Disclaimer: I do not own 'Merlin'. I only own the plot and any OC characters!

Rating: T for language & fight scenes.

A/N- Thank you SO much TheWickedHeart and Guests (sorry I don't know who you are!) for your reviews! Thank you also to all of those who have added this story to their alerts or added it as a favourite :)

A/N- An early surprise release for you, only a couple of days after the last chapter! I'll try and update regularly once a week in general ^.^

Please leave constructive comments- no flames please.

Thank you to my fantastic beta GemStoneLovely :)

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Chapter 4: The Prophecy

Merlin spoke softly, "Tre bærn suñ." A red rose began to form, starting off small, but then slowly spinning so that it blossomed and got bigger in the palm of his hand.

"Oh, Merlin, this rose is so pretty, it's so beautiful and red." Aria gushed, smiling warmly at Merlin.

Merlin nodded at her, suddenly looking grim, "Red like blood, blood that will spill because of you. The same blood which will run like a river through Camelot's streets."

Aria took a step back in shock, not expecting that response, "What? But I- I wouldn't cause such a thing! What are you talking about Merlin? Is this a joke?"

He shook his head gravely at her, "You say you don't know why you're here, but we both know you must have an ulterior motive. I've just got to find out what it is. And I will find out. For Arthur's sake, for Camelot's sake. I won't allow you to bring any harm to him – to anyone."

Aria felt her stomach drop at his words, she felt nauseous and was starting to get giddy, "Merlin, I – I really wouldn't. I don't know what you mean, I don't have an ulterior motive, I promise. Please, believe me!"

"No, you're a liar, I won't let you get away with it!" Aria gasped, this is not Merlin!

Merlin reached out his hand, "Aria, you cannot be allowed to live, Môrten su gen bæy."

Seeing a bright, orange light rushing to envelop her, Aria gasped in shock again, horror clearly displayed on her face. She tried to run away, but there was nowhere to run, she was backed against a wall. The light hit her, and instead of feeling agonising pain, she felt calm and weightless. Then she felt nothing.

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Aria jumped in shock, sweat sticking to the sides of her face and neck. Shakily, she lifted up her hands and noticed they were sweaty too, and had been gripping at the bed sheets she was lying on. Bed Sheets… wait, where am I? Home? No… I'm in Camelot. Looking around her, Aria noticed the room she was in was quite small and medieval looking, but also felt very welcoming. Yes, it looks like I am still in Camelot.

Aria sighed. The last thing I remember is lying on the work bench. Oh God, that dream, what was that? Was that a premonition? No…that most definitely was not Merlin. Can Merlin really kill someone like that with his magic? To kill a person… I wonder how easy it would be for him. In these times, I know there are a lot of deaths caused from battles, so I suppose Merlin would be able to kill… but with a spell like that, that was - that was absolutely terrifying. I don't want to ever make that dream a reality. But it won't be a reality, there's no way I can cause something as horrific as that. Unless… I can? But I don't want to! What do I do?

Feeling herself going into a panic attack, Aria took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. She used her dress – thank goodness I'm still dressed – to wipe the remaining sweat off her. That's better, I feel calmer now, but also kind of disgusting with all this sweat on me. Anyway, I'll wait and see what Merlin says later, he spoke to that dragon so maybe it – sorry, he - has answers.

Looking up, Aria noticed there was a big, wooden door in front of her. I'll look through there in a moment. Swivelling her eyes around to take in the room, she noticed there were several small bookcases in the room, with several potions and physician books lining them, Ah-hah, so this must still be part of Gaius's chamber.

Looking down, Aria noticed she was on a single bed, which was made of wood and had quite a hard mattress on it. Good job I sleep on a futon back home, I love hard mattresses, so at least this wasn't a shock. Aria stretched, Ah, I feel like I've had a good night's sleep. Mmmm, speaking of bed, it smells really enticing, like a mixture of freshly mowed grass and spices. I've never smelt anything like that before. It's wonderful… Aria shook herself and yawned, I should probably get up and have a look around, before I fall asleep again.

Slowly getting off the bed, Aria tried to make herself look as presentable as possible. Smoothing down the dress, she went to look out of the window. Sure enough, the bustling citizens of Camelot were already in the streets below. Gazing further, Aria noticed the forest again, still enticing her to go and explore. I will have to go there one day, I can just imagine the smell of the grass and the pine, and I bet it'll be beautiful, without the ruin of today's pollution. Well, the future's pollution.

Turning around, Aria hesitantly went to open the door. Peeking her head around, she noticed Gaius was already up and looking intently at something in one of his books. How do I tell him I'm here without startling him?

Slowly edging forward down the stairs, Aria cleared her throat, "Morning, Gaius."

If Gaius had been shocked by her sudden appearance, he didn't show it. He straightened up and turned to look at her, smiling. "Good morning Aria. I trust you had a good night's sleep?"

"I did, thank you." Aria nodded, "I'm so sorry if you had to carry me in there Gaius, was I in your bed? I'm so sorry if you had to sleep on the floor because of me, you really should have just woken me, I wouldn't have minded. And Gwen- oh Gwen! I was meant to go with her to her house last night. Oh no, I-"

Gaius chuckled, interrupting her, "Don't worry Aria, Gwen came over last night and we did try to wake you, but you were in a deep sleep. So we decided it would be best if we moved you, so that you could sleep here more comfortably."

Aria blushed, "I'm sorry if I was heavy." She shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. I never did like being picked up.

Gaius chuckled again, "It was quite alright, I didn't carry you. Merlin did."

Aria's eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open, that's even worse! What if I was ridiculously heavy! Gaius stood there, smiling at her reaction. He knew it could be bad if Aria and Merlin fell in love, they were after all, from different times. But even though he knew this, he still couldn't help but feel they should be allowed to love one another, if they so desired it. Gaius had not seen Merlin yet, as he had been called by Arthur very early this morning, so Gaius did not know what Kilgharrah had said to him.

Stuttering, Aria responded, "Oh. Well… Um… Did he mind?"

"Oh, I don't believe so."

Aria nodded, "Good. Good, that's good. OK."

Aria looked around and noticed that off to the side of the room was a drawn back curtain, behind which stood another wooden bed. Flicking her head in the direction she just came from, and then back again at where the other bed was, Aria felt a strange sensation rise in her stomach. "Gaius, where I slept last night, was that your bed?"

Gaius tried hard not to smirk at her question, and relied evenly, "Why no Aria, my old back needs to be in the bed it's used to. You slept in Merlin's bed last night."

Confirming Aria's suspicions, she felt the sensation in her stomach explode into full blown excitement. I shouldn't be this happy from that! But… I can't help it… I was in his bed! Dammit, I should have lain there longer to smell his scent properly, that amazing spice and grass scent must be Merlin's… AH! I can't believe I just thought that!

Aria found herself blushing yet again, and tried to turn away from Gaius so he didn't see. Though from his amused expression, he probably had seen. Was it proper for a lady to sleep in a man's bed like that in these times? I'm surprised this was seen as OK! Though I suppose a lot of things seem strange here… Aria was drawn out of her thoughts by Gaius's voice.

"Before I forget, I have some coins for you, so you can purchase necessities at the market today. Gwen said she will be here shortly, to see if you were awake, so she can take you there."

"Oh, that's very kind of her- doesn't she have other things to do today?" Aria felt bad that she was taking up so much of Gwen's time, she didn't want to inconvenience her.

"She asked if she would be allowed to have the afternoon free, to take you around Camelot and to buy you some necessities."

Aria looked thoughtful, "I see, that's brilliant." Looking up and grinning, she continued, "Let me guess, she asked Arthur?"

Gaius laughed, "Indeed, she did."

Aria giggled, those two are obviously in love - even I could see it, and I've only been here a day! "OH! I just realised what you said! It's afternoon already? How long was I asleep?"

"Quite a while, my dear. You must have been very tired."

"Yes, I was…" Aria trailed off. I did feel shattered yesterday, that's true. "By the way, where is Merlin?"

"Arthur called him early this morning, something about another hunting trip. I barely saw him, so I'm not sure what Kilgharrah said to him about your arrival."

Kilgharrah – that was it, must remember that name. That's a shame, I really wanted to meet him. I've never met a dragon before. I'll ask Merlin if I can go with him to meet him again. Ellie and Maria would freak if they knew.

"Ah, I see. I guess I'll have to wait until later then." Looking around, Aria continued, "Speaking of Merlin, where did he sleep last night, if I was in his bed?"

Gaius gestured towards the hard work bench Aria had been asleep on the day before, "On that bench over there."

Aria felt guilt wash over her, "Oh, he must have been very uncomfortable, I'll have to apologise to him when I see him next."

"I'm sure he didn't mind, he's slept in worst places."

Aria' curiosity peaked, but before she could ask where Merlin had slept that was so bad, Gwen came bustling through the door, "Oh, good morning Aria! I trust you slept well?"

Aria spun around to face her, "Morning, Gwen! I did sleep well thank you, better than I have in ages in fact. I'm so sorry that I fell asleep last night, I feel really bad that you came all the way here to get me and I wasn't even awake."

"That's quite alright, don't worry about that. As long as you are well rested, that is the main thing. Are you ready to explore Camelot?" Gwen smiled at the way Aria's eyes lit up.

"Most definitely! I'm so excited!" Aria clapped her hands together in glee. Finally, I can explore something other than this room!

Gaius walked over to Aria and handed her a coin bag, "Here, Aria, take these coins to buy some necessities."

"Thank you so much Gaius. I promise one day I will repay you for your kindness."

"I have no doubt, Aria. Don't worry about that now, go enjoy your afternoon with Gwen."

Nodding, Aria walked over to Gwen and grinned, "I'm ready, shall we go?"

"Yes, lets! I can't wait to show you around Camelot, the market stalls are delightful. See you later Gaius." Both girls waved at Gaius and left his chambers. Gaius chucked to himself and continued reading his book.

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Merlin grumbled as he crouched beside Arthur in the mud.

Arthur cocked an eyebrow at him, "If you're any louder Merlin, all the deer will run away."

"Yes… sire." Merlin rolled his eyes, I hate hunting trips. He woke me up especially early to get me back for vanishing on him yesterday. Prat. I still need to think about what Kilgharrah told me about Aria. As usual, he gave me another riddle, this time coupled up with a prophecy. Apparently the original prophecy which stated I was to stay by Arthur's side and ensure his safety, was not my only duty. Though I am still not completely sure what this new prophecy means. I need to speak to Gaius and Aria about it in more detail. Merlin once again thought about what Kilgharrah had said,

"Young Warlock, I am aware of what you are here to ask me, and I am afraid I do not hold all of the answers for you."

Merlin sagged, "Nothing, Kilgharrah? Can't you at least tell me if Aria being here will affect the future?"

Kilgharrah was silent for a moment, "I am able to share with you a prophecy, Merlin."

"A prophecy?" Merlin stared at the great dragon before him, "Another prophecy?"

Kilgharrah nodded, "Yes, young warlock. A prophecy which tells of a young woman from the future coming to Camelot."

Merlin pondered on this, "That must mean Aria. Could you tell me this prophecy, Kilgharrah?"

"First, I must tell you Merlin, that Miss. Aria being here in Camelot at this time, will not change the future, as it already is the future. She was destined to be here, so her actions will only cause changes that were meant to be. She need not worry about her actions affecting the future, as they have already come to pass, and they cannot be changed."

"But, the other prophecy about Arthur, I will change that Kilgharrah. I won't let him die!"

Kilgharrah nodded slowly, and Merlin knew he wasn't sharing something with him. However, he also knew pushing Kilgharrah for more information would only irritate the dragon, and then he would leave without telling Merlin more about Aria. "Please continue, Kilgharrah – tell me the prophecy."

Nodding, Kilgharrah took a deep breath and began,

"From future she comes forth,

To help Emrys with his duty.

Needed, to save Arthur from the end,

But beware, others seek to find the truth,

And cause rivers of blood in Camelot.

Destiny plays her tune,

To join souls bound across time.

Here is not her place,

But at the end, not all is lost,

So fear not,

As an eternity can be waited for.

The future will come forth,

And magic will be reborn.

This is the only way -

Destiny made a choice,

And this is the way it must be

For Arthur to bring peace to all the Kingdoms."

Once finished, the great dragon looked at Merlin, "That is all I can share with you, Merlin. I wish you well in your quest, and I wish Miss. Aria well also."

"Thank you, Kilgharrah. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"It was not the right time, Merlin."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to snap at you Kilgharrah. I'm just confused, what does it mean? Can't you tell me more? Please!"

"I'm afraid I cannot young warlock. This you must work out, without my help."

"It's almost impossible to work these riddles out. Give me a clue – anything, please!"

Pausing, Kilgharrah spoke, "Don't push Miss. Aria away Merlin, she is more important than you realise." With that, the great dragon pushed up from the ground and took to the air, flying far into the distance.

A twig snapped ahead and suddenly Merlin was brought back to the present, where he saw Arthur with a finger at his lips, signalling for him to be quiet. Moving his hands above his head, Arthur signalled the other nights to move forward. He'd evidently heard a deer. Merlin crept forward as well, trying his best not to step on a branch which would give away their location. Looking ahead, he noticed a stag grazing on a nearby bush. Arthur signalled to his knights to get their bow and arrows ready to fire. Oh no, he'll kill me, but I can't-

"ACHOO!" The stag bounded off, arrows flung after it, but none hitting their target.

"MERLIN!" Oops, he's angry. Maybe I could have held that sneeze in… maybe.

"Yes, sire?"

"You know what! Because of your bloody sneezing, we've lost the stag!" Arthur retorted.

"I can't help it if I sneeze."

Arthur threw his hands into the air, "Sometimes Merlin, I wonder if you have a brain."

"I do, sire."

"Hm, well maybe you should use it more."

Merlin just grinned in response. The other knights chuckled at the exchange, obviously used to the banter between the pair.

"Shall we go after it, my Lord?" Sir Leon spoke up, gesturing towards the direction in which the stag ran in.

"Yes. No, wait. I think Merlin here should go after the stag and bring it back for us."

The group of knights chuckled, "If Merlin goes after it, we'll starve!" Sir Gwaine said laughing.

"We'll be waiting here for hours!" Sir Percival added.

Merlin rolled his eyes, typical, if only they really knew. "I could easily catch that stag and bring it back for dinner."

"Of course you can Merlin." Arthur started laughing, imagining how Merlin would even attempt to catch a stag. "Maybe if it was a tiny, little bunny rabbit, I think you might stand a chance!"

The knights started laughing and Arthur continued, "No, wait. You're so slow, you wouldn't be able to catch up! I change my mind, if we were looking for a worm, you may stand a chance!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll show you all. I'll go get it now." Merlin huffed indignantly.

Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Sir Percival spoke up, "It's alright Merlin, I'll come with you and protect you."

This caused more laughter from the knights. Merlin stood there looking bemused. They have no idea what power I have. Ah, never mind, it's been a while since Arthur laughed this hard, not since Morgana's betrayal became public knowledge.

"It's alright lads, we should give Merlin a break. After all, his mind is probably on a certain lady friend." Arthur chipped in, raising his eyebrows slightly at Merlin.

Merlin jerked as if he'd been hit. Arthur! You idiot!

"Oh, lady friend, eh, Merlin?" Gwaine grinned at him, "Anyone I might know?"

"Um, no, she's from far away. Anyway, about that stag…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Merlin. Hold up. I think my knights deserve to hear a bit about the fair maiden." He winked at the men surrounding them and the knights all cheered in agreement. Merlin felt himself blush at the mention of her name.

"Ohhh, I see, so Merlin does feel something for this mysterious woman!" Gwaine laughed, "Now I must meet her!"

Merlin couldn't help but scowl at Gwaine, causing the other knights to burst out laughing again.

"So Merlin, tell us about her then." Percival piped up.

Merlin sighed, "There's not much to tell, I haven't really had a chance to speak to her properly." He gave a pointed look at Arthur, who grinned and shrugged. "Her name is Aria, she is from a faraway Kingdom called Oxford, she got lost in the woods, I found her, took her to Gaius. The end." Merlin went to turn away, but Arthur grabbed him on the arm.

"And Merlin here seems to have a little crush." Arthur said, evidently trying to wind him up.

"No. No… I- I don't. It's not like that!"

"Yeah, yeah. We believe you Merlin." Gwaine waggled his eyebrows at Merlin, who sighed.

Even if they drop it now, I know it'll come back later. How can Arthur just assume my feelings for her? I've only just met her! I do feel like I've known her for a long time… but that's impossible! Merlin thought about her smiling at him and felt a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach. Maybe if I'm being honest with myself… I do find her rather pretty, and her smile is so sweet, it causes her eyes to light up. I want to see her smile more, I want to make her laugh. I just want to be with her, to get to know her more. But at this rate, I'll barely get to see her. Bloody clotpole.

Merlin sent a mini glare at Arthur, which thankfully he didn't see. Gwaine however did, and walked over to Merlin grinning, "I saw that- bitter you can't see your lady love?"

"Gwaine! It's not like that, I just, I just get fed up of…" Merlin paused, "carrying his weapons around all the time. Yes, that's it." He gestured in the direction Arthur had walked in.

"Uh- huh. Whatever you say Merlin!" Gwaine waved as he walked over to join Arthur, who had since moved towards the direction the stag had disappeared in, no doubt going to try and shoot at it again. Merlin followed suit, picking up Arthur's bag of hunting weapons. Today is going to be a long day.

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Aria had followed Gwen through the castle and towards the streets which she had seen through the window of Gaius's chamber. Although Aria longed to also explore the castle, she knew she must get some supplies first, especially as they only items she owned were the clothes she arrived in –and could not wear in this time – and Gwen's dress, which she would need to return at some point. Not that Gwen seemed to mind lending out her dress. Also, Aria remembered tales of King Uther, and even though she was unsure if he really was evil, she didn't want to be bumping into him and making a fool of herself. That could definitely lead to trouble. As such, she allowed Gwen to steer her out of the castle's maze of tunnels, without so much as a complaint.

As she walked down the street, Aria couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the hustle and bustle of the streets. The little shacks on the side of the road were full of items, and she heard people bartering for wares and trading items. It was fascinating and Aria stared at the scene before her, taking in how incredible and utterly unbelievable everything was. Gwen noticed her strange behaviour and gave her a questioning look.

"Is everything alright Aria? You look shocked." Gwen was staring at her intently and Aria shifted on the spot slightly. I don't want to lie to her, she's been nothing but nice to me, but as Merlin and Gaius said, I best keep my time travelling quiet for now. But what can I say?

"Erm…"

"Oh, is your Kingdom quite small? If so, I can imagine Camelot to be rather overwhelming."

Relieved that Gwen had provided her with an acceptable answer already, Aria nodded in agreement, "Definitely. Camelot's so magnificent, we don't have shops like this from where I'm from. I can't help but stare. I hope it's not too rude, I'm just enjoying taking everything in!

Gwen nodded in understanding, "I know what you mean, I was like that too when I first arrived here. Camelot is such a great place, and when Arthur is King, it will be even greater." Gwen got a dreamy look in her eye and they gasped slightly at what she had just said, "Not that the current King is bad, not by any means!"

Aria chuckled, "It's alright Gwen, I know what you mean. I too think Arthur will make a great King, and in fact, I believe he will always be remembered."

"That would be nice. Though I suppose it's almost impossible to make a dent in history. I wish I could be well known for something. But sadly I'm just a serving girl, I was not born for greatness." Gwen looked at her sadly.

You have no idea Gwen. No idea who you will become – Queen Guinevere of Camelot! And that you will always be remembered; you, Arthur, Merlin, you will all become one of the most famous legends in the world. "I think you could be remembered Gwen. It's not who you were born as that makes you as a person, it's who you strive to be. And I believe you will be someone great, so have faith in yourself."

Gwen looked shocked for a moment, then gave Aria a big smile, "Thank you Aria, that's very kind. But really, I'm not sure what I could do."

"You could marry Arthur?" Gwen's eyes got larger and she quickly looked about her.

"Aria! You mustn't say that, if someone heard…"

"It's OK Gwen. Honestly, no one heard." But Gwen still looked a bit concerned, and had started biting her lip. Aria immediately felt guilty, I forgot, in these times that could be considered treason or something. Argh, I keep messing things up. "Gwen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Don't worry Aria, it's not your fault." She leant in closer, so that her lips were nearly touching Aria's right ear, "Secretly, I wish for that to happen too." Gwen leant back, now blushing profusely. Aria grinned at her and nodded, as if to say 'your secret is safe with me'. Gwen smiled and nodded in return, and at the moment in time, both knew they would become fast friends.

Gwen latched onto Aria's arm, "Shall we go purchase some dresses for you? And you'll also need some teeth cleaning rags of course."

Turning to look at the girl next to her, Aria exclaimed, "Sorry – did you say teeth cleaning rags?"

Gwen gave her another funny look, "Why yes – is this not what you use at home?"

Aria wracked her memory for what they could use as ancient toothpaste, "Um… well…"

Looking surprised, Gwen answered for Aria again, "Don't tell me Aria, you're from a noble family? Of course, you must be – your skin is so pale, you definitely aren't a working class person. I'm so sorry for assuming! You will need limestone blocks as well then, to polish your teeth."

Aria was desperately trying to take on board what Gwen was saying. Limestone? What? Noble family? "It's quite alright Gwen, I'm not really noble… I mean, yes we do use… limestone blocks, but I don't normally go outside because I enjoy potion making and reading. That's the only reason why my skin is so pale."

"To be able to work inside like that, that's amazing Aria, you're being so modest." Gwen sighed, "I sometimes wish I could read more."

"You definitely should, reading is so enjoyable. I can't wait to get my teeth stuck into Gaius's books."

Frowning, Gwen responded, "Get your teeth stuck in? Whatever do you mean? Aria, you do say such funny things!"

"Heh heh, sorry, it's just a saying where I'm from. I mean I can't wait to read through Gaius's books, they look so interesting."

"If you like reading, you'll love the castle's library and archives."

Pausing, Aria turned towards Gwen. "The castle has a library?"

"Oh yes, a massive one. I believe Merlin got lost in there once."

Aria snorted, "I would have like to have seen that. But wow, a library, I will definitely go and check it out."

Gwen nodded and continued to pull Aria towards a nearby stall.

It's so strange, I already feel like I've been here for ages, and that I've known Gaius, Merlin and Gwen for a long time. It's so strange, I feel completely at home here. I know I freaked out when I first arrived, hell, I think anyone would! But I just feel… right. Like I'm meant to be here. And if I am in a coma, well, let's just say I'm impressed with the creativity of my mind! I never would have thought I could create something like this, so detailed- all of these people, the castle! But no, I do think that I am really here, in Camelot. As hard as it is to believe. I must try and not influence events and others around me for now, at least not until I speak to Merlin. I can't change the future - that would be terrible.

Snapping Aria out of her thoughts, Gwen stopped in front of a stall lined with dresses, "Right then. Let's get you started off with some new clothes…"

Internally Aria groaned, I was never a big fan of shopping back at home.

A/N – Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave comments in the Review section, thank you! No flames please :) Let me know what you think of the prophecy and Aria's dream!