A/N: I changed the rating to T, just to be safe because there will follow some insinuations in future chapters, but nothing worse than a kiss happens.

Merlin didn't plan on falling asleep but the Royal bed is so comfortable, he dozes off anyway. So it is with a start when he wakes, sheets tangled around his legs and a pillow stuffed awkwardly beneath him. His back is slightly damp where the blankets have piled up on a heap and it doesn't take him long to figure out he is still in Arthur's body. He carefully feels around for his clothes and boots in the dark, pulls them on and quietly moves to the door. When he presses his ear against it, he hears nothing but a castle at its most quiet in the dead of night. So he opens the door, silently moves into the torch lit corridor and descends the stairs to the dungeons, keeping to the shadows all the while. The guards are dozing off, their heads resting on an old wooden table, feet stretched out beneath it. When he reaches the final set of stairs that will lead to the deepest recesses of the stronghold, Merlin lifts a torch out of its iron wrought support and continues down. Once in the cave, Merlin takes a deep breath to call forth the Dragon, but there is no need.

'You!' A reverberating voice fills his ears. 'Have you finally the courage to seek out that which your father has condemned to an eternity of captivity?'

Merlin yells a 'What? No!' before he has to duck to avoid a blast of flames hurtling his way. 'Stop!' he tries again, his back pressed against the cave wall. 'It is me, Merlin! Not Arthur!'

'Merlin?' the voice questions. 'You are not Merlin, my eyes may be old but they do not deceive me yet.'

'No really,' Merlin peeks his head from behind the cave wall. 'It is Merlin. Something happened that caused our minds to switch, but it is me.'

'Hmm, I see now. The halo is weak, but I can sense it.' The sound of beating wings briefly fills the cavern and the dragon perches down on a large projection of rock. 'What has made this possible then?'

'I was hoping you would be able to tell me.'

'You mean to say, you drank no potion? Angered no witch? Well, Uther has angered enough of them for there to be a grudge against him and his son to last a lifetime.'

'No, not that I know of. I thought it could be a Goblin, or something… But I need to know how-.'

'No, Goblins are powerful, but not enough to achieve this. Tell me, has there been… an odd wind lately?'

Merlin purses his lips and frowns. 'An odd … wind?' he repeats doubtfully.

'Yes. Making people irritated, or behave differently.'

'Well, yes. I suppose.'

'Hmm. Interesting.'

'Yes I'm sure it is, but what does that have to do with…'

'There is an old saying in the Old Religion. Something along the lines of; When the wind of change blows through the land, lost magic is close at hand.' The Dragon peers at Merlin with one of his large emerald eyes as if that explains everything.

'Yes, still not seeing what…'

'Merlin,' the Dragon sighs with a note of impatience to his voice now. 'Wind of change? Lost Magic?'

'What, you mean some random spell blew through our windows and just happened to change us?'

'Not quite. The wind of change is magical in itself. It is said to carry all the spells ever cast, all those that will be spoken and all those begun but never finished. It is natural for it to search out the other most magical source in the vicinity.' The dragon lowers his face closer to Merlin. 'That being you, in case you haven't worked it out yet. Why the prince is affected opposed to someone else, I do not know. Maybe because of your entwined destinies. But in short, it can have odd effects.'

'You can say that again. Anyway, how do I undo it?'

'You can't.'

'What?'

'I said-.'

'I heard! But there has to be something-, I mean I don't want to-, even though the bed is quite… No! There must be something I can do.'

'All you can do is wait for it to pass. Wait for the wind to change again.'

'That… is not funny.'

'I'm not attempting to be. I am merely telling you-.'

'You're smirking! I can tell! And, hold on. Why did you try to burn Arthur to a crisp if we have this great destiny together?'

'Oh that was just a bit of fun. Thought I'd scare the boy a little.'

'Fun. I didn't know dragons had fun.'

'Better return to bed young Warlock. The sun will rise soon.' The Dragon is definitely laughing as he takes off, leaving a bewildered Merlin staring after him.

So he traipses back up the stairs, wondering how he will live through informing Arthur that they are stuck like this for what might be quite some time. He puts the torch back where he found it, slinks past the still sleeping guards, asks himself what he'll do if Uther ever employs any that actually stay awake, and makes his way back to Arthur's room, hoping to find a few more hours of blissful sleep.

Naturally, that doesn't happen. He doesn't even make it as far as the bedroom.

Someone behind him calls; 'Oh Arthur…', only it sounds like Aaarrthurrrr.

Merlin would have turned around to find out who that enticing voice belonged to, if he'd caught it reading from Gaius's insect encyclopedia. When Elli floats toward him, dressed in nothing but a clingy nightgown, all he can do is swallow hard and gawk, his mind a flutter of oh no, oh dear, I'd better get out of here, is that strawberries I smell? By the time his brain has located his feet, it is too late to run.

'M-Milady,' he stutters, but that is as far as he gets. Which is a good thing because when she stands as close as possible without actually touching, yes definitely strawberries, he can't remember how to do that thing that forms words in his head and makes them come out of his mouth.

'Arthur, I noticed you were avoiding me tonight,' she whispers, fluttering her eyelashes furiously and Merlin lets out something that could only be described as a squeak. 'I hope you're not still angry at me for the little game I played all those years ago, are you?'

Merlin tucks in his chin to follow the two fingers that walk themselves up his shirt onto his chin, to land on his nose and he ends up cross eyed and speechless. When Elli keeps staring at him, a knowing little smile on her lips, Merlin's foggy brain slowly comprehends he should says something. Something that sounds like No of course not, how could I be angry at one as lovely as you My Lady in his head, but that comes out as; 'N'coursen'm'ladeh.'

He registers the soft 'good', and then he registers a pretty face suddenly very close to his and the warmth of her breath against his mouth and then the world goes a little topsy-turvy, and nothing much registers anymore.