A/N: This chapter has been a pain in my butt for a long time. I'm still not entirely sure it's how I want it, but I've made several passes at it and I want to update. There comes a point when continuing to mess with a piece will only make it worse. Feel free to let me know what you think!

To a degree, Arthur could tolerate apparitions hounding him. He was just one person. But a threat to the kingdom at large he would not stand for. Something had to be done, and quickly. Elyan's injury proved these were not harmless visions. Hopefully Gaius had found something.

Gwen practically tackled him as he reached their private chambers. Arthur nearly allowed himself to collapse into her arms. He was exhausted.

"You're not hurt, are you? Leon just told me what happened—the Questing Beast! I thought it was slain years ago!"

"So did I," sighed Arthur, summoning up what was left of his energy and leading the way through the door.

"And that village terrorized as well? What's going on?" Gwen helped wrestle Arthur's hunting jacket off his shoulders. "It's like those dreams of yours are coming to life!"

Arthur swallowed hard. "I heard Merlin's voice again. His screams. I heard them before the Beast appeared and just before we lost it. Gwen, magic has to be the cause. Whatever it is, it doesn't just want to destroy me. It's using my worst memories to do so." Out of reflex, he probed the old scar in his shoulder from his first encounter with the Questing Beast. The thing had very nearly killed him then…

"And you've talked to Gaius about it? Does he suspect anything in particular?"

"He's never heard of a case like this before. No evidence that I was given something so I would hallucinate, no spells put on me that he could detect. I don't know what he'll think of it affecting the whole hunting party! It just gets worse faster than we can figure anything out." Arthur peeled his sweaty shirt from his back.

"You'll get to the bottom of this, I know it," Gwen insisted. "Go see Gaius before the council gathers. I know he's put every available minute into those books you got for him."

"I just want what's best for the kingdom…he told me maybe it's time we give magic a chance again, but how do I reconcile his words with this chaos? Magic brought it on as well. Pain, hardship, death! Too much death. How do I do I grant freedom and protection for my subjects when it comes to such unpredictable power?"

"Maybe the answers you're looking for will become clear as you focus on the problem at hand," was all Gwen responded with. She helped Arthur into a fresh shirt, and coaxed him out the door again. He grabbed her hand.

"Come with me. The more people I trust who are aware of the situation, the better. And we should check on Elyan."

Gwen nodded, not tugging her hand from his grasp. After not being able to do so for so long, he knew they both treasured the chance to be this openly affectionate. Who knew such a simple gesture could lighten the worst times? Arthur would be grateful for it too, as the next moment shattered all sense of comfort.

It started with a voice that doused Arthur in ice; Merlin's voice, he had no doubt, except this time it was more of a forced moan. Like how Merlin had sounded when he was dying in Arthur's arms. Pained, slowly losing its strength. The sound scared him so badly he almost missed the ominous, quite unconnected breathing. The dark figure that appeared in a cross hallway, however, was unmistakable. Gwen screamed. Arthur swore. The masked warrior just breathed, raising its weapon. They ran for Gaius' chambers.

"Who is that? How'd he get in here?!" asked Gwen, trying not to stumble as Arthur pulled her along.

"It's the apparitions again! He's a knight of Medhir—everyone was under a magical sleep the last time they were here. Well, almost everyone." Arthur's heart twisted. That had been before Morgana had shown her true colors, though her behavior had already become suspicious. He forced Gwen to duck as the unearthly sword split the air above their heads. This was really starting to get old.

The stairway to the infirmary was in sight. Arthur swung his own sword—as if that was really going to deter their pursuer. At this point, he was willing to try just about anything. Two more knights were catching up with the first.

"Gwen, run for it! I'll try to drive them back. Make sure everyone in there is okay!" he shouted, pushing Gwen forward. He barely avoided the blow that followed. A streak of pain flashed across his cheek and raised arm as he stumbled backward. Damn! The speed of the spellbound knights took every bit of concentration Arthur had. He tried not to think of how few of his soldiers had survived the previous encounter with these warriors.

Merlin's voice grew again into an awful howl, and somehow the Medhir knights were impeded in their attack. From the end of the hallway, Gwen cried, "Come on, Arthur! Now's your chance!"

For once, he bolted away from the fight. He knew only magic could truly win against this enemy. It was pointless and stupid to try to play the hero longer than he had to. Gwen opened the door enough for him to dive in, and then they slammed and bolted it.

Arthur sank against the rough wood, breathing hard. "What's going on, Gaius? Why are all these enemies, magical enemies, coming back?"

The old physician looked like he could fall over, even though he hadn't just run for his life. But he crossed over to the open book left at his haphazard desk. "I'm still not sure. There's no way to know how many normal rules of magic will apply in this case."

"Great, just great…" Arthur's heart collided with his Adam's apple as the door behind him gave a forceful shudder. If Merlin was the reason they defeated all these enemies before, how were they supposed to beat them now? An even stronger impact reverberated through Arthur's rib cage. Gwen had retreated to Elyan's bedside, holding tightly onto her brother. Gaius scrabbled madly through his book. The immortal warriors on the other side of the door had them cornered. "Gaius, please tell me you have something! Anything!"

"I'm searching as fast as I can, Sire! I think—perhaps—" It was a wonder he wasn't tearing pages out of their binding, really. "Yes! I think I have it—move away from the door, so I have a clear shot!"

"What?!"

"DUCK, Sire!"

Arthur threw himself flat. Gaius roared something about praying to hellcats (that couldn't be what he actually said), and a blast of energy shot right through the wood without a hint of damage. Between the unearthly keening and Merlin's screams, Arthur was sure he was going to go deaf. Then, nothing. It all just stopped. He checked himself over; no new injuries, thought the entire back of him felt like he'd stood too long at a fireplace.

The court physician's eyes lost their tinge of gold. Magic.

"I think I know what's going on, Sire."

"What—how—what did you do?" sputtered Gwen.

"I turned their source of power against them," Gaius replied, sinking to the bench behind him. "As I feared might work."

Arthur finally picked himself up off the floor. "What do you mean, 'feared'? We finally have a way to combat this menace, whatever it is. I may not love magic, but at this point I'll take what I can get!" When Gaius' expression didn't change, however, Arthur felt dread well up in his gut.

"The power fueling their appearances is incredibly strong, Sire. Very rare. First of all you must understand, the balance of the world hangs not only between light and darkness. The living and the dead also play a part. That's why a life must be given for another to be saved or created, for example."

Arthur was confused. "What does that have to do with the apparitions?"

"I'm getting to that. Emrys was one of the few believed strong enough to influence life and death itself," Gaius continued. "In life, he could maintain control, of course, but in the spirit world…that magic could be much more vulnerable." He took a deep breath. "I believe the dark spirits may be trying to use his power to tip the balance. And the only way to combat their efforts is to take the power back."

"So Merlin's being used as a weapon on both sides," Arthur concluded heavily. Gwen clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Wait, what's Merlin got to do with any of this?" Elyan piped up. He swung his bandage-wrapped leg over the edge of the cot in spite of his sister's protests. Gaius looked to Arthur for how much to divulge.

Arthur sighed. "What's said in here does not leave this room, is that clear?" He waited for Elyan to nod. There was a certain relief, really, telling people his discoveries of late. He no longer had the burden of carrying the knowledge alone.

"Merlin…had magic. Always did. Apparently some of our assumptions about sorc—about magic users were less than accurate. Some even had a prophetic name for him, Emrys." He pulled up a work stool and dropped onto it, taking a moment to inspect the slash to his forearm for the first time. "And I think your theory is right, Gaius. The apparitions aren't the only things I've seen lately. I've had dreams…strange warnings from Merlin…and there's this mirage-like dragon that began showing up, not like the apparitions at all."

Gaius hauled himself up to get supplies to doctor Arthur's injuries. For once, Arthur sat perfectly still. "Actual manifestations of Merlin? What exactly happens, Sire? Does anyone else notice them?"

"Uh, it was just me until today. The Questing Beast was the first one anyone else saw, and that village today apparently got a fair view of the dragon." He bit his lip as ointment stung the cut to his cheek. "Merlin's presence is strongest when the dragon's around. Most of the time it's only his voice…crying out in pain or struggle. They're just brief moments when he breaks through. It's as if he's trying to fight back on his own. He's been getting weaker every time, though."

"I thought the spirit world was supposed to be separate from this one," said Gwen.

"That is the balanced state," Gaius agreed. "But as I said, I'm not sure anything is that simple with Merlin. The spell I used to send the Medhir away is based on the idea that certain forces can't be entirely removed from this world. If any magical being might have such influence, it's Emrys. The subject was very carefully regarded, even among scholars of the Old Religion. A key to crossing the veil without tearing it would be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands, as we're seeing now. Even if Merlin was at peace with his death, his own power has suspended him between the two realms. Created a gap, a bridge, as it were."

"But that's also why we can fight back?" Arthur filled in.

"Yes, Sire, I believe so."

"So how do we stop them, and restore the balance?" pressed Gwen.

Gaius took a moment to summon further energy. The whole room felt sucked dry after the latest revelations. "We have to close this gap. They can't influence this world so tangibly if the veil is returned to its proper state. And perhaps in the process…I could return Merlin to this side."

The three younger occupants of the room gaped at the court physician.