Hey guys, I am so so sorry for not having updated for such a long time! I hope there are still some readers out there who would like to see my story continued.

Without further ado: here comes chapter 5!

Chapter 5

Instinctively Arthur reached out for his sword. It was his turn to act now and he would put an end to all of this.

But to his shock, his hand grasped at nothing.

That was when Merlin started to laugh. With horror Arthur watched him slowly turning around, holding the Prince's well formed blade in his hands.

"Are you looking for this?" Merlin asked sardonically while letting his fingers wander over the ornate hilt. "It's a fine sword, indeed."

"Give it back!" Arthur demanded.

"Or what? You will attack me to get it back and in the end run me through with it?" Merlin asked with a chuckle. "Would be a funny déjà-vu, wouldn't it? But I'm not as stupid as I might look, you know. Even I have learned a lesson from my earlier mistakes."

Suddenly Merlin held out his hand, his eyes turning gold for a second and with a surprised yelp Arthur was rushed off his feet. An imaginary force took hold of him, hurled him up and made him crash into one of the nearby standing trees.

The hard impact forced the air out of his lungs and a flood of nausea swept through his body as his head collided with the trunk of an old oak before he slipped to the ground.

Arthur viciously fought against the urge to let the comforting unconsciousness take control of his mind and tried to ignore the throbbing pain and to keep his gaze sharp in case Merlin was going to attack again.

But he wasn´t. Merlin just stood there unemotional, watching the Prince while he tried to get on his feet again. He could clearly see the anger flashing in Arthur's eyes. The hate. Once the Prince stood again he was making his way towards Merlin, who had an unbelieving expression on his face. Arthur wasn´t exactly sure, but he seemed as though he was disappointed.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Merlin sighed, not letting Arthur out of his sight. Slowly Merlin brought up his hand again, pointing at Arthur with his palm. This made the Prince stop in an instant. What was he up to?

"It was my job to protect you, Arthur Pendragon, to make sure that you will one day become the great King I know you will be. I'm afraid I have failed you, since I cannot help you any more and for that I am really sorry. But there´s one thing left for me to do: I want you to remember..."

He directed his hands towards the sky and whispered something in a language Arthur couldn't understand. Again Merlin's blue eyes flashed golden before his look wandered back to the Prince, who stood there thunderstruck. That was when the first cold raindrops hit them, washing away the oppressive tension in the air. Neither moved or said something while the rain began to slowly soak through their clothes. But they didn't care.

Arthur almost forgot to breath... he kept his eyes fixed on Merlin, standing there in the rain, regarding him with an unreadable expression. Then Merlin´s features softened and he began to speak again:

"I've always told you, Arthur: I will be loyal to you. Till the end of time even, as you are the one my kin has waited for such a long time. Don't keep them waiting any longer by becoming a magic-fearing King, like your father, and continue the war against sorcery. I may not be part of this story any more, but you still are and once you are King it is within your power to change this land into a peaceful one, where neither man nor woman has to fear for their beloved ones to be accused of magic and executed for crimes they have not committed."

For a second everything Merlin had said seemed to make sense for the young Prince. When he becomes King he can rule how he wants to and not how he is told to by his father. Surely he would try to solve problems better than his father had done before, yet this didn´t mean that the ban on magic would be lifted.

"Why are you so sure everything´s going to change then? Magic is and will stay outlawed. It has proven enough times to be a uncontrollable power that only leads to destruction and death!"

"Please, believe me when I say that magic is neither good nor evil. It is how you use it." Merlin tried to explain.

"Then why are you doing this? Using your magic and hunting me in my dreams like that?"Arthur countered.

A brief smile appeared on Merlin's lips, shortly followed by a sudden mask of anger and disappointment.

"It may surprise you, but it's the only way left for me to communicate with you."

This was like a slap in Arthur´s face.

And suddenly the huge wall he had built inside of his mind started to crumbled and an unstoppable flood of memories began to wash over him:

The sun burning hot on his skin – that too familiar clearing – Merlin shouting something - a warning – someone pressing him hardly on the ground – a burst of energy – a man sent flying - a sudden rage inside him – his sword glistening in his hand - a soundless scream

Arthur´s world went spinning till he seemed to lose the ground under his feet.

Then he knew no more.

Criticism and reviews appreciated! :)