"Merlin?" Arthur awoke with a start, aware of a cold draught blowing over him. He sat up and yawned, and then lay back down again. Merlin was still so clear in his dreams, so there and real and solid. He had also dreamt of the dragon, the one under the castle. He sighed, grabbed the sleeping draught and downed the whole bottle. Lying back down, the bitter taste lingering in his mouth, he shut his eyes and waited for the effects to take hold.

Merlin drifted along the corridors, still pondering the dragon's words. 'Arthur is the key' he thought. What does that mean? Can Arthur bring me back? He drifted the familiar route he had walked thousands of times, to Arthur's room. The doors were closed, so he drifted straight through them, and saw Arthur sound asleep on the bed. On the table next to him was an empty bottle, one that held sleeping draughts. He drifted closer and noticed that Arthur's breathing had slowed, and felt a chill run through his spirit body. Gently, he reached forward and touched Arthur. That spark flew between them again, and goosepimples broke out all over Arthur's skin.

Arthur's eyes snapped open and he saw Merlin, floating a few feet away from him, watching him, fear shining in his spirit eyes. He raised and shook his head a couple of times, trying to shake the groggy feeling from his head. "Me..Merlin?"

"Arthur" Merlin came closer. "I need you."

Arthur sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "What is it?

Merlin's form wavered a little. "I spoke to the dragon."

"You did what?"

"I spoke to the dragon. He knows how to get me back."

"How?"

"I can't explain. Follow me." Merlin smiled, turned and drifted to the door, turned again and waited.

Arthur groaned and heaved himself up. "Where do you want me to go?" Hastily, he pulled on a tunic and a pair of trousers and padded barefoot to join Merlin's ghostly form at the door.

"You're going to need shoes you know" Merlin looked at Arthur's bare feet.

"Where are we even going?" Arthur sat down on his bed and pulled on his shoes. "And how come you can talk to me now? And stay visible?"

"I don't know; I'm making the most of it though, I don't know how long I will last." Merlin's form seemed to flicker a little as his shoulders dropped. "I don't know when I will disappear."

Arthur looked up. "Disappear? For good?"

"I don't know. Folklore says the soul, if it drifts for too long, and the body is not buried on hallowed ground it can just disappear altogether."

"How does that work?" Arthur got up and walked over to the door, feeling slightly uneasy about the fact he could see it through Merlin's ghostly form.

"No idea. Just something Gaius spoke about once. I never thought it would ever apply to me though." Merlin smiled weakly and drifted through the door, much to Arthur's surprise. A few seconds later, he stuck his head back through. "You not coming then?"

"Hey! Slow down!" Arthur followed Merlin through the castle, trying to keep up with him as he sped ahead. With a ghostly laugh Merlin slowed as they neared the dungeons and Arthur wondered where he was taking him. They came to a stop by the dungeon cell, where criminals, mostly bandits or 'sorcerers' were kept awaiting trial, and more often than not execution.

"Hey!" A deep voice sounded from behind. Arthur turned to see a tall man, about six foot seven in height stood by the door to the cell, hunched over. He had a sheath hanging at his waist but no sword hung from it and he wore a simple brown tunic over dark leggings and a pair of boots. He had close cropped hair and dark eyes, deep set in a round, but long face, which was set in an angry grimace. "What are you doing in my dungeon, boy?" He drifted closer, and Arthur realised he was a ghost too, like Merlin, and with a chill recognised him as one of the innocent villagers his father had accused of being a sorcerer and executed, the first one he'd had to watch.

Merlin drifted forward too, and rose up so that he was eye level with his opponent. "I am not doing anything in 'your dungeon'; I am simply visiting a friend."

"Why do you have him with you?" The other ghost pointed a cold finger at Arthur, and it went into his chest, making him step back, a chill rushing through him.

"He's here to see my friend too." Merlin stood his ground, and looked at the man with a firm expression on his face. "You need to back off my friend, you're an old ghost. You should have gone years ago."

"I like it here, I can groan mournfully and rattle the door in the dead of night and watch the guards pee themselves with fright, it's really very amusing. I also like to show myself to anyone being kept down here, especially the ones who are sentenced to death. They see themselves in the morning." He paused, a sly smile on his face, "you should try it."

Merlin sighed, and it sent a chill rushing round the room. "No, that doesn't sound me. I'm not happy."

The other ghost's strong bravado seemed to change, and he reached over and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. Arthur was intrigued to see that they could touch eachother, and ghost to ghost contact was solid. "I know how you feel. You're a new ghost, aren't you? I haven't seen you around. Well, not as a ghost. You're Merlin, right?"

"Yeah"

"I know how it is. When I went, well I was you know, forced out as it were, it was horrible. I had to watch my family grieve and I couldn't reach them. Still can't. I don't think they could take it."

"So you can talk to and be seen by the living?"

"Arthur can see me, can't you son?"

Arthur gave a shaky "Yeah, I can see you."

"You know who I am, don't you. I can see it, and I remember you watching me." He grinned and drifted right up to the prince, and put his face right up close. "Tell me my name."

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He eventually managed to get out a "Thomas", whilst staring into the ghost's spirit eyes, which was strange because he could see the pupils, but also the wall and the rest of the dungeon behind him.

"Hey, leave him alone." Merlin slipped between Thomas and Arthur and pushed the ghost back.

"It's okay Merlin; I'm just not used to talking with the dead."

"Oh, it's dead easy once you get the hang of it you know. Draining though, on your part I mean." Thomas smiled at his joke. "Oh, 'dead easy' I do amuse myself!" With a ghostly chuckle he disappeared through the wall, leaving a chill in the air and Arthur stood feeling very tired and bemused.

Merlin stared at the wall Thomas had disappeared through. "Well…he was an interesting character" he brooded, and turned to Arthur. "You alright?"

Arthur nodded, and straightened up, fighting the groggy tiredness that had descended over him. "Yeah, just tired. It is the middle of the bloody night!"

"Yeah, sorry. I forgot sleep is important. We can do this another night if you're too tired." Merlin turned to drift back up the stairs.

"No, we'll do it now, we've come all this way." Arthur tried to grab Merlin's arm but it just scythed through it.

"Stop that, it tickles!" Merlin drifted back. "Okay, right. Let's go." They stepped into the dark stairway, and Merlin suddenly remembered, "Oh, you'll need a torch if you want to know where the stairs are."

Arthur grabbed a torch that was leaning on the wall, and quickly lit it from on of the burning lamps that lit the dungeon area. Holding it aloft, and making sure not to accidentally send it through Merlin, he re-entered the staircase and, slowly, following the glowing outline of Merlin's ghost, descended the steps to the dragon's chasm.