Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Merlin.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Tower of Idem

When she opened her eyes, Merlin expected to still be in the forest clearing. Her expectations were not met, however, as she wildly looked around, eyes widening with the environment around her. Gone were the towering trees and the greenery; instead, the whole area was covered with sand and, right smackdab at the middle, was a looming tower she did not recognize at all.

The land was devoid of any living creatures, save from herself, and to her great relief, her other three companions.

"W-what happened?" her bodyguard asked, still reeling from their sudden change of venue.

Merlin thoughtfully looked at the other three and frowned. "I think that was a transportation symbol, most likely used by Morgana during her attack," she said, still uncertain as to how she managed to bring them here. Her gut told her to do this, and she was starting to realize it was starting to become more and more reliable. Perhaps, it was the reason why original Merlin became the greatest sorcerer the earth has ever seen. "I… I'm not really sure where we are right now."

"I think I do," the king quietly quipped, as they all looked at him. King Arthur had his gaze glued on the huge tower a few feet away from them, face laced with shock and confusion. "I've seen this place before. My nan used to tell stories about this place when I was younger." When they all still expectantly looked at him, he sighed. "Tower of Idem."

The Court Physician's face lit up with clarity. Merlin and Arthur exchanged looks of confusion, still at loss of what the king revealed. Merlin did not like the look on Gaius face soon after, as dread became the predominant expression on his face.

"This is supposed to be a legend," Gaius gravely said, eyes warily gazing at the tower from afar. "A simple story to scare children and keep them inside the house at night."

"Apparently, it is not," King Arthur pointed out, mirroring the dread on Gaius' face. "We must go back," he hastily said with utmost urgency. "This place isn't safe."

He made a move to go back inside the transportation symbol, but the princess stopped him. "No, we will not," she claimed with conviction. The king was about to protest, but Merlin was having none of it. "This is the perfect place where Morgana could have imprisoned Merlin. We have to save him."

King Arthur stared down at her. "Then, by all means, I have to do this alone," he said, chivalrous. "I order you to go back. I vow to bring back Merlin."

It surprised him immensely when Princess Merlin merely scoffed. "Firstly," she snarled, eyes dangerously flashing, "we are not your subjects whom you can order around so casually. And secondly, I do believe this is our mission" – she pointed a finger at her bodyguard – "and if there is someone who should go back and keep safe, well, frankly speaking, sire, it isn't us."

Affronted, King Arthur glowered at the tiny version of Merlin. The princess, unwilling to back down, held his gaze. The staring contest between the two royals were both watched on by Bodyguard Arthur and Gaius with mild amusement.

She could not believe that Arthur was stupid enough to volunteer himself, when it was obvious this place was filled with pure magic. One wrong move, and they might not have Arthur, too. She had forgotten that Arthur, albeit very brave, could be incredible stupid, too.

To her astonishment, the glare on his face disappeared. A small, disbelieving smile grew, lightly shaking his head in amusement. "If Merlin had stood up for himself like this," he said, the tone of his voice lacking the menace he had a while ago, "I would have respected his decisions more."

Princess Merlin, subdued, blinked at him. "We must get going then," she said, "so you can tell that to him yourself."

He scoffed. "I'd rather not," he said, rolling his eyes, as he led the group closer to the tower. "I don't want to give him any more reason to gloat."

Her bodyguard coughed behind her, and she turned around, giving him a glare. She was sure she heard him laugh.

"Back to our mission," Bodyguard Arthur quickly said, changing the topic, "Why are you and Gaius so alarmed by the tower?"

It was Gaius who replied him. "Legend says that whoever is trapped inside the tower will be lost forever," he quietly said.

Merlin paled, her eyes widening. "If you have said that before our row, I could have gladly obliged," she joked half-heartedly, but King Arthur merely shook his head.

"He's serious," the Once and Future King emphasized. "Unless, the one who is searching knows the person the most." King Arthur stopped walking and turned to the team, a hopeful shine in his eyes. "My father once told me that if ever I was the one locked away in the Tower of Idem, he would still be able to save me because he knows me."

"Well, that's easy," his future reincarnation replied, hopefully look at the others.

"And yet, it is not," Gaius said. "There were past reports of families claiming that their loved ones were trapped here, but they were never found." He sighed and shook his head. "There have been no accounts of people being recused here, and that is not exactly surprising because it was always thought to be a legend, anyway."

Merlin became paler and paler as the mystery of the Tower of Idem was revealed. "Nobody can know a person so well," she reasoned out with a frown. "Secrets are still bound to be kept."

They finally arrived at the foot of the looming tower. They located an old, rusty, and suspiciously normal door. Merlin actually expected something grander, more sinister, or worse – there could have been no door at all.

Above the door, however, lay an inscription. Her bodyguard took a step forward and squinted at the writings, reading it aloud.

In the Tower of Idem
A soul lost forever
Behind a reflection
Lest will only be sought
By someone who swore
Knowledge of the soul
Greater than the stars
Deeper than the oceans
Anyone who dares
Beware for you might be
Trapped inside forevermore

"Well, that was very reassuring," Merlin said, hoping to sound joking. But to her companions, she sounded frightened, which did not help their already frazzled nerves.

Taking a deep breath, the young sorceress then grabbed onto the doorknob and pushed the door open. She gave her companions a one, last quick glance before leading them inside.

Gaius was the last one to enter, and when the door firmly shut behind him, they all looked behind. Dread grew at the pit of their stomach, noticing that there was merely a solid wall, sans the door. Merlin did not want to panic, but worst case scenarios started to conjure inside her mind.

'Maybe I should have obliged to the king's order?' she mused, before mentally smacking herself. They were to save the Legendary Warlock himself; there was no room for cowardice.

Princess Merlin took that time to inspect the inside of the tower. "This isn't right," she commented, noting how small the room was, with a very low ceiling and narrow walls. She clearly remembered that the tower stood almost a hundred feet tall.

"Why does this always, always happen to me?" the king claimed, bordering whiny, as he drew out Bodyguard Arthur's sword and tapped on the walls. To his dismay, there was nothing akin to a door anymore. He threw the sword back to the bodyguard, who was thankful for his quick reflexes; else, the sword could have hit him on his face.

"Strange," Gaius suddenly announced. "There is a mirror here."

He gestured at the full-length mirror that was the only thing placed in the rather bare room. The two Arthurs curiously peered at it, with Bodyguard Arthur jokingly point that there were now four Arthurs, which earned him an eye-roll from the king.

Merlin, confused, stared at her companions. "Don't you see it?" she said, gesturing at the mirror. In front was not her reflection, but an image of another room. Blinking, she looked behind her, but the said room was not there.

"Don't see what?" the future Arthur asked, peering once more at the mirror. "All I can see is my reflection, your highness."

The princess sighed, realizing she was the only one who was able to see the room. Silently, she lifted her hand, about to touch the mirror, but King Arthur latched onto her wrist.

"Don't," he warned, worried that she was seeing something that they don't.

Merlin gazed at them with all the seriousness she could muster. "No one touch the mirror, okay?" she said. "I'd rather we only save on person today."

"We will be saving two if you do whatever you're planning," her bodyguard said, immediately rushing towards the princess and somehow blocking the mirror from her sight. "I'd rather it be me than you, Merlin." He turned around and made a move to touch the mirror, but Merlin immediately grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"If you touch that, you'll be trapped, too," she warned. Arthur warily looked at the mirror and took a step back.

Princess Merlin sighed, a look of finality on her face. "Look," she said, pointedly looking at the bodyguard. "Doesn't it make sense? Lest only will be sought, by someone who swore, knowledge of the soul, greater than the stars, deeper than the oceans… If anyone here in this room knows Merlin greatly, it is me. I'm his reincarnation for, goodness' sake! I know all his memories and emotions. Thus, it should be me."

Bodyguard Arthur was having none of it. "I'll be careful," she said, touched by his worry, as she reached out to hold his hand. "I have this inkling the chances of surviving is tremendously high if it is me." She squeezed his hand as reassurance.

He reluctantly pulled away and stiffly nodded his head.

"No one touch the mirror no matter what happens," she repeated, this time with more warning.

Merlin gazed

She tumbled forward with a soft thud, unceremoniously landing on her knees. The pull of the mirror had caught her off guard, and she did not ready herself for the sudden sensations she felt, until she found herself on the other side of the mirror.

Merlin looked at the mirror and could see the surprised and worried faces of the others. She knew they could not see her, prompting her to sigh.

'Time's a-ticking,' she thought, slowly turning around to beheld the room before her.

Compared to the small, suffocating room on the other side, this one had a frighteningly high ceiling, with numerous winding staircases and doors of various sizes, shapes, and colors decorated around. Merlin nervously bit her bottom lip, hearing distinctive sounds of anguished moans, warily eyeing all the closed doors and wondered what could possibly be happening behind them.

She figured trapped behind those were the lost souls that were never found. How Morgana was able to cheat herself out of this tower to imprison Merlin, she really had no idea. She had a horrible feeling it was not the High Priestess herself who placed her past reincarnation inside, but perhaps by a bewitched wanderer who really had terrible luck on that day.

'Where should I start?' she exasperatedly thought. There were possibly hundreds of doors in this tower, and Merlin did not have the luxury of time.

Merlin started climbing the stairs, eyes trained intently on the different doors. Some had gaudy embellishments, others were spartan. The princess had no idea what those designs represented. 'Maybe their personalities?' she thought, scribbled names of various fonts plastered across the doors.

She thought of using her magic, but she doubted it would work. Her magic was abuzz, heightened by the possible danger she could put herself into. It would not surprise her if the tower fought back once she released a smidge of her power.

Minutes ticked by, while she aimlessly strolled around. Her legs were starting to grow tired from her persistent walking, and yet, she still had not found a fraction of Merlin's presence. Fearfully, she wondered if she was also trapped here forevermore.

Upon climbing on the umpteenth stair, Merlin finally reached a hallway that made her eerily uncomfortable. The lights here were dim, and the atmosphere was thick with suffocating power. Wide-eyed, she was taken aback upon noticing a door that was ajar, emitting a blue ethereal glow that made her stop in her tracks all together.

Princess Merlin cautiously stepped forward, shivering as a cold breeze brushed past her cheeks.

'Just like in my dream,' she thought, jaw suddenly dropping with the realization.

She nervously pushed the door wider to give her more space for entry. Peering inside, she noticed that the room was completely covered with ice. The temperature was freezing, but Merlin finally decided to trudge inside. She then proceeded to examine the whole room, her steps short and careful to stop herself from slipping.

Closing her eyes, she tried to recall all the times she dreamt of this place. 'Merlin should be around here,' she mused, opening her eyes to stare at the place where she was right now. Just like in her dream, right at the very middle of the room was a huge block of ice, a slumbering Merlin trapped inside.

The princess swallowed a lump, breath hitching as she realized that this was real. Months of deciphering her dreams, only to know that they were actually her original counterpart's way of reaching out to her, had overwhelmed her greatly.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she approached Merlin's frozen form. She expected that he would suddenly open his eyes again, mutter the word 'butterflies' just exactly like her previous dream, but Original Merlin continued to remain immobile.

Princess Merlin gingerly lifted her hand, then placing it against the icy prison. She gasped and stumbled back as a huge crack suddenly resounded in the whole room, followed by a few more, until the block of ice finally shattered into pieces. She crouched down and shielded herself from the flying shards of ice, ignoring the pinpricks of pain she felt on her arms as some pieces grazed her skin.

Once the spectacle was finished, Merlin peeked over her arms. The warlock was sprawled messily on the floor, his skin also falling victim with the sharp shards of ice; his face was already bleeding as proof.

She slowly crawled towards him, her heart thudding wildly inside her ribcage.

"M-merlin?" she called, peering fearfully on his deathly white face.

His eyes suddenly flew open as he simultaneously gasped for breath. Relief washed over the princess as the color finally returned to his face.

The manservant blinked rapidly for a while, before turning towards the princess. Princess Merlin was dumbstruck, finally staring at a set of deep, blue, and familiar eyes she always saw whenever she looked in the mirror.

"Hello," he managed to say, before his eyeballs rolled back into his head again, and passed out.

A/N: Yay! Drop a review :)

Next chapter will be wayyyyy longer than the previous ones, I promise you that. It will feature some getting-to-know you's and stuff.

BTW, I only have four chapters left (and quite possibly an epilogue, which I am still not very sure about).

I'll update on Monday!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe