Disclaimer: Well after my shopping trip of today and my small army of lawyers in order to prevent me from getting a restraining order I have no money whatsoever. Which means the dream of ever owning Merlin lies further away than ever. (I have not give up however)

Goodythreeshoes: Yes, there's a movie. It's from some time ago though. Prove of that is the fact that I have a copy of it on VHS as well. They'll get some happy times together but I'm afraid it won't last seven years before trouble comes knocking on the door. (I'm a mean writer :p)

CB93: Well the effects of Gaius' snoring are already visible in this chapter :p

Coffee Dazed: Of course he deserves a love. Tsss, those women of Camelot don't know what's wrong with them. I sure knew what I would do if I lived in Camelot ;)

Sarahelizabeth: Arthur always cracks people up ;) I'm glad you like my fic

Isis the sphinx: It's okay, I'm glad you like it

We used to love one another
Give to each other
Lie undercover so,
Are you friend or foe

Love one another
Live for each other
So, are you friend or foe
Cause I used to know

TATU – FRIEND OR FOE

Freya was lying in bed, turning and twisting, obviously having a troublesome dream.

In her dream she was underwater, swimming upwards, when she reached the surface she looked at the shore and saw Merlin standing there.

The scene switched and she and Merlin (who was obviously a few years older though she looked the same) were in the hallway next to the throne room, there was a party going on inside but she and Merlin were outside, having an argument. Merlin accused her of something. She had betrayed a group of people to Morgana but she kept on denying it. Freya saw the look in her own eyes, she was lying.

An aged Merlin was sitting on a stone, he looked tired and in desperate need of resting. She kneeled down beside him, still looking the way she did today and conjured some water out of mid air, giving it to him. Merlin drank the water and took her hands in his.

"We've lived our life good haven't we, my wife?"

She shook her head and stared at him, tears in her eyes.

"How can you even say that, after everything we both did to one another."

His hand went to her cheek and wiped her tears away.

"Because we never wanted to do those things to one another. When someone forces us to do something… it's still that person isn't? It makes you nothing more but a tool and you and me, we're human beings, not tools."

Freya pushed his hand away and stood up, turning her back towards him.

"I seized being a human being a long time ago and you know it."

Merlin stood up, though it took him a lot of trouble to do so and walked two steps towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You never stopped being the woman I loved, the woman I married, …"

A small laugh escaped Freya's lips. "You didn't show that when Morgana forced me to do things I didn't want…"

"You remember those days as well as I do. Arthur's reign, magic allowed in Camelot, I was on the top of the world and figured I was always right, always the wisest."

"And when Camelot fell?"

Merlin took a deep sigh, "I was in pieces back then, just like everything I worked for, everything I did. No matter how wrong it was, in my mind it just seemed easier to hate everything associated with Avalon."

Freya didn't reply, she just kept staring in front of her, tears rolling down her face.

"Do you expect things ever to go back to how it used to be, Merlin?" She said after a while.

Silence fell over Merlin as he tried to figure out how to word his thoughts.

"Not in this life, I'm too old for instance to do some of the things we used to do" A laugh escaped Freya as he said this "and I'm sure people would just look upon us as a granddad and his faithful granddaughter who takes a dive into the lake 6 days a week."

Finally Freya turned around, her hand touched his wrinkled face. "Can't you turn yourself younger again?"

Merlin shook his head. "What would be the point? I can make myself appear younger, but I'd still move like an old man, I'd still think like one and talk like one as well because I can't just jinx away my life experience."

"I know that, but just this once, just for me. Let me look upon the Merlin who saved me from a cage, the Merlin from a time where everything seemed more simple."

Merlin did as she asked and before her he stood once again, young and healthy but he soon turned back into the older one.

"I'm sorry," she said crying, "I shouldn't have made that promise."

Freya woke up, she had never had such a realistic dream, it was scary the way it seemed as if she was actually there in the forest. She could swear she could still feel Merlin's wrinkled skin on her hands. She lay her head on her pillow, sure sleep wouldn't come to her for hours to come.

What had she done? What if this was indeed not a dream but the future?

A tear escaped her eyes and she was about to wipe it away when she heard a low male voice call her name.

She sat up but there was nobody there.

"Hello?"

"Freya…"

There was still nobody to be seen. She quickly crawled underneath her blanket, her dream soon forgotten.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"So when was anyone going to tell me about this?" Merlin asked staring straight at Gaius.

"You're his manservant Merlin, I thought you knew about this?"

"No, I didn't know about some woman challenging Arthur for a duel and inviting him in a couple of days. Thanks for asking!" Merlin said while storming out of the room.

Gaius shook his head and stared at Freya. "The two of you been in some kind of fight?"

Freya shook her head. She wasn't going to tell that two sleepless nights in a row after a journey like theirs and heaving to hear that he needs to leave for another journey as well were taking their toll on Merlin. She had already suggested switching beds again but nor Merlin nor Gaius would hear anything about it. Gaius didn't know the real reason though. Freya however really wouldn't mind switching chambers, for two nights in a row now she had heard the man call her name even though nobody was there.

"Gaius? Would you mind if I read some of your books on healing plants?"

"'course not, girl, 'course not."

She got up and took a book from the pile, letting her eyes rest upon it while her mind was miles away, on another place. So many strange things were happening since she made that promise to Viviene, she'd almost wish she was still cursed. She had developed a theory, a pretty ridiculous one, in a desperate attempt to give some explanation to the voice she heard. What if it was her old cat-form, calling for her through the night around midnight? Would it always be like that? But than again she would've heard it if that were true.

Merlin's departing with Arthur to meet Morgause soon brought another diversion as the young couple said their goodbyes for the first time.

"Will you be safe?"

"Well Arthur thinks he's got my back and I most definitely got his so I think we should be just fine." Merlin said as he hugged her one last time.

"Merlin, I hate to interrupt but we need to go. We have an appointment you know."

"He means he has an appointment." Merlin whispered in Freya's ear which made her laugh. He let go of her, kissed her lips and mounted his horse.

That night Freya woke up from the voice again and this time she was determined to find out it's source. She put on her clothes and sneaked past Gaius (Merlin didn't exaggerate when he mentioned the snoring) and out of the door.

Once out of the door she followed the voice down the hallway towards the stairs. Camelot sure was creepy during the night she figured as she walked through the moonlit, empty hallways. But then again an ghostly voice calling your name would do that to a place.

The voice finally led her to the dungeons but she couldn't pass there since two guards were guarding a gate down there.

Merlin might be able to get through situations like these but she didn't have any magic which sort of made it quite difficult for her. She went back upstairs and finally almost bumped into the pregnant kitchen maid.

"I'm so sorry." Freya mumbled.

"You're the new girl aren't you? Merlin's girlfriend from Ealdor."

Freya didn't want any more questions about her background so she nodded, sort of confirming she was from Ealdor.

Was it lying when you didn't exactly use words?

"I'm Caroline," the girl said, letting one hand go of the plate she was holding, offering it to Freya. "I work in the kitchens."

"I'm Freya, now tell me, who's so selfish that he'd want a late snack from the kitchen at this hour."

The girl laughed. "Frederic, one of the guards downstairs easily faints when he doesn't have enough food to eat. He doesn't want people to know this so we bring him a plate of food when he's on night duty."

Freya shook her head and took the plate out of Caroline's hand. "Well we can't let you do all those stairs with your hands full in your condition can we."

"It's quite alright."

"It isn't. You should rest at this time of the night. Let me do it, I'll make sure it's delivered safely."

Caroline, who was actually quite grateful for this smiled and handed the plate to Freya.

"Thank you." She said as she quickly hurried of.

Freya however didn't directly go to the guards. She first sneaked back to Gaius' chambers, took two bottles from the shelves and went back downstairs.

The content of one bottle, she poured over the plate, the other one, she put into her pocket.

Once downstairs, she put on a smile.

"Which one of you is Frederic?"

The man looked up and Freya handed him the plate.

"Where's Caroline?"

"I took the plate from her, I didn't want her to do all those stairs with her hands full in her condition." Freya said as she went back upstairs.

She didn't really go upstairs, she just waited halfway the stairs until the potion she had used would set in on the guard.

As soon as she heard him run towards the bathroom she got up and walked back downstairs.

"I came to retrieve the plate, where's your colleague?"

"He had to go to the loo." The man answered and Freya looked at him.

"Aren't you Mark?" Freya asked (she had listened to the men's talk as she waited on the stairs).

"I am."

Freya nodded and brought her hand to her skirt. "I'm Gaius' new assistant. Your wife euhm had asked him to make you something for you know, your problem."

"My problem?"

Freya indicated with her head the certain area where the problem of the man could've occurred and tried her best not to laugh as the man looked surprised.

"I don't have any problem there! Sure you didn't mistake yourself because my wife has no complaints as far as I know."

"As far as you know. Listen, Gaius really told me I had to deliver this to you today but I couldn't find you and he won't be happy if I didn't gave it to you. Seeing that it must be taken within twelve hours which are nearly over. It can't harm can it?"

"But I don't have any problems, what if this thing only creates problems?"

"It's a stimulator, no harm can come from it. Now come on, before your mate returns from the loo." Again Freya tried her best not to laugh. Poor Frederic would be on that toilet for quite some time.

The man, took the bottle and gulped it down. "There happy?"

"I'm sorry sir, I'm just doing what I'm told." The man nodded and went to sit down again, Freya pretended to go back up but she was only five steps on her way when the man dropped his head on the table.

You didn't always need magic to get your way. But you did need to think a lot harder to do so and seize the opportunities that presented themselves.

She took a torch and went downstairs, until she arrived in a cave.

"Hello?"

Out of nowhere, a dragon appeared and Freya started to scream.

"By all that's magical, you sure know how to scream. Do you not know that dragon ears are a lot more sensitive."

Freya suddenly felt deeply ashamed and bowed her head, mumbling she was sorry.

"Don't worry about it, now let me take a look at you. It is a fact that neither you nor Merlin look distinctively apart for the destinies you both have."

"Merlin's the one with the destiny I'm afraid."

"I'm not mistaken young child, who's the one he loves? Who's the one who'll control his action steered by the heart? No man can have a destiny in his life without sharing it with the woman that 's connected to his life."

Freya laughed again, "So you're saying I need to play Arthur's bodyguard as well? I'll be of much good, no magic and I'm sure Arthur can't defend his own life using his sword without my help."

"In time you'll see what I mean, young child. Now, this meeting must never be told to a soul. Not to Viviene, not to anyone else, especially not to Merlin."

"I can't lie to Merlin."

"You're not lying, you're merely protecting him. It is a myth that secrets are only kept for bad purposes."

Freya didn't say anything, keeping secrets was in her eyes the same thing as lying, but then again her boyfriend would be lying to everyone he knew and that wasn't something that really recommended him actually.

"So what's this meeting about?"

"I wanted to see with my own eyes what Viviene has done to you and now that I do there's no mistake possible."

Freya looked at her feet, then her legs, her arms, she didn't really know what the dragon meant.

"It's not something you can see."

"She took away the curse."

"And you gave her something in return didn't you? I'll say no more on the matter now, just remember what I told you. The destinies of you and Arthur are connected to one another.

Freya left the cave, passed the guards without noticing them and went back upstairs.

That Dragon was a creep and worse than a sphinx.

AN: Well hope you like it, the dream you see was more or less a preview from the sequel 'Ghost Love Score' which just like this fic is already completely written out in a rough draft.

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