A/N: Good day, my friends :) I'm back with the next chapter, actually on time for once :D More or less. Alright, let's get started.

Read and Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The same as always: I don't own Merlin.

CHAPTER 14: FORESEEING ANGEL

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Merlin let the hot water of the shower rush over his tired body. Slowly, his muscles relaxed, but his mind stayed troubled.

Arthur had left an hour ago, he had classes after all, but his protégé had made his point clear that, if Merlin as much as left the room, he would chain him to the bed personally.

So he was lucky that there was a bathroom connected to the patient room, Merlin really had to wash of all that blood. After a look in the mirror, he had actually been scared of himself for a moment.

After a lot of scrubbing, the blood had left his skin and hair and was currently tainting the shower.

A deep frown decorated the angel's face and his eyes gazed of into the distance. Too many thoughts swirled through his head, too many unsettling facts occupied his confused mind. For Merlin, it seemed, like the world had gone crazy. Or maybe it had always been insane and only today was it that he noticed this absurdity.

After his shower, Merlin had no choice but to put on his bloodied and torn clothes as he had nothing else here and wasn't allowed to leave the room. Arthur surely wouldn't notice if he just hurried over to grab some clothes, but then he had to walk all the way there in his current attire and that would be quite troublesome.

So Merlin just let it be and instead decided to reduce the mess he apparently had caused before Gaius would return in the afternoon. First, he dumped the bloodied bed sheets into the laundry basket and added a new pair to the patient bed.

After this task was finished, Merlin started wiping the blood from the floor and the door, making sure he overlooked nothing.

When he was satisfied, he cautiously let himself fall onto the newly made bed and closed his eyes for a second, just to find himself falling into a troubled sleep…

…

Total blackness surrounded him and all of his senses seemed blocked out. Merlin didn't even know whether he was standing or floating. He didn't even feel his body, this was when he realized that he was, in fact, dreaming.

Knowing that one was dreaming should usually be reassuring, but Merlin felt uneasy. He had always believed that dreams meant something and he was afraid of what he was going to see.

After an unknown amount of time, the darkness around him faded a little and it seemed like something materialized just in front of him. It didn't take Merlin long to recognize Freya, but there were two of her.

The one on the right looked exactly like the one he had seen this morning, smiling and bright.

The one on the left however looked very different. Actually they looked exactly the same, but the expression on her face made them seem look two different people. Her hazel eyes were filled with utter sadness and regret. Tears were falling from her eyes like waterfalls and her face was as pale as a corpse's.

Merlin wanted to hug her, comfort her, but he couldn't move an inch. She just stood there, facing him but not looking at him and he could do nothing but wait for her to stop.

Suddenly, the copies of Freya tenderly turned to dust and there was no trace left of them. Merlin felt a little empty, as if he had just left something very important behind.

While he was wondering what was going to happen next, he felt a sharp wind tear at his skin, which was strange, since Merlin still couldn't feel his body.

The wind grew stronger and stronger, until it was a literal storm. Dust and little stones flew around Merlin, hitting him like needles. Usually you don't feel pain in a dream, right?

Merlin looked up and noticed the dark clouds above him for the first time. Expecting it would start to rain, Merlin kept his gaze directed at them. Suddenly thousands of black little dots emerged from the clouds and shot towards him. When they came nearer, Merlin recognized them as crows with long, sharp beaks.

Trying to protect himself from them, Merlin wanted to raise his arms above his face, but he still couldn't move. When the crows where just inches away from his face, he wanted to shut his eyes but that proved as impossible as well.

The crows, however, completely ignored him and flew around him, not so much as brushing him with their wings. Merlin spun around in confusion, curious to see where the crows were headed. He would've gasped if he could when he saw the figure of Arthur standing behind him.

The crows where rushing towards him, attacking him with their beaks and claws. Arthur didn't move an inch and didn't give a sound as if the crows wouldn't be there at all.

When they left, there were no wounds on the blonde and Merlin would've liked to sigh in relief.

Only then was it that he noticed the look on his friend's face. His eyes were dead, empty of any life. He walked towards Merlin slowly, dragging his feet slightly.

The angel just stared ahead, trying to comprehend what was going on in this wicked dream.

When Arthur stood directly in front of him, he raised his arms and Merlin foolishly hoped he was going for a hug. Greater was the shock and pain when his best friend's fist connected with his jaw.

Merlin wanted to say something, ask Arthur what was wrong, but he couldn't do anything. That was, probably, the worst part of this dream. This helplessness, this uselessness.

Merlin watched in pain as his friend turned around and walked away, leaving him, once again, to the suffocating darkness.

When the blackness was the only thing to keep him company once more, Merlin started to get desperate. He was sick of this dream, it should just end already.

While he though this, the ground he wasn't sure existed, started to crumble under his feet he couldn't feel nor see.

Merlin wanted to react by unfolding his wings, which, to his not so great surprise, didn't work. Panic gripped his heart as he fell, deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Unable to scream or shut his eyes, Merlin had to endure the feeling of falling and it lasted way to long. When he thought that he would never stop falling, something gripped his arm and he stopped.

Casting his gaze upwards, Merlin noticed that a silver chain was attached to his arm and it stretched high up into the darkness until it merged with it.

His eyes widened when Merlin realized, that he could feel and see his body again. He instantly shut his eyes and hoped this dream would stop.

When he opened them again, he was relieved to see it had worked, he was staring directly into the blending light of one of the lamps of the patient room.

Merlin sighed in relief and he instantly felt the tension leaving him. Well that had been one hell of a dream. It had seemed so real and the memory was still fresh in Merlin's mind.

Before the young angel could rack his brain about this peculiar dream (or was it a vision?), the door burst open and a certain old man stepped in.

"Merlin? Are you alright?" Gaius asked in worry, hurrying as fast as his age would allow him over to the younger one's side.

Merlin cracked a small smile at the sight of the doctor and sat up so he could talk to him better. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Gaius raised his legendary eyebrow at that statement and looked the raven haired over in a skeptical manner. "I take it that Freya took care of you?"

Merlin just nodded, watching as the old man slowly sat down in a chair next to the bed. "How did you know I would need a healing?" He asked after a moment of silence.

Gaius seemed torn for a moment, before answered with well-chosen words: "Let's just say, I got my information from a reliable source. I will tell you about it when the moment is more fitting."

Merlin wasn't in the least satisfied with this answer, but he knew better than to press things further. Not until now was it that Merlin remembered what he actually wanted to tell the older angel the whole time.

"Gaius, I have to tell you something." He voiced his thoughts and was surprised at how serious his tone actually got.

The older man looked at him in confusion at his sudden change of behavior. "What is it?"

After a moment of silence, Merlin looked Gaius straight in the eyes and took a deep breath. "I turned into an archangel."

Another moment passed in silence in which Gaius just stared at the raven haired with eyes as wide as plates but Merlin could have sworn that the older man wasn't truly surprised at his statement. So he didn't believe the next words that left his mouth.

"That's just silly Merlin. You must've hit your head a little too hard."

Merlin frowned at this badly played act of ignorance. "It's true and you know that, Gaius. Should I show you?"

Without waiting for an answer, Merlin unfolded his now bigger and golden dappled wings and he instantly felt new powers being pumped through his system. His eyes turned golden and the white dragon symbol on his left hand appeared.

Gaius just nodded as if he was totally expecting to see this. But when his gaze landed on the dragon symbol, he started to frown. "You have all the typical features archangels possess as well… but what is that thing on your hand?"

"How would I know? Don't archangels usually have this?"

Gaius shook his head, taking the raven haired's hand into his hand and examined it closely. "I've never seen anything like this." He mumbled more to himself than to Merlin.

"But how is this possible?" Merlin asked after a while, gesturing to himself. "I mean, I didn't do anything, it just happened!"

"There is only one time I heard of something like this, and that is already many hundreds of years ago. At this time, I was still a young angel and had just become a guardian angel, when I met a man who was an angel like me. Somehow, I cannot remember his name… Anyway, he was good natured and just and he did his job perfectly. Until one day, a terrible being encountered us."

"What was it?" Merlin asked leaning closer to Gaius with every sentence, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"It was a demon. Demons come into existence when fallen angels live for a long time or when they absorb the powers of others to a massive extent. It rarely ever happens, but it is not impossible."

"So you and that other angel met a demon?!" Merlin asked with wide eyes. "What was it like?"

Gaius chuckled at Merlin's change into this kind of childish behavior. "The demon looked kind of like a fallen angel, but its eyes were completely black and the wings were burning with black flames. It was quite the terrifying sight, especially for all the humans that were present. When the demon started attacking them, the other angel spread his wings, and he suddenly had become what you are now: An archangel."

"Well, what happened after that? He kicked the demon's ass, right?" He asked impatiently.

Gaius sighed and drove a hand through his hair. "Unfortunately not. He managed to ban the demon from earth but died in the process."

Merlin's enthusiasm had vanished and he fell silent. "Anyway, what does that have to do with me?"

"After this…incident… a real archangel came to me and asked me to function as a testimony. I agreed and in the trial, the higher-ups decided that they wanted to keep this incident a secret. I think the reason is clear. Every normal angel would want to become an archangel and bring themselves into dangerous situations in the hope of wakening this power. So I had to keep silent about it and I think it's also their fault that I can't remember his name."

After Gaius had finished, Merlin was once again lost in thought. "So I should keep silent about this?" Merlin asked calmly, his still golden eyes gazing out of the window.

Gaius nodded, looking quite distant himself.

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Merlin hurried through the hallways, hoping that nobody would notice his bloody clothing. When he reached his room, he had to lean against the wall and catch his breath for a moment.

After Merlin had changed into other clothes, he set out in search of Arthur and Gwaine, then he had realized something after his talk with Gaius.

Today was the day when the three of them were going to have their presentation.

Out of sheer luck (or destiny, whatever) Merlin stumbled across Arthur in front of the library.

"Hey, didn't I tell you to stay in bed?" The blonde asked, eyebrow raised and arms crossed in front of his chest.

Merlin nodded but waved his hand dismissively. "I know, I know, but it seems like you forgot that we have to hold our presentation today!"

Arthur just sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, Merlin. I told the professor that you were in no condition to hold this presentation, so he delayed it. We now have to hold it in two weeks."

Merlin nodded in understanding, falling into step with Arthur. "Then what are you doing in front of the library? I mean, you're not the person who would actually read books." The angel teased with a grin.

"I do read books, Merlin. More than you, I bet." Arthur retorted dryly and seemed to continue walking into some random direction. "I was just passing by. Actually, I'm on my way to the gym. I still have to prepare some things for our departure tomorrow."

After nodding, Merlin frowned in confusion and looked up at his friend with a tilted head. "Departure?" He echoed and racked his brain about this information. Had he missed something?

Immediately, Merlin heard a groan coming from the blonde, who was face-palming discreetly. "Really, Merlin? How much of an idiot does one has to be to forget something as important as this?! Tomorrow starts the first round of the fencing tournament! I am absolutely sure I told you about that in the last training session."

"Oh! Well, so many things happened since then! I also wouldn't put it past you to forget telling us, make sure to mention it later, the others might've forgotten as well."

Arthur nodded, ignoring the insult the raven haired had managed slipping in. "Especially Gwaine." He added to his friend's earlier sentence.

"What was that about me, Princess?" A voice chimed in and the both of them were suddenly met with Gwaine's grinning face as the brunette pushed himself of the wall he was leaning on, a red glowing apple in his hand.

"I hope at least you know what day it is tomorrow?" Arthur asked with an almost threatening undertone while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Gwaine just quirked an eyebrow at this question, glancing at Arthur as if he had lost his mind. "Err…Tuesday?"

The blonde just groaned again, this time face-palming not so discreetly. "And…?" He prodded as if he wanted to motivate a child into telling him the truth about a prank.

Gwaine just rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin, before Merlin suddenly burst out "See, I'm not the only one who forgot! I bet you just didn't think of telling us and assumed we were to know!" He scolded as his huge trademark grin spread on his face.

"Huh? What did I forget this time?" Gwaine asked with genuine curiosity as he strolled alongside them towards the entrance of the gym without even knowing why. The practice wouldn't start for another hour, after all.

"The tournament, Gwaine, the tournament!" Arthur drawled in exasperation and slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Tournament?" The brunette asked while chewing on his apple.

"The goddamn fencing tournament, which we trained months for and looked forward to this whole spring! The one our whole attention should be directed at, the one our ultimate goal should be to win!" The blonde all but screamed as he threw the doors to the gym open.

"Oh, that tournament…" Gwaine murmured sheepishly and looked at Merlin, who smiled in sympathy.

"God, I'm surrounded by idiots." Arthur pressed out between gritted teeth as he sat about arranging epees and making checks on a piece of paper he had pulled from his pocket.

Merlin and Gwaine stood beside him, watching as he did his work.

When Gwaine had finished eating his apple, he threw the leftovers away and stood in front of Arthur, his arms akimbo and a determined expression decorating his face.

"So…What exactly are we doing in the gym? Practice only starts in about an hour, right?" He asked unknowingly.

Merlin actually couldn't hold a chuckle anymore and clutched his sides when his laughter wouldn't stop. Gwaine really had followed them all the way to the gym and he was asking them what they were doing here only now? Merlin thought it was hilarious.

Apparently, Arthur begged to differ as he mimed shooting himself in the head.

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"This is it. Our final practice. But I think we are more than well prepared to win this tournament! We have trained, day after day and I tell you: We are ready for the challenge. No enemy, no matter how skilled, has even the slightest chance against us!"

Arthur looked at each and every team member, including Merlin, before he continued.

"I expect all of you - yes, you too Gwaine - to be at the entrance at exactly 8 o'clock. We have rented a bus and will arrive at Bristol around 10. The first round of the tournament will then begin the next day at 2 and will last until the evening. The second round will take place on the day after, the semifinal on Friday and ultimately, the final will be on Saturday. I am pretty sure that we will meet Morgana's team at the latest in the final."

Everyone nodded in understanding and determination. All have them had their own reasons to win this tournament.

Arthur looked at his men with a smile. Their chances were higher than ever and he had a good feeling about this. He had noticed that since Merlin had joined as their mascot, the enthusiasm of everyone had increased quite a bit.

"Alright, that's enough practice for today. Make sure you get enough sleep today and don't you dare to be late tomorrow." Arthur said and couldn't help his eyes from lingering on Merlin, who in return just stuck his tongue out at him and left the gym witch a chuckle.

Arthur grinned as he watched his joking friends leave one after one until he was alone in the roomy gym. Or at least he had thought to be alone.

"Guess who." A female voice asked from behind him and the blonde felt warms hands gently covering his eyes.

"Guinevere!" He exclaimed happily and turned around to cover her lips with his own. After a few sweet moments, he drew back and looked into his girlfriend's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a smile as he took his beloved's warm hand into his own.

"I actually wanted to watch your training, but it seems I came a little too late." She explained with a sheepish smile.

"That's not your fault, I let the guys go a little earlier today, since were leaving tomorrow."

"I'm sorry I cannot accompany you, but I promise I'll be at the final." Gwen said and leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder.

"And I promise to make it into the final." Arthur answered with a chuckle and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Hey, would you mind accompanying me to the city?"

Gwen looked up at him with a grin. "Are you trying to ask me out on a date?"

Arthur blushed a little, but laid his arm around her waist and started to walk towards the exit of the gym. "Not really, actually. I just have to buy a new toothbrush, but if you insist, I'll accompany you to a shopping tour."

Gwen chuckled warmly into his ears and let herself being half dragged out of the college. "I'm fine with that, as long as you're paying."

Arthur gasped in mock-disgust. "Oh no! My father was right, she is only after my money!" He said over dramatic and raised a hand to his head.

"Hey!" Gwen scolded with a pout and poked her boyfriend into his side.

Seconds later, both erupted into laughter as they made their way into the city.

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Merlin enjoyed the evening sun on his skin as he walked along the shore of the lake. Freya had said they would meet shortly before sunset and Merlin had found that sounded awfully romantic, but now he realized that it was, in fact, a little imprecise.

He was waiting half an hour already and the sun was still loitering around over the horizon.

With every minute that passed, Merlin grew more uncertain. Maybe he had misheard and Freya had said something completely different? Or…maybe something had happened to her? Merlin unwillingly had to think of the dream he had had this morning, and a tight knot formed in his chest.

But the greater was the relief he felt, when he noticed the dark haired girl approaching him. She wore the same green dress she had been wearing on their first meeting and a slightly nervous smile danced across her lips.

"Oh, hello, Merlin. I hope you did not have to wait too long." She said and tugged at a loose strand of hers.

Merlin cracked a smile and hesitantly took the girl's hand. "It wasn't too long."

The sun was painting the sky in a heap of gold and the clouds shone in a variety of colors from purple over orange to a deep red. The air was still warm, despite the late hour and a soft breeze was bending the blades of grass under their feet.

Merlin slowly turned his head and looked down at the girl beside him. Her long dark curls swayed softly in the wind and her warm eyes gazed fondly upon the sunset. Merlin watched with fascination as a smile tugged at the corners of Freya's mouth and she must've noticed him watching, because she started to speak softly, without taking her eyes from the beautiful view around them.

"I came here to tell you something."

The raven haired's heart skipped a beat at this and he felt a certain warmth filling his chest. "I will listen."

"You know that I'm some kind of angel, right? Well, this kind of being I am doesn't have an official name. Many call us half-angels, but that's not entirely correct. I am not half angel, half human, I am half angel, half fallen angel."

She paused for a moment and looked up at the other, but upon seeing his reassuring smile, she calmed and continued speaking.

"Something like this is extremely rare. It is not only forbidden by angel law, it is also incredibly dangerous. Relationships between angels and fallen angels often result in one, if not both, of them being dead. There are only a hand full of my kind around the world."

Freya sighed, and her expression suddenly looked incredibly sad. Merlin reacted instinctively and laid one of his arms around her, watching with a satisfied smile as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"We don't have a place or a purpose in this world and we are forbidden to enter heaven. Sometimes I fell like…like a monster."

Anger instantly dwelled up inside Merlin. Who would dare calling this wonderful person a monster?!

"No matter what others tell you, never ever think of yourself as something lower than the loveliest girl in the world. We are not defined by what we are, we are definied by our actions and decisions." He said and gently placed a kiss on top of her head.

Freya beamed up at him and Merlin could feel his heart melting at the shining light in her eyes. "Thank you." The words were spoken in a whisper, soft that they almost were carried away by the summer breeze.

"Hey Merlin, you know what I ever wanted to do?" She asked while nuzzling her head into his neck.

"Flying into the sunset?" He guessed with a lopsided grin and gently stroked her hair. He had done it countless times, but he never got enough of it.

"Yeah, that's exactly it!" She exclaimed with a chuckle and took a few steps away from Merlin and unfolded her wings. They looked snow white, like every other angel's.

Merlin followed her example and instantly took off into the golden colored sky. He discovered, that with his bigger wings, his flying speed had increased as well. He waited until Freya was by his side and gently took her hands into his own.

"It's beautiful" She breathed in awe while they rose higher and higher, until they could touch the purple clouds with their hands.

They flew in circles over the lake, watching at the sun went down slowly, disappearing behind the growing lights of the city.

Suddenly, Freya seemed to grow uneasy and Merlin glanced at her with concern. "Are you al-"He started but couldn't continue when he saw how her snow white feathers suddenly turned into pitch black one's.

"It looks scary, right?" She whispered in agony, averting her eyes to the upcoming moon.

"No" Merlin said with a soft smile, turning Freya's head towards him. "You are still the most beautiful girl in the world" He whispered and leaned closer.

He was so close now, he could make out every single lash of her, taking in the color of her eyes to the fullest. Before he even knew what he was doing, her placed his lips firmly upon hers, taking in her smell and taste. They were the sweetest sensations he had ever had the luck to experience.

Instinctively, Merlin laid his arms around her waist, pulling her as close as he could and he felt Freya's hands in his neck.

After a while, they were out of breath and had to pull apart. They silently pressed their foreheads together and forgot everything around them.

Only the moon cast his light upon them as the angels danced in a blur of black and white through the starry sky.

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A/N: Now wasn't that cute ^-^? So for everyone else who is planning on asking me that: Yes, Arthur will find out eventually. And yes, the others will too. But not next chapter and also not in the one after that, so be patient and stay tuned :)

Anyway, that was about everything. I hope you liked it, please feel free to leave a review :)

Until next time~

By DarkChain