Merlin couldn't remember ever feeling this sore before. His muscles were tired and strained and his head ached horribly. He felt the softness of a cot below him and he could hear voices surrounding him, engulfing him, but he couldn't understand a word of it. It was like there was something wedged in his brain, blocking him from interpreting anything. He knew he should be able to understand, but he just couldn't for some reason and it worried him.

The warlock peeled his eyes open slightly and instantly regretted it. He let out an involuntary groan as the harsh light drove spikes of pain behind his eyes. The voices around him grew more frantic, the tones questioning, but he still couldn't understand anything and it made him feel exponentially worse. He suddenly felt overwhelming nausea, but he couldn't get words of warning out. He was trapped; his body was a cage he could not escape.

Someone must've noticed Merlin's desperation because he felt gentle hands at the nape of his neck and on his shoulder, twisting him away from his prone position on the cot. Merlin didn't have time to convey his gratitude before his stomach heaved and he retched until tears formed in his eyes, which were still squeezed shut. The hands later returned him to his former position, then moved to either side of his jaw. Merlin coughed and the hands lingered. He could still hear voices, but they faded quickly in the growing darkness.

"Emrys."

Merlin shuddered. He was tired of this place; of the cold, the dark and the endless restlessness. He was truly starting to fear this woman.

"What are you doing to me?"

The woman laughed from all around him, the darkness swirling, shrouding her from him. "I've been searching for you for a long time, Emrys. You are more than I could ever want."

Merlin's blood ran cold. What did that mean?

"Strange, though. I still can't see you through this darkness, and usually they're so easy to find. I wish you weren't so coy," the woman said, sounding amused.

Merlin felt himself frowning. He had thought the woman could see him through the dark, that his mind had been completely exposed. Somehow, his magic must've defended him by creating the darkness.

"I do love a challenge, but enough foreplay. You must follow my voice. I want to see you."

"What? No," Merlin blurted, stumbling away.

"Come now, Merlin. I know you can feel the pull, even now. Even you cannot resist it for long. All this prolonging is just causing you unnecessary pain." Her voice sounded strangely sympathetic.

Merlin grit his teeth. "I will resist you for as long as it takes, until I can find a way to get you out of my head."

The woman's laughter echoed throughout his head so loudly that his head spiked with pain before the link severed once again, and she slipped out of his grasp.

"—lin. Merlin, it's just a nightmare."

Someone was shaking his shoulders lightly. Even that slight movement made Merlin feel awful—that horrid soreness had returned, and his head was still pounding. Merlin groaned, letting it be known that he did not appreciate the gentle manhandling.

"Merlin? You with us?" Sounded like a prat speaking.

"No," the warlock croaked, suddenly aware of the dryness in his mouth. "Go 'way."

He heard Arthur snort.

"Can you open your eyes? I need to examine you, and then you can go back to sleep." That had to be Gaius.

Even though he still felt miserable, Merlin was relieved when he realized that he was finally able to form coherent thoughts. He cracked his eyes open, flinching at the severity of the light.

"There he is. Drink this, it'll help."

Gaius held up a foul-smelling vial, and Merlin drank it obediently, cringing at the taste. Then a glass of water was held to his lips and the warlock swallowed greedily, his mouth unnaturally dry. Then the physician assessed him, examining Merlin's pupils and asking questions.

"Everything aches, Gaius. My head, especially. Was it a fever of some kind?"

Arthur and Gaius exchanged glances, their concern painfully obvious. Merlin shifted.

"What?" Merlin asked, feeling rather uneasy.

"You had a full-body seizure, Merlin," Gaius said gently.

Merlin blinked. "Oh. I—when?"

"A couple of hours ago. In my chambers."

Merlin turned to look at the king, whose eyes were round with concern. Merlin's face felt hot. He had no memory of having a seizure. He'd just gone to get Arthur's dinner…

"You really have no memory of it?"

Merlin shook his head.

"That's actually quite common after a grand mal seizure, sire," Gaius explained.

Grand mal seizure? That sounded… bad. The room fell quiet as Merlin considered the past few hours. He supposed it made sense, what with his confusion and soreness. It had to have been the strange woman's doing—things were getting worse.

"Who is she?" Arthur asked suddenly.

Merlin's eyes went wide, his head spinning. "W-what?"

Arthur leaned forward, his eyes deadly serious. "After the episode, you asked about a woman. And just now, in your sleep, you whispered things… Who is she?"

Merlin swallowed nervously. He had planned to tell Gaius since things had obviously escalated, but he couldn't tell Arthur, could he? But as Merlin gazed at the king, he saw rare, raw emotion in his eyes. Keeping this hidden had hurt Arthur, and he had no doubt been shaken up by the unexpected episode. And Merlin—Merlin was tired. He was tired of secrets, of lying and keeping his friend in the dark.

Perhaps his mind was still scrambled, but Merlin decided to answer honestly.

"I don't know who she is," Merlin started after a long pause. Arthur straightened up in his chair and Gaius leaned forward. "She's been coming to me in my dreams for days. But then I started hearing her voice when I was awake, like she was standing right next to me. I don't know who or what she is." Merlin was surprised to feel a tear trail down his left cheek. "I think she wants me for something, but I don't know what," he whispered.

"Merlin…" Gaius whispered, wiping the tear away from Merlin's cheek.

"Why didn't you say something?" Arthur asked incredulously, his voice rising in volume.

Merlin flinched, his headache spiking. "I—I thought I was just sleep deprived, but…"

He trailed off, the silence speaking louder than his words ever could. Arthur and Gaius also went quiet, the weight of Merlin's words settling in.

"I'm scared," Merlin whispered, his voice almost imperceptible even to him.

He could see the shock in the other men's faces at his confession, but the warlock was far too tired to worry about it. After all, it was true—Merlin was scared. He didn't understand what was happening to him. Whoever the woman was, she was attacking Merlin's mind. Destiny had often ruled over him and Merlin had accepted that humbly, but through it he always had clarity in his own mind. But now he was losing control over what little he did have, and it terrified him. How could he fulfill his destiny in this state?

Arthur was talking again, probably asking more questions, but Merlin was simply too exhausted to listen. The king's voice fell away as the darkness claimed the warlock once again.

…...

Arthur didn't know what to think. He wanted to shrug it all off and peg it on Merlin's idiocy and inability to care for himself. But they were past that now. There was something sinister at work that they had yet to understand. Merlin had fallen asleep again, and Gaius told Arthur to let him sleep. But was Merlin even getting rest with those mysterious dreams?

"This has gotten out of hand, Gaius. What can we do?" Arthur asked, running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm not sure, Sire. I need to do some research, but it sounds like he's been targeted by some form of magical creature."

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. "Why do you say that?"

"I've noticed Merlin has been awfully sluggish lately, and he had an unprovoked nosebleed this morning—"

"And yesterday, in my chambers," Arthur added.

Gaius sighed unhappily before continuing. "It seems to me that whoever this woman is, she's been draining Merlin's life-force somehow. It still remains unclear how she found him, or why."

Arthur swallowed, his gaze settling on the younger boy lying quietly in the patient's cot. How could anyone ever target such an innocent and kind person like Merlin? What was the purpose?

Gaius stood, moving swiftly over to a stack of books. "This might take a while for me to research. Why don't you retire to your chambers? It is late, and you do have a kingdom to run."

The physician left little room for argument, and Arthur recognized that there was nothing more he could do at this time.

"Alright, let me know the moment you find something. I'll be back in the morning."

Gaius nodded in assurance. Arthur glanced down at Merlin for a lingering moment, then swept out of the room. There was only one thing he knew for certain: he would find this mystery woman and make her suffer.