Hey, new chapter! This chapter was very difficult to write for some reason, but I guess i'm reasonably happy with it.

Merlynn had been cleaning Arthur's boots in his chambers when word of a visitor came by the door. The entire council was called to the Council Chamber; she was a bit confused, but curious none the less. So, she dropped the half-shiny boots and hurried toward the chamber, taking her normal place beside Gaius as the man stood in front of the King.

"I'm a herder from the northern plains, Sire. Three nights back, we were camped beneath the walls of Idirsholas," the man, who had introduced himself Joseph, announced.

Uther scoffed. "I'm not sure I would've chosen such a place."

"Good pasture is scarce at this time of year, Sire," he explained. "So-"

"And what is it you have to tell me?" The King had luxuriously spread himself on his throne, elbow on the armrest as leverage, his leg hanging over the side of the other.

Joseph hesitated; he seemed nervous, and Merlynn couldn't blame him. "While we were there we, we saw smoke rising from the citadel."

"And did you see anything else?" Gaius asked as Uther's eyes caught onto his.

"No," Joseph replied.

"Did you go inside?" Uther questioned with a quirked brow.

The herder looked utterly mortified at the prospect of such a thing. "No. Nobody has stepped over that threshold for 300 years! You must know the legend, Sire."

Once more, Gaius took over. "When the fires of Idirsholas burn, the knights of Medhir will ride again," he recited solemnly.

Uther stood from the throne and ran a hand over his brow. "See to it this man is fed and has a bed for the night." As one of the knights took Joseph out, the King turned to Arthur. "Take a ride out there."

"Why?" Arthur asked irritably.

"So we can put people's minds at rest," he explained.

The young prince crossed his arms over his chest; he took a glance at Merlynn, who shrugged. "Surely this is superstitious nonsense?" he scoffed.

"Gather the guard and do as I say."

oOo

Merlynn had never seen such worry in Uther's eyes before. It was disconcerting; the King was such a superstitious being, but this was more than that. This was unbridled fear. As she entered her chambers, Merlynn turned to face the wise, old physician, who also seemed to be uneasy about the news of Idirsholas.

"Why did Uther look so worried about this?" she asked curiously.

Gaius shut his eyes; the announcement involving Idirsholas was a tiresome and terrifying one, and he was unsure of the consequences facing Camelot. "Because the Knights of Medhir are a force to be reckoned with," he replied.

"Do you believe the story as well?" she inquired.

"It's more than a story, Merlynn," he told her. "Some 300 years ago, seven of Camelot's knights were seduced by a sorcerer's call. One by one, they succumbed to her power. At her command, they became a terrifying and brutal force that rode through the lands leaving death and destruction in their wake."

Merlynn eyes were wide after the tale had ended, and she leaned forward like an eager child. "What happened?"

"It was only after the sorcerer herself was killed that the Knights of Medhir finally grew still," he finished. After a brief moment of a tense pause he continued, hand over hers, "Merlynn, if what Joseph says is true, then something has awoken them, and I fear for each and every one of us."

oOo

As soon as the sun rose, it was time for Camelot's search party to leave. Merlynn was dressed, packed and ready to go and she had readied Arthur for the venture also. She saddled up both her and Arthur's horses then headed up to his chambers to wake him. When she arrived, he was already awoken and dressed.

"I am pleasantly surprised to see you dressed and ready," she announced with a small laugh.

Arthur turned to her, tightening the brace on his arm. "A bit disappointed, perhaps?" he taunted.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, Arthur. How could I not?" Merlynn lifted his sword from on top of the cupboard and handed it to him. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Are you?" he returned, kissing her forehead.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

oOo

As they took of through the woods, Arthur could sense a change in Merlynn's behaviour. She jumped at the smallest sound that shot through the trees, her shoulders caved in toward her chest and her eyes flickered every which way; the familiar movements of when she was scared.

"What's wrong, Merlynn?" he asked with a hint of a sigh in his voice. "Please don't tell me you've been listening to Gaius's bedtime stories again. You should know it's just an old wives tale."

"I hope so," she mused to herself, gripping the reins tighter in her hands.

oOo

After a long days ride, the party had finally arrived in Idirsholas. It was a magnificent place, rivalling Camelot greatly in its size and beauty. Merlynn's eyes were wide with apprehensive wonder and she was not sure whether to be amazed or frightened by the sheer image of it.

Arthur motioned for the entire party to dismount. Luckily, this time Merlynn had brought a sword with her so she wouldn't be running around like a headless chicken while she searched for one. As the assemblage stepped through the ruins, Merlynn was once again overwhelmed by Idirsholas.

It was just as otherworldly as its name.

Merlynn could hear a strange noise emitting from an unknown source. It wasn't music, nor was it sound or melody. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"Hear what?" he returned quietly.

"That strange…" Like a tremble, or hum, an eerie symphony of air, "trembling sound."

"That's your knees knocking together, so don't worry," he comforted mockingly.

Deeper into the fortress they went, weaving through broken, marble corridors and deep valleys of rock. Merlynn made sure to keep behind Arthur always, as he was the most skilled out of all the knights. Two knights flanked either side of her. One gave her a reassuring smile as they stepped through a creaky, metal gate toward an empty chamber which only held a small table in the middle of the room.

The knights spread around the room as Arthur checked the ashes on the table. "It seems part of Joseph's story was true. Probably just travellers passing through," he declared.

Merlynn felt the hair at the back of her neck stand up on end and turned her head toward the entrance, dread filling her. "Or maybe not," she concluded. "Oh, no." She took a weary step back.

The Knights of Idirsholas drew their swords and prepared to fight. Merlynn tried to keep in the battle as much as possible, but found herself ducking and keeping hidden most of the time. She almost cried out in joy as Arthur ran one through but, when the creature didn't fall, she knew something was peculiar about these Knights.

Merlynn quickly ducked her head as a sword hit the marble behind her and noticed that Arthur had lost his sword. So, faring his skill over hers, she called out, "Arthur!" and threw the weapon over to him.

"Run, Merlynn!" he shouted back. "Go!"

She slid past Arthur and avoided being gutted by one of the creatures, then stopped. Merlynn knew she couldn't just allow Arthur to stay here fighting against odds even he couldn't compete with.

Arthur glanced over to the entrance, where he hoped to see the back of her coat turning the corner to safety. But, there she remained, frozen in her place. "What are you...? Do as I say!" he roared, shoving her in the direction of the doorway.

Merlynn waited for him. She couldn't just leave him alone in there against undead creatures. Arthur kicked, punched and parried his way to the doorway, keeping his firm body between the knights and Merlynn. She knew they would die if she didn't use her magic so, while Arthur was distracted with his mental battle plan, her eyes flashed gold.

"Ahríes þæc!" she shouted over the loud, roaring hum, pulling Arthur out of the room as the entrance crumbled over the knights.

oOo

They ran. They didn't know how long it would take, but they ran back to where the horses where saddled up waiting for them. Finally, they stopped when the familiar huffing of the animals alerted their ears.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Merlynn gasped. "Those – those things! They just wouldn't die."

"You're telling me," he panted. Arthur glanced her over quickly, surveying for any injuries. "You alright?"

She nodded.

"Did anyone else escape?" he asked.

Merlynn reluctantly shook her head; it was horrifying to watch the knights die like they did, but they died fighting honourably. They wouldn't be buried honourably, though.

Arthur sighed. "We need to get back to Camelot, gather reinforcements."

oOo

When they rode into Camelot, the first sight they were graced with was not those of welcoming, curt guards, but instead the limp bodies of the men who usually stood watch on the wall. The pair dismounted and Merlynn watched as Arthur made his way toward the guards and checked one of their throats.

"Are they dead?" she asked worriedly, biting her lip. Merlynn wasn't sure that she wanted to know what sort of evil had entered Camelot, and hoped that those she cared about were safe.

"No," he replied, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "They're still breathing."

"What do you think happened to them?" she inquired and gently shook the one closest to her. He didn't wake.

Arthur shook his head. "I don't know."

They took off in a fast jog toward the Square, where they found that the townspeople had fallen wherever they lay, unconscious or asleep. No one showed any signs of movement or life, except for the shallow breathing. It seemed that the majority of people where guards and knights; the rest of the peasants she could not see.

"What's going on?" Arthur declared with a hint of nervous fear in his voice.

"I'll go get Gaius," she said and hurried up the stairs of the palace, bolting through the wide-set doors.

Arthur stared around the tensely horrific sight around him and tried to remain calm, but confusion and distress were weaving its way into his mind.

"Arthur?" Merlynn screamed from within the castle. He took off in a haste toward her and almost ran into the terrified girl as she stood, frozen, at the bottom of the staircase.

"My god," he breathed in horrid awe, eyes wide.

She took in a deep breath; the ultimate, loud silence ticking at the back of her mind. "They're fast asleep," she told him. "Must be some kind of…sickness, or something."

Suddenly, Arthur began to make his way up the staircase, leaping over the slumbering knights and guards toward the Council Chamber. "Where's my father?" He burst through the thick, wooden doors, looking around wildly for Uther. When he couldn't catch sight of his father, he growled in frustration. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, but we need to go to Gaius," Merlynn announced, clasping his hand in hers as she took off toward her chambers. "If he's awake, he'll know what to do!"

As they rushed through the door, Merlynn found Gaius slumped over his work desk, snoozing comfortably. "Gaius!" she exclaimed and removed the flask from beneath his hands. She sighed. "It has to be the work of magic."

"We have to find my father!" Arthur declared. She turned and followed after him; she was beginning to tire from running, but took a deep breath and pushed herself forward until they passed Morgana's room.

She noticed Gwen lying in the doorway. "Arthur!" she cried, motioning toward her. "Can you carry her to the bed?"

Arthur nodded and picked Gwen up in his arms, placing her down comfortably on Morgana's bed where it looked as though she was simply taking a nap. Suddenly, the curtain behind Merlynn shifted. Arthur gently pushed her behind him and drew his sword, heading toward the thick, moving curtain.

Merlynn hoped it wasn't something fierce and terrifying…like a Wilderen.

As Arthur ripped the curtain away, he cried out in shock as a body slammed into his. Arthur then noticed the thick mass of decoratively styled dark hair and calmed for a moment. "It's me!" he assured the distraught woman over her screams. "It's me, Morgana! What's happened?"

Merlynn was suspicious, but the fear in Morgana's eyes was truth enough for the instant. "Calm down, Morgana. Just tell me what happened," he hushed, hand gripping her wrist loosely.

"People were complaining, saying they weren't feeling well," she told him.

Arthur raised his brow, wide, blue eyes determined. "And what then?"

"They started falling asleep. Everyone, everywhere I went."

"Was someone here?" Morgana shook her head helplessly. "Then why were you hiding?"

The woman drew her head, taken aback and narrowed her eyes at him. "I told you, I didn't know who you were," she defended.

"Where's my father?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she cried desperately.

Merlynn stepped forward and put her hand on her previous friend's shoulder; she still wasn't sure what to think of her. One side of her mind (the rational one) told her she was not to be trusted, but the other side (her heart) told her that Morgana was still her friend, and she cared for her greatly.

"If she was awake then she must have seen something," Arthur barked.

Morgana sniffed. "I didn't see anything."

"You saw people getting sick, what did you do?"

"What could I do?" she snapped slightly.

"Morgana, I don't understand," he said. "Why is it that you're the only person awake?"

Merlynn stared at Morgana, removing her hand from her shoulder and narrowed her eyes just the smallest bit in suspicion.

oOo

Arthur was rushing into every room they passed, checking for any person who was awake and his father. Merlynn kept the same pace as Morgana, and loosely gripped her wrist as a sort of – comfort? Warning?

"I'm not going to say anything," she muttered. "So you don't need to worry."

Morgana seemed confused as she asked, "About what?"

"The illness," Merlynn stated.

"That has nothing to do with me," she hissed, ripping her wrist away.

She clenched her jaw and turned her head to her slightly. "No, of course not, but you have magic."

"You haven't told anyone that!"

"No," Merlynn reassured, "and I will never tell Arthur, but…there has to be something keeping you safe, and I think that must be it."

"Right," she agreed reluctantly, nodding.

Distantly, the two heard Arthur call out, "I found him!"

oOo

Uther was in his chambers, head slumped down onto the dining table, snoring loudly. Merlynn had never seen the King in such a way, and it was so different from what she usually saw; no longer was the brick wall of anger and hate, but a snoring, human man.

Arthur pulled his father from his collapsed position over the table. "Father," he called, trying to rouse the King from his slumber.

"He's…fine," Merlynn managed out, raising his eyebrow.

He shot her a look. "He is not 'fine', Merlynn."

"He's just asleep," she assured. "All we have to do is find the cure. A way to wake them."

"Who could have done this? You're the only one who's hot been affected, Morgana," Arthur declared. "There must be a reason."

Morgana swallowed nervously and opened her mouth a few times, cutting herself off. Then, she simply said instead, "I don't know."

"That's all you keep saying!" he growled, walking past Merlynn to glare straight into Morgana's eyes. "You must know something!"

"No, they just fell asleep one by one!" she yelped.

Merlynn took Arthur's arm, pulling him back from the Lady. "Arthur. It's obvious. When she started feeling sick, Gaius gave her a potion, right?" she announced, eyes glancing at Morgana for a moment to get her to understand.

"When was she sick?" he questioned, angry resolve calming as Merlynn tried to tame him for the moment. "She never said that."

She nodded toward her. "She was one of the last to be affected. Somehow the potion must have helped," she lied.

"What about everyone else?" Arthur asked.

"By then Gaius was too ill," she suggested. "He didn't have a chance to treat anyone else."

Arthur was silent for a few moments, thinking the prospect over and then finally, he said toward Merlynn, "Go and see if you can find this potion. I'll search for signs of life in the lower town." She nodded and rushed off. He turned to Morgana. "Morgana, you stay here. You look after my father. Keep him safe. Here." Arthur handed her his sword. "Protect him with your life, you understand?"

oOo

Merlynn needed Gaius to wake up. There was nothing else she could do if he remained asleep. He was her last hope for the moment. So, she grabbed her magic book from the large bookcase, always in the same place; third shelf up, twenty third book from the left. She flipped through the pages, trying to find some spell that would wake Gaius up.

"Alright, Gaius," she breathed, preparing herself. "This, hopefully, will wake you. Uh – okay - Ic ácwice þé."

Gaius shot up from his sleeping position. She should have realised this beforehand, but all she could see was that he was up. Merlynn grinned, matching the one on Gaius' face.

"Gaius!" she exclaimed brightly. Then, she finally noticed the goofy smile which morphed his expression into that of a terrible jester. "Uh – Gaius? No. Bugger." She tried to avert her eyes from his face; it unnerved her. "Alright. Er…" Merlynn flipped through the pages of her book, and found another spell. "Oh. We could try this. Ic þé bebíede þæt þú mé slæpest!"

Instead of waking up, the chair beneath Gaius snapped into twine and he toppled to the floor – his expression remained in that same, disturbing form, to which she turned his head away from her manually.

"Or not," she mumbled. "Why can't I get this right? Argh! Er…Please, Gaius. Wake up. I don't think either of us can handle any more of this. I need your help, and that means you have to wake up." Merlynn watched as Gaius' head reverted back to facing upwards, his frozen, goofy face seemingly plastered there. She flipped through the book again with a sigh. "Okay, let's try again. Brimstréam!"

Water, seemingly out of nowhere, poured down onto Gaius' face and she slammed her fist into the side of the table irritably. "Bugger, bugger, bugger!" she cursed.

"Merlynn!" Arthur called as he suddenly rushed in, and Merlynn quickly turned to face him, snapping the book shut. "Come quickly."

She hid the book underneath some paperwork and took off after him.

oOo

Arthur had led her to the battlements, where the two watched as eight of the Medhir headed toward Camelot. There was one leading them on a white horse. Merlynn's brows furrowed in confusion as memories of Gaius' tale came to mind.

"Gaius told me there were only seven knights of Medhir," she spoke, either to herself or Arthur, she didn't know. "There's an extra."

"Then who is he – it?" Arthur corrected, leaning over her to stare out at the oncoming doom.

She shrugged helplessly, accidently hitting his chin lightly. "I don't know," she muttered. "But I do know that now, Camelot is defenceless. The only people awake now is you, me and Morgana – what sort of power do we have over the Medhir? The undead, fearless warriors of Camelot's past?"

He shut his eyes wearily. "We have to get back to my father," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along with him.

oOo

Morgana jumped as the two rushed into the room. She was getting used to the silence of the room, finding herself meddled in her hate toward Uther. The sword she wielded in her hands could so easily slice against the vulnerable King's throat, cutting away all hate toward her kind and bring a new reign of Camelot.

But, she couldn't do it. Not yet. Besides, she didn't want to face both Arthur and Merlynn. While she had her magic, the odds were against her.

"This will be one of the first places they look. We have to get him somewhere else," Arthur declared.

"What's going on?" she asked fearfully.

"We're under attack. No time to explain. Grab his legs, carry him," Arthur ordered and locked his arms beneath Uther's armpits, while Merlynn grabbed his feet. As they carried him toward the door, he noticed that the bottom of Uther's tunic was brushing prominently against the floor and glared at her. "You're not meant to be sweeping the floor with him! Pick his feet up!"

"I'm sorry, but he's not the lightest damn fellow in the Kingdom!" Merlynn barked back at him. "Gods!"

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Morgana, give her a hand."

Morgana took Uther's left foot while Merlynn caught hold of the other, and the three hauled the Great King of Camelot out of his room.

oOo

Merlynn had to smile. Her life was in mortal peril, and still she found a way to smile through these dark times. The source of her amusement: Uther. While the King of a Kingdom's duty was to protect and defend, he was snoring away like – well, her on a lazy day. It made her smile and chuckle; she didn't even stop when Arthur shot her a glare.

"It's not funny, Merlynn," he snapped.

Merlynn snorted. "It's a little funny."

"Did you find the potion Morgana took?" Arthur questioned.

The two women shared a look. "Er, no. Sorry. I didn't seem to recall which one was which."

They ended up in Arthur's chambers. Merlynn and Morgana took a moment to stare at each other once more, both thinking the same thing, and suddenly dropped Uther's legs simultaneously. Arthur huffed, still holding Uther up by his front.

"We can't leave him here!" he protested. "We have to lift him onto the bed."

Merlynn shrugged. "Why?" she retorted easily. "He's asleep. It's not as though he's going to realise he's on the floor. Uther didn't feel us carry him, wooden floors aren't going to make a difference."

"Merlynn!" Arthur barked.

"Fine! I'll get a bloody pillow," she said, striding over to Arthur's bed and collecting one of his large, white ones.

His eyes were wide in disbelief. "He's the King!"

"Alright. Well, I'll give him two pillows. Gods, you're so strange, Arthur," she remarked, grabbed another and heading back to Uther. She gave him a pointed look and Arthur helped lift Uther's head while she put the pillows beneath him.

Arthur staggered as he stood, skin clammy and paling rapidly.

"Are you alright?" she asked drowsily, feeling a sharp pang at the back of her eyes, which told her she was tired. Arthur looked her over –pale skin was turning whiter even and she was sweating. Her eyes were drooping and rolling about.

"Are you feeling the same?" he returned, and put a hand to her forehead. She was burning up fast; so was he.

Merlynn ran a hand over her sweaty brow, wiping away the annoying substance. "We're getting sick," she told him. She glanced over at Morgana, who hadn't changed once. It was obviously some sort of witchcraft over the other girl or she would have been affected.

"We can't let that happen," Arthur affirmed, trying to stay on his feet. "We have to keep my father hidden."

She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself; she blinked to stay awake. "Why don't we disguise him?"

"That might just work."

"We could dress him as a woman," she suggested excitedly.

He frowned. "That, on the other hand..."

Merlynn rolled her eyes. "We could dress him as a servant, then. Don't be creative."

"That's better," he announced.

"I'll go get him some clothes," she said and hurried off. Arthur stared after her for a moment.

oOo

As Merlynn headed down to the Great Dragon's cave, she noticed one of the undead knights heading her way, but hadn't seemed to see her yet. So, she hurried into the closest room and ducked into the cupboard near the door.

A harsh, dead breath rushed through the room. A chilling feeling washed over her. She could feel the creature before she could completely see it. Its presence sucked the life out of the room, out of her. Merlynn clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her breathing, and watched through the slits in the cupboard as the Knight of Medhir passed it.

Then, it left. Merlynn breathed a sigh of relief and stepped away from the storeroom and hurried toward the cave.

She burst through the doorway of the cavern to see the Great Dragon, seemingly resting on the large rock he usually perched on. "What's going on? Why is everyone sleeping?" she cried. He snored. Merlynn growled in frustration. "Please not you as well. I need your help! What am I going to do?" A snort left him and her eyes narrowed. "Don't pretend. I know you're listening to me."

He yawned and raised his head, golden eyes rolling in annoyance. "I don't need to listen to you, Merlynn. You always say the same thing: "Help me"," he mocked, his usually raspy voice rising to a morbidly identical voice as hers. "And yet you refuse to give anything in return. Now you will face the consequence of that decision. Camelot's end is nigh, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I know I promised to free you, and I will!" she called up at him.

The Great Dragon's reply was a bitter laugh.

"I will! I promise!"

His eyes narrowed down to hers. "I no longer trust your promises," he hissed.

"I swear on my mother's life!" Merlynn swore.

"Careful what you say," The Great Dragon scoffed.

"You have to help me," she pleaded. "Please?"

"Her life matters more to you than your own. This is an oath I believe you will honour," he said suddenly.

"I will," she promised.

"It is one thing to cast a spell that puts everyone to sleep. The power to maintain it is a very different matter. It will need more than just words to break this enchantment."

"What do you mean?" Merlynn inquired desperately.

"You must eradicate the source, Merlynn," he told her.

She rolled her eyes. "Great. What is that?"

"Not what, but who. Such spells need a vessel, a constant living presence to give them strength. The source of this pestilence is the witch, the Lady Morgana," the golden reptile informed.

Denial immediately filled her. She knew the definition of eradicate: to eliminate. Merlynn couldn't eliminate Morgana, her friend and Arthur's old friend. "Can't be," she denied.

"I have warned you about her in the past, but you have failed to take heed. She is dangerous!" he exclaimed.

"No," she snapped. Morgana couldn't be – because Merlynn knew that she would not be able to hurt Morgana without feeling guilty or fearful of the consequences.

"And now she has chosen to turn her back on her own," he continued.

"How do I stop her?" she asked irritably.

"That is easy, young witch. You must kill her," he said finally.

Part 2 will be coming soon! :) A few questions for you guys: (sorry)

1. Would you like me to continue this story into Season 3, or make it into a sequel?

2. Would you wish for Arthur and Merlynn to 'consumate' their relationship before they're married? NOTE: if they are married at some point.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please answer the questions because they'd help me a lot with the process of the story :D