Hi! Thanks for sticking with me through these slow updates. I'm hopeful that things have finally begun to find some sense of normalcy...(at least until school gets out in a couple weeks... then, all hell will be breaking loose LOL)

Anyway... review responses!

To the guest who serenaded me with chapter 49... I was giggling and awwing at the choice of songs. Thanks!

Matthew1972: Thank you so much for all the help, and listening to me whine about things with this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

mersan123: Thank you for being such a wonderful reviewer! I love being able to surprise you with the twists and turns.

michale329: Your question will be answered in this chapter regarding the Fisher King.

mizzeymel: Here ya go! Thanks for the review!

IcarusLSU: You're almost caught up! (about time :D)

Special thanks to Sarajm, Matthew1972, and others from the HoC chat for their encouragement and Pomeranians. (seriously... don't ask. Just, don't ask.) And to Nance as always for sticking with me and helping to polish my words.


He could hear Morgana's whimpers across the way. His fists clenched the bars with white knuckles and his fear for his wife's state of mind was quaking in every fiber of his being. It had been two days since they were taken to the dungeons underneath the castle, and aside from the guards at the end of the corridor, they hadn't seen a soul.

Arthur was once again pacing. Merlin recognized the sound of his footsteps anywhere, even if they were separated by walls.

"Are you going to get us out of here or not, Merlin?" The exasperation in the king's voice echoed and amplified in Merlin's soul as Morgana cried out from another vision.

Merlin's eyes searched the cell again. Every rune mark around the door was etched in his mind, but he still searched, hoping that he'd see something he missed. Like the dungeon where he and Gwaine had been kept in Lothian, this one was warded against the use of magic. Desperation clawed at his heart to be free and able to protect his wife.

The talisman she wore, a shard of Dragon Stone, was nothing more than a useless rock in this place. He couldn't reach her, no matter how hard he tried.

He turned and slumped against the bars of his cell. Catching Gwaine's eyes, he felt a surge of compassion for his friend.

They had all been surrounded and separated when Arthur gave the order to stand down. Yelling back and forth through the dungeon told Merlin that everyone in their group had been accounted for, save one. Aylass was nowhere to be found, not that they could see very much beyond the bars of their prison.

The warlock knew the magic of the Cauldron was catching up with his wife. If his own brief experience and the visions that accompanied it was anything to go by, her mind was probably being torn apart. Gwaine's love for Aylass was just as deep, and not knowing her whereabouts must have been even worse for the roguish knight.

Another strangled cry had him rethinking that assessment.

The dungeon was a constant din of moans and groans from other prisoners. Each cell seemed to be filled with ruffians, vagrants, and prisoners of war. Gwaine commented that he could feel the vibrations of pickaxes and shovels far below them, as the healthier of the unfortunate had mostly likely put to work in the mines.

"If my daughter is down there..."

"She's not!" He spat, cutting off Tristan's words and wondering what the old smuggler's issue was. "If anyone is to blame for her situation, it's you for dragging her to the Perilous Lands, and for making the deal with Alvarr in the first place."

Were it not for the walls separating them, Merlin was certain that Tristan would have throttled Gwaine at that point.

Something was off about Tristan, but Merlin couldn't put his finger on it.

Tristan had appeared in the doorway following the replacement of the Cauldron to its rightful place. At first, he seemed joyous to hold his daughter in his arms again, and Aylass had responded in kind. When she mentioned to her father that it had been Gwaine who rescued her, Tristan's face had darkened.

There had not even been a small nod of thanks, only blame smouldered in Tristan's eyes. Aylass had taken a step away from him just as the bells began to toll and soldiers rushed in. She had been immediately surrounded and separated from the rest of the party; hauled off to some unknown destination, while the rest had followed Arthur's lead in laying down their weapons.

Arthur had questioned his decision silently. Merlin could almost feel his king sulking, while Arthur's mind went gone through different scenarios and strategies to get them out. But, with no working knowledge of the city that now laid outside the castle, his ideas kept coming up short.

Bran had barely been able to proclaim himself before he had been knocked out from behind. He had assumed that this was the kingdom where he was prince. Even after he'd awoken, he still believed that they had been taken back to a time he knew.

It had been Gwaine's friendliness that had finally loosened the tongue of one of the guards... There was no Prince in Corbenic.

King Pellas, the man who Merlin had met as the "Fisher King", had only recently wed and his queen had not yet conceived. Although, it was rumored that Pellas had a few bastard children running around, including a boy of three who had the same name as Bran's older half-brother who had attacked on his sister's wedding night. From what the Bran could recall, it would be another two years before he and his twin came into the world.

They had been taken to the dungeons to await the return of the king for their punishment against trespassing in the Great Hall of the castle.

Split into smaller groups, they were forced into cells filled with others awaiting similar fates for a variety of crimes.

Merlin and the others with magic had tried to break free once the main contingent of guards had left them. Their magic seemed to have disappeared. At first, Merlin worried that it had something to do with the Cauldron, until Gwaine pointed to the runes surrounding the cell they were in.

Two days. Two long days of listening to the others bicker and his wife crying out. Two days without his magic.

Merlin was beginning to lose hope of getting out of the blasted dungeons. Although, if they did escape he had no idea what they would do next.

All of a sudden, the entire prison seemed to go silent. Everything appeared to stop, almost like Merlin's trick of altering time, but on a larger scale. All of the other prisoners were frozen in place and even the guards became as immobile as statues.

"Not even born yet and already giving me a headache. Eh, my friend?" An ancient voice carried through the silence.

Merlin and Bran immediately took notice and greeted the man with relieved smiles.

There was an amused twinkle in the man's sharp blue eyes which bespoke of an agelessness that betrayed the surrounding gray hair and beard on a weathered face.

"We owe you our thanks." Arthur stated in relief, as he exited his cell. He was just about to ask the man's identity, when Merlin spoke up.

"Taliesin, why were we brought here?" Merlin asked, even though he suspected only a riddle for an answer.

With a name to accompany the face of the old man, comprehension dawned on Arthur's features. Taliesin was the bard who had accompanied Bran across land and sea to find his sister and who had sat with Bran's head for some eighty years in the seaside keep. It baffled him how the man could appear so old before Bran's birth and still have been around for so long afterward.

Merlin had described to Arthur the Crystal Cave and the visions Taliesin had led him to years before. Also, there had been the incident when Bran's head had been taken from Camelot and subsequently found by the mysterious old man in the river that ran by the cave.

"The Gods have twisted fates, as they are wont to do; whether they are bored or if this is simply how destiny is written." He casually unlocked the rest of the cell doors. Merlin hastily made his way into Morgana's cell and wrapped her in his arms.

Taliesin turned to Bran. "Luckily, your father is rather preoccupied today with making certain your mother is settled in her new home. It's doubtful he'll notice a few trespassers missing from dungeons. Come quickly, now. The magic will not hold much longer against the wards in this place. I have a house just outside the walls of the city, where you should be safe for the time being."


She was in his arms. They were warm and solid; wrapped around her tightly and forcing the visions to subside. His lips touched her temple gingerly. Then, they were stepping out of the stone corridors into the cool, evening air. Morgana's mind began to clear, even though her body still shook from the onslaught of madness that had tried to claim her in the dungeon.

Years before, Uther had thrown her into chains and locked her in a cell overnight for disobeying him. Many other times after that, she had been in some sort of dungeon or another...the worst being the time spent in the hole, courtesy of her own misguided nephew, Mordred.

Most of the time she had only been vaguely aware of what had been happening to her, as her mind had not been wholly her own. She had become a host to her half-sister's soul. Being metaphysically chained to Morgause had been an imprisonment worse than hell.

This was the first time she had been truly locked up since the day Merlin and the others had freed her from Morgause. She didn't count the brief stint as Mealgwn's captive, as that had been her own doing which she knew she could get out of. This place brought back memories of the times she had been unable to free herself. Even with her mother nearby at her side, Morgana still had to fight against two wars waging in her mind...that of her past, and the other that had been brought upon her by the Cauldron's magic.

She hadn't noticed it at first, having been too focused on the immediate situation of being thrust into an unknown place and time. Her worry for Merlin had kept her own demons at bay. But, as the first night fell images began to surround her. One woman, golden and fair, haunted Morgana's dreams. The vision had two faces: sweet, fresh innocence and cool, calculated determination. Two fathers stood behind the woman, and invisible forces seemed to wrap them together through time and destiny.

Beyond that, Morgana couldn't see the why or how of it all. They fought in parallel worlds for the daughter, but never together. Time twisted and wound between them. Stars circled quickly in the skies above them. Demons and men drifted in and out of the dense shadows of silhouetted forests. Each turning of the sun and moon overwhelmed her...left her breathless. Above them all in a dark tower, perched a raven.

She grasped the stone around her neck and it was cold...nothing more than a lifeless piece of rock. In her waking dreams she felt the same fear as she had when Merlin had walked into the Gates of Anwnn, and disappeared from her life temporarily.

His voice, as it called out to her, had sounded so far away.

Now, she was safe. Now, he was with her again. She hadn't realized how much of her strength was borrowed from him since he had found a way to free her.

Mutely, she followed him and the others outside the walls and to the tiny cottage. It smelled heavily of herbs and tonics, much like the Physician's Chambers in Camelot. As Merlin led her to a chair near the fire, she almost expected Gaius or Alice to come bustling out of the back area to greet them. She would have welcomed one of their sleeping tonics for the night, simply to rest after her nightmares left her exhausted.

The others were speaking in low, hushed tones, but she could hear every word they said.

Arthur wanted to find some horses and head straight back to Camelot. It didn't seem to register that Camelot might not even exist. Bran was set on meeting his father, though Merlin and the others cautioned him against it. If he somehow changed the past, what would that mean for the rest of them?

The sound of hooves outside the cottage stilled the conversation, and Taliesin was quickly herding them into a hidden, cellar door. She froze in the doorway, her body unwilling to enter the confined space, even though her logic told her that she would be fine.

Arthur was behind her. His hand grasped at her arms and began to push her in, while whispering warnings of the oncoming threat. Her body rebelled against him, until she felt him being shoved out of the way and gentler hands took ahold.

Merlin cast a magical light ahead of them and she found her courage once again.

They reached the bottom and he extinguished the light, holding her close to his chest as they stood to the side of the stairs and waited in silence.

Merlin was able to feel her heart beat against him, as she tried not to whimper. She shook like a scared animal in his arms. Her normal feisty behaviour and powerful presence were nearly gone in her exhausted state. He knew that once she regained her strength, she would push away from him. Her anger would come out in harsh words, and Merlin would be left trying to keep everyone's emotions from rising under the duress of their situation.

For the moment though, he was content to hold and comfort her quietly while they waited for the danger to pass above them.

The guards who had come to Taliesin's door were questioning him. The old man gave half-answers and twisted truths until the men interrogating him finally turned away in frustration. They promised to take up the matter with the king. The ancient bard encouraged them to do so with a laugh.

Light streamed into the hole as the trapdoor was lifted. Spry and agile as a goat, Taliesin came bounding down the stairs.

"I know you must have many questions," he stated and held up his hand before Arthur had a chance to open his mouth. "But, now is not the time to answer them. First, you all need some rest and sustenance."

He pushed through the group toward the far wall where he tapped lightly on the stones. Dust filled the air as a piece of the wall moved magically away and another room opened up before them.

It was a large room, more like one of the treasure vaults under Camelot than a root cellar. Shelves along every wall were filled with loosely bound books and scrolls of parchment.

In the center was an oblong table set with the makings of a feast. The food had long ago cooled, but that didn't seem to bother the haggard group.

"Taliesin, can I speak with you alone, old friend?" Bran asked quietly, while the others began to eat.

The old man gave Bran a knowing smile and motioned back up the stairs.

"Hey!" Gwaine called out as they were leaving. "What about Aylass?"

Taliesin paused and cocked his head to the side as if he didn't comprehend Gwaine's question. "Who is Aylass?"

Tristan growled loudly. "My daughter!"

"My wife." Gwaine answered at the same time.

"Your wife?!" The smuggler spun on the other man.

Gwaine bit back his first retort and corrected himself. "Soon-to-be. We we were waiting 'til we found you before making it official."

"You will never get my consent, if that is what you are after."

"I'm not looking for your consent. She is a grown woman and can make up her own mind. Besides, she was the one who asked me! And, Arthur has already given his blessing."

Tristan's pale face turned beat red. His fists clenched in fury and he took a step toward the knight, only to be blocked by the lithe figure of the priestess.

Vivienne's touch seemed to shake him out of his rage. "I need some air." He turned on his heel and shoved his way past Taliesin and Bran. Vivienne waited for a moment before following.

Gwaine scowled at the smuggler's form as it disappeared up the stairs. "I'm of half-a-mind to go show him just how worthy I am."

"Save the fight for later, Gwaine." Arthur admonished quietly. He then turned to Taliesin. "One member of our group is still missing: the Lady Aylass. She was with us just before we were captured in the room with the Cauldron, but she was surrounded and taken away before us."

The old man's face twisted in confusion for a moment before a light seemed to dawn in his eyes. "Tell me, is she fair of hair and skin?" The others nodded. "Oh, my. This does pose a rather interesting development. Have no fear. She is safe and well taken care of. Unfortunately, I can do nothing for her current predicament. I will speak with the queen, when she arrives."

"What queen?" Arthur shook his head in confusion. "I thought you said earlier that King Pellas had already returned with his bride."

Taliesin chuckled to himself and made his way up the stairs. "Not her, the other queen. She should be coming along shortly. Until then, I suggest you all take the moment of respite I have offered. Many journeys are still ahead of you."

Bran placed a hand on Gwaine's shoulder. "I'll see if I can find out more for you. I consider her a friend myself, after the past year."

Releasing his tension, the knight nodded his thanks. He moved to the table and flopped down in a chair. Picking up what looked like a piece of chicken, he brought it to his mouth before changing his mind and tossing it back onto the platter. Gwaine couldn't stomach the idea of food while the fate of the woman he loved was still unknown.

"Once we find Aylass, we need to head back to Camelot." The king stated. He immediately held up his hands to stave off the arguments. "I want to see for myself what has happened to my kingdom."

Merlin hummed and hawed, "I think Taliesin is our best bet in getting us where we need to go."

"That old coot hasn't given us a straight answer since we met him!" Arthur snapped out.

"I doubt if he knows how we got here, but he has powers that are beyond me. He can..."

"Arthur's right." They all turned toward Morgana. "We head back toward Camelot, but not to it. If we really are in a time before Uther's Purge, then there is power at the Isle of the Blessed. The priestesses there might be able to help us. It might be our best chance."