too well last night."

"Yes, I can see." Gaius replied, "You haven't been sneaking around or hiding Princes again have you?" Merlin shook his head, too tired to retort,

"Just a bad dream…" he murmured, his words slurring together in tiredness. Gaius became curious,

"A bad dream?" the physician questioned,

"Yeah," Merlin replied more quietly. He remembered the voices from his dream, their words still echoed through his head, "about one of the houses in the village. Someone burned it down using magic. There were people inside…" he trailed off and shuddered involuntarily as he thought of the screams he had heard,

"Merlin?" Gaius's voice brought him back to reality and he shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs,

"It was nothing, I'm fine." he said standing up, "Now, if you'll excuse me," he continued, "I need to go and do everything for Arthur. Again." Gaius watched as Merlin left the room through the large wooden entrance door. Merlin said he was okay, but Gaius knew he was worse off than he was letting on.

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The villages is swathed in an impenetrable darkness, Merlin walks calmly between the buildings, his mouth curled into a bone-chilling smile. Death follows him like a puppy follows its master, never more than a meter behind. People drop dead as he strides along the dirt-tracks, buildings burst into flame as he looks at them. Each time his eyes glow a deep blood red. He looks directly at Morgana and her heart skips a beat. She begins to physically shake with fear as he advances, death and destruction in his wake. She looks on in horror as everything she knows and loves withers and drops dead before her. Merlin is no more than a few meters away from her and yet she cannot so much as twitch a finger. He comes closer and closer, so close now that she can nearly feel his breath on her. Her eyes meet his. His eyes are cold and the sight of them sends shivers down Morgana's spine. She feels her lungs tighten and looks down to see Merlin's hand curled into a fist as though he is squeezing the very life out of her. She tries to scream, but no sound leaves her mouth. Merlin smiles smugly as she drops to the floor, and the last thing she sees before she blacks out is Arthur's body lying in a crumpled heap beside her…


And thus Chapter 2 draws to a close. Hope you enjoyed and will be reading Chapter 3 when I've finished it.