A/N: Whew ... this chapter kinda got away from me, but hopefully you guys will like it. I know it is kind of a stretch crossing over these two fandoms, but I just want to thank everyone that has read and supported this story - y'all are awesome!

Chapter 3: Dungeons and Dragons

Merlin was taken aback; his heart thumping madly as he stumbled backward in shock. His knees weakened until they gave out completely and he fell onto the bed behind him, "A thousand years?" He exclaimed, "How is that even remotely possible?"

"I don't know, man. You're the supposed sorcerer. Shouldn't you know?"

Merlin looked up at Dean, surprised, "You know about my magic?"

"Well … yeah. " Dean replied, as if it was obvious. "if you are who you say you are."

"How do you know about that? I never told you."

"It's in all of the books and legends and stuff."

"Legends? I'm in them?"

"No. I am, chucklehead." Dean rolled his eyes, when Merlin didn't seem to get the point of his joke. Dean was suddenly grabbing Merlin by the arm and hauling him up, "You know what, it doesn't matter. C'mon, we need to do is some research and learn just what this crystal of Nematode does and how it can get you and Sam back where you belong."

Dean herded Merlin out of the bedroom and down a hall and into a grand, open chamber that had him stopping in his tracks, nearly stumbling over feet that felt at least three sizes too big for him. He gaped in awe and wonder, his mouth hanging open.

He'd never seen anything like this place. In a word, it was magnificent.

It had to be at least the same size as the grand hall in the castle at Camelot, but it was full of things he had never seen before, devices he could only imagine the purpose for, and most astoundingly of all, books – hundreds, perhaps thousands of them – more than even Geoffrey of Monmouth tended to in the great library.

"What is this place?" Merlin all but whispered, yet heard his voice echo off the walls.

Dean turned to him and grinned, "Welcome to the batcave."

"Batcave? " Merlin looked around anxiously, ready to duck if need be. "There are bats in here?" Gods, he hated bats.

"No." Dean shook his head with a little snort. "I just call it that because we're underground."

"Underground? Like a dungeon?"

"Does this look like a dungeon to you? It's more like Batman's lair." At Merlin's baffled expression, Dean threw up his hands, "Nevermind. This place was kinda left to me and Sam and we use it as a sort of base of operations. "

"You mean to tell me that you and your brother live here – just the two of you alone in this enormous place?"

Dean nodded proudly, "You should see the kitchen … oh … and the firing range. Pretty cool, huh?"

"No … it's actually quite comfortable in here."

Dean looked up at the ceiling, exasperated, "Wow. How am I supposed to believe that you are some wise, old wizard inhabiting the body of my little brother when you're such a freaking doofus?"

Merlin had no idea what a doofus was, but he had feeling it might be something akin to 'idiot', an insult he was far too familiar with. Except for Gaius, everyone always underestimated him – never thinking it possible that he was anything but a bumbling fool who was inept at just about everything. This belief that others had of him wasn't anything new and Arthur had called him much worse, so he let the insult roll off his shoulders. Merlin knew he was no idiot and that's all that really mattered.

Dean's use of the word 'old' to describe him was another matter however. "What do you mean old? I'm only 21 years old."

"Really? Does that have something to do with the whole aging in reverse thing? 'Cause I always called bullshit on that."

Now it was Merlin's turn to look at Dean like he was the idiot, "That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"It's just a legend. No one actually thinks it's real or anything. Heck, most people don't even believe that you or Arthur or Camelot ever existed."

"What?"

"Look, man. Those legends have been around for ages and you know how stories like those go - the longer they go on, the further away from the truth they become. That's why no one believes them. People these days don't have a clue what's really out there, especially when it comes to things like magic and sorcerers and stuff. Hell, I even I don't believe that you're really the great and powerful Merlin and I've seen some pretty crazy shit in my life."

"You still don't believe me? Why would I lie about who I am?"

"I don't know, but how am I supposed to know if anything you say is true?"

Merlin sighed. Dean certainly didn't trust anyone easily, but he had a point. "You're right. I guess I don't have any way to prove to you that I am who I say I am. The only way I can think to convince you would be to show you magic, but I can't even do that ..." That alone was enough to make Merlin feel helpless, like a big chunk of himself was missing without the comfort of having his magic swirling inside of him.

And that brought another disturbing thought to mind, "oh no …"

"What?" Dean asked.

"If I don't have magic in Sam's body then he must have it in mine." Merlin stated with growing dread.

Dean narrowed his eyes, but fear for his brother was clearly evident in them, "Will it hurt him?"

"No. Magic by itself isn't harmful." Merlin appeased the other man, but was worried none the less. Merlin knew how to handle his magic, and strove to use it only for good, but would Sam?

Deflating in relief, Dean let out a breath, "Sam's a smart guy. He won't go around turning people into toads left and right." Dean replied, sounding as if he was trying to reassure himself more than he was Merlin. "He'll be fine."

"You don't understand." Merlin came back vehemently. "I was born with magic and I know how to control it, but Sam won't. If he loses control of it, especially around the wrong people, it could be disastrous. Magic is against the law in Camelot and anyone caught using magic is executed."

OoOoOoOo

Who are you? …

Sam woke, blinking sleep-heavy eyelids, thinking that he had heard a voice, but all was still dark and quiet in the room.

He closed his eyes again, thinking that he must have dreamed what he heard.

Where is Merlin?

Sam's eyes flew open. He definitely heard that.

"Hello?" He looked around the room, but he was still alone, yet he heard what sounded like a sigh.

I'm not in the room with you, boy. I'm in your mind. Now, tell me where is Merlin? What have you done with him?

"Who is this?" Sam asked, sitting up carefully without pulling on the stitches in his chest.

There is no need to speak aloud. Didn't I just explain to you how I was speaking in your mind?

I'm still asleep, aren't I?

To his surprise, the voice answered Sam's thought. No, you are not.

So I'm just hallucinating ... great. Been there done that. Sam mentally replied sarcastically, deciding to keep the dialog with the disembodied voice inside his head rather than speaking aloud. He didn't want to risk waking the old man downstairs. Gaius already seemed to think that Sam had a head injury, so there was no need to make him think he was insane as well.

You are not hallucinating are however, not where you belong.

No kidding!

Sam had several more questions pop into his head all at once and the young hunter felt rather than heard the voice sigh in exasperation.

So many questions yet I can only answer one at a time. Yes, this is real. No, I am not human, thank goodness. I am a dragon. And yes, I am a literal dragon, complete with scales and long, pointy teeth. Does that satisfy your curiosity?

Sure ... why not? I've already been body-swapped with a legendary wizard, why shouldn't I assume that I'm speaking with a telepathic talking dragon?

No need to be snarky, boy.

If you don't like my thoughts, then why don't you just get out of my head?

I will not leave until I know what has happened to Merlin. When I felt my dragonlord's soul being pulled away only to be replaced with the likes of you, I had to fly all night just so I could be close enough to hear your thoughts. All of this has made me very tired and very, very irritated, so don't try my patience. Now ... who are you and where is Merlin?

Feeling a mixture of anger and annoyance directed at him though the link between them, Sam realized that there wasn't much he could really keep hidden. My name is Sam. I was with my brother one minute and the next I'm waking up in someone else's body, so if I had to guess, then he's probably in mine. And trust me – I'd much rather be there than here, so if you have a way to send me back, I'm all ears.

Sam heard a laugh echo in his head, Have you looked in a mirror lately? If you have, then you would know just how apt that description is.

From the dragon, an image came unbidden into his mind of a young, thin man with dark hair, blue eyes and an impressive pair of protruding ears. Somehow, Sam knew this was Merlin, even though all he had seen of the body he was inhabiting was from the neck down. True, the kid was kinda goofy looking, but his eyes held a kindness of spirit and friendliness that was undeniable.

Now tell me ... where is this brother of yours so that I may find my missing warlock?

He's in Kansas. Sam stated, trying to hide just how worried he was about Dean being so far away.

Kansas? I have never heard of this kingdom. Where is it?

Sam snorted humorlessly, thinking about how screwed he was this time. It's not so much 'where' as 'when'. If you go there now, you'll only find a prairie and maybe a few buffalo.

Men have often said that I speak in riddles, but you, boy, make no sense.

Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I'm from the year 2013, which according to my estimates is about 1500 years from this time. So, unless you have a time machine, or some kind of magical spell than can switch us back, then I don't know how you are going to find him.

Well … this is certainly an unprecedented situation you have found yourself in, isn't it, Sam? Does anyone else know who you truly are? Does Gaius know?

No.

And what of Merlin's magic?

His magic?

Certainly you can feel it within you, can you not?

Sam had felt something strange within him, but he had chalked the weird, wired sensation as a bi-product of injury and disorientation. However, now that he focused on it, he had to admit that it scared him a little. It felt far to close to the power he had when he had been on demon blood, but it also felt different. It didn't feel wrong or evil – it felt … pure and good.

No, magic is not evil in and of itself, it is merely a tool, much like a hammer is in the hands of a carpenter. The dragon stated, reading Sam's thoughts and feelings on it. However, you cannot fathom the enormity of this power contained in Merlin's body. Though he was born with this gift, he has yet to completely master it and for someone as untrained as yourself, the potential for disaster is extreme.

Why?

Because, Magic is outlawed in Camelot. The dragon explained as if responding to a three-year-old's unending questions. King Uther hates and fears magic, seeking to destroy all who possess it for his own selfish reasons. Though Merlin uses his ability only for good and protects Prince Arthur with it on a regular basis, he must do so in secret. The king is so blinded by his bigotry towards magic that he would swiftly execute the young warlock should it become known that he has magic, so you must restrain yourself and reveal it to no one. The only one you may trust in Camelot with this secret is Gaius

If his destiny is that important, can't you help us switch back again?

I may be powerful, but I am afraid that that is beyond my capabilities.

Wonderful ... Sam muttered internally, knowing the dragon would pick up on his bitterness, So what am I supposed to do? Keep pretending to be Merlin? I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't exactly sound like I'm from around here and I suck at an English accent.

Do not despair, young one. There is a spell I can tell you that will allow you to sound like a native of this land, but that will have to come later. First, you must tell me what happened just before you and Merlin switched places? Did you have an encounter with anyone or anything out of the ordinary?

An image of the crystal Sam picked up sprang into his mind.

Ahhh … the Crystal of Neahtid. Now things begin to make some sense.

What do you mean?

The Crystal of Neahtid was cut from the heart of the Crystal Cave in the Valley of the Kings. It is an ancient and sacred place of magic as old as time itself. You must go there and seek out Taliesin, he is the caretaker of the cave and he alone may be able to help you.

ooOooOoo

Merlin shut yet another book then tiredly rubbed his eyes. He looked over at Dean who was half-asleep with an open book under his nose. They'd been at this all night, searching the massive library for anything that might tell them more about the crystal and get Merlin and Sam switched back as soon as possible, but so far, their efforts hadn't produced much except for sore bottoms and massive headaches.

They'd already tried getting Merlin to hold the crystal, seeing if it would magically activate like it had apparently done for Sam, but nothing had happened. Somehow Sam had managed to get the thing to work and he had done it without magic, but Merlin, the supposed world's greatest sorcerer couldn't even get it to do anything except look shiny in his hand.

So, they had resorted to research, pulling out and reading stacks f books all while thoughts swirled in Merlin's head, worrying about what Sam might be doing in his body – it would be far too easy for him to accidentally use magic and expose himself to all of Camelot. But what could he do about it? He was powerless here and that was almost just as frightening as being so far from home. He wasn't used to such quiet within him and he missed the steady hum of magic he normally felt in his own body.

Dean looked up sharply, blinking rapidly as if the sound of Merlin's book closing had woken him, "Find anything in that one?"

"No … "Merlin sighed heavily, "all it says it what we already know; that the crystal that can show the future, nothing about it being able to switch people's minds across time."

"I'm not having much luck either," Dean commiserated, shutting his book with a thump.

Merlin rubbed his temples wearily and nodded, "We should take a break. We're not going to find anything if we're both exhausted."

"Nah … I'm fine," Dean lied, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. "You can catch some z's if you want, but I'm gonna keep looking."

"Catch some z's ? I'm just going to assume that you mean get some sleep, which you need too." Merlin pointed out, heedless of the glare the other man shot him.

Dean shook his head stubbornly, "What I need is coffee."

"Coffee? What is that?"

"It's a drink. It's got caffeine in it and keeps you awake." After a pause, Dean looked at Merlin, "Want some?

"Ah … sure. Sounds like something we could definitely use."

Dean pushed back from the table and stood, "I'm gonna out a pot on. I'll be right back." Walking out, he left Merlin by himself in the cavernous space.

Merlin sat back in his chair, rapping his fingertips on the table top, looking about. While the place was still strange and unfamiliar, he couldn't help but notice the similarities that existed here to his own time. Even after so much time, the human race still needed roofs, tables, and light to chase the dark night away. But what struck him more was the similarity he saw between Dean and Arthur. He hadn't known the man from the future long, but from he had seen so far, he could tell that he was a warrior, just like Arthur – determined to fight the good fight for the things they believed in and the people they cared about. On the other hand though, they were also both pig-headed prats, full of attitude and bluster, in other words; typical alpha males.

Yet still, Merlin missed Arthur and just thinking of him brought on a new set of worries. He may have some grand destiny to fulfill when it came to the young prince, but above all of that, he was Merlin's friend and he'd do anything to protect him. But being stuck in the future meant that he could only hope that Sam was at least a little like his brother in that he would protect Arthur the same way that Dean was determined to protect him.

Only having been out of the room for a few moments, Dean walked back in, a frown on his face. "Bad news," He started, "We're outta coffee."

Reaching for a jacket that had been draped over a chair, Dean picked it up and put it on before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a small ring of keys. "I'm not sure I can stay up and read all of these books without it, but I can't leave you here on your own, so you're gonna have to come with me to go and pick some up."

"To where?" Merlin was baffled. Where would they go at this time of night? Surely anyone who sold this 'coffee' that Dean needed wouldn't be awake for hours.

"There's a 24 hour Kwik Mart a few miles from here, it'll still be open" the older man explained as if reading his mind. "C'mon … let's go." Dean beckoned.

Merlin stood up from his chair, running a weary, tired hand through the unfamiliar thick hair on the top of his head. He was tired and more than a little grumpy after the day he had had "Are you telling me that you are too tired to continue reading, but you have the energy to travel for miles into the night for a beverage? How does that make any sense?"

"We're not walking there, ya idiot. I'm driving."

"You have a carriage?"

Dean chuckled, "Oh … she's way better than a carriage." He stated proudly.

Minutes later, Merlin's heart was beating so hard, he worried he might break a rib. The carriage, or 'car', as Dean called it, was roaring at impossible speeds down a dark, wide road, the outside world flying by in a blur - all without the need for horses. He didn't think he'd ever been in anything this frightening before. It even made riding Arthur's ill-tempered war horse seem like taking a Sunday stroll comparatively and that was saying a lot considering the number of times that damn horse had thrown the prince.

Certain that he was going to be killed by the monstrous machine, his hand clung to a handle attached to the door beside him while he shut his eyes and prayed for the ride to be over soon.

"Relax, man. We're only going 45 miles an hour."

Merlin's eyes opened wide, his voice cracking with outright disbelief as he asked "You mean this thing goes faster?"

Dean glanced over at the younger man, a smirk turning up the corner of his mouth.

Merlin wished he had never asked.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sleep was off the agenda after Sam's little 'chat' with the dragon. He had no idea how he was going to do it, but injured or not, he had to find a way to get himself to the cave Kilgarrah spoke of so he could speak with Taliesin.

Wincing, Sam rolled to a seated position and placed his bare feet on the floor. His chest ached miserably, but he'd had worse injuries than this before and he was fairly confident that he could push through the pain. Getting up from the bed however, proved to be more difficult than he imagined. As he stood on wobbly legs, he felt lightheaded to the point where he had to place a hand on the bed frame before he could move. After a few moments, the wooziness faded to manageable levels and he began a search for some clothing to wear.

It appeared that all of the clothes Merlin owned were on the floor since Sam couldn't find anything in his cabinet except a holey pair of wool socks and a couple of frayed cloths cut to the size of bandanas. Picking up a discarded blue shirt, Sam gave the garment a quick sniff then reared back – it certainly wasn't freshly cleaned, but considering the fact that laundry detergent hadn't been invented yet, he would just have to make do.

Stiffly and trying to avoid pulling on the stitches in his chest, Sam pulled on the shirt. He followed that up by putting on a pair of pants that hung so loosely on his hips that he that he had to use a piece of rope as a belt to hold them up. A pair of boots came next and once he was finished dressing, he made for the door.

Just outside the door, he met a short and dark flight of steps. Though it appeared that the sun was just beginning to rise and dawn was coming soon, he couldn't see the stairs well enough to notice that the first one was made of mostly rotted wood. It was a step that Gaius had been nagging Merlin to fix for the past few weeks, but had neglected to replace as his duties to the prince had taken most of his time and energy. Of course, he was oblivious to this fact and with a body that reminded Sam of being a gangly and awkward seventeen year old again, as soon as his foot placed his full weight on it, he felt it give out with a loud crack. He pitched forward and stumbled, falling towards the stone floor below him.

Bracing himself for the impact, Sam's hands flung out before him and a yelp escaped from his throat as the floor rushed towards him. At the same time, Sam felt a surge of raw, unrestrained and pure instinctual power burst out from his hands and though he could not see it, his eyes burned with a golden light just before he squeezed them shut.

In the next breath, Sam came to an abrupt halt. But, to his surprise, there was no accompanying pain that such a collision with the ground should have created.

Baffled, yet relieved, he dared to open one eye, then gasped at what he saw. With his hands still splayed out before him as if still attempting to catch his fall, they hovered just inches over the floor – as did the rest of his body.

He was freaking floating!

Stunned, he levitated in midair for several moments.

"Merlin?!" A voice shouted.

Sam felt the power within him suddenly snap like a cut string and he fell the rest of the way to the floor. Though it was only a few inches, he landed on his sore chest, causing tears to spring from his eyes.

"Owwww." Sam complained with a groan, pushing himself up from the floor. A surprisingly strong hand grasped his elbow and hauled him up to his feet and once he was standing, Gaius glared at Sam with a mixture of worry and anger.

"What the devil are you doing out of bed, Merlin?"

Sam didn't get an opportunity to answer before he was herded towards a cot and Gaius pushed on his shoulders to make him sit on it.

"Are you hurt?"

Sam shook his head automatically, but put a hand to his chest where it ached.

Gaius sighed, pulling Sam's hand away, "Let me take a look."

There was no denying the older man's concern and there was little Sam could do to stop him from lifting his shirt up to peer under the bandages. Gaius tutted and frowned, prodding the wounds lightly with skilled hands.

"Well … you're lucky. The stitches appear to be intact still and if it hadn't been for your magic catching you, things could have been much worse," Gaius stated, replacing the bandages as he shook his head in dismay. "You and your clumsiness … you need to be more careful. What if Arthur had still been here and saw what you just did?"

It seemed that the dragon had been right about one thing – Gaius knew of Merlin's magic and accepted it as something he was used to seeing on a regular basis, which put some of the. More importantly, he was sincerely concerned about keeping it a secret and Sam didn't miss the look of affection in the old man's eyes for his charge. If Sam had to give a word to how Gaius appeared to treat him, he would say 'fatherly' .

Perhaps the dragon was right about another thing as well; he should trust Gaius with his true identity. Besides, he didn't think he could fool the older man for much longer - he knew Merlin too well. On top of that, Sam hadn't attempted to even try the spell Kilgarrah had told him would make him sound like he wasn't a weirdo from another place and time. So, all in all, trying to fool the older man would just be a waste of time.

"Gaius …" Sam started, unsure how to put his situation into words that would make sense.

"What is it, Merlin?"

"See … that's the thing. I'm not Merlin."

To Be Continued ...