"So, how did you do it?" Gaius gently stitched up a deep cut in Arthur's arm.

"I wasn't concentrating during training; one of my opponents caught me on a reverse block." Arthur flinched as the needle went in, pulling the two pieces of skin back together.

"I see." Gaius finished the last stitch and cut the thread. He handed Arthur a cup. "Drink, it will help keep infection at bay." Gaius wrapped a bandage around Arthur's arm. "There, all done. Come back in two weeks so I can take the stitches out."

"Thanks, Gaius." Arthur smiled.

Gaius smiled back, but they both saw the pain in eachother's eyes. Gaius sighed, "Arthur, are you sure you're okay?"

Arthur nodded, but sighed, and shook his head. "Honestly? No. I'm trying, Gaius, trying to move on but I can't." He looked up and caught sight of Hunith, sitting on Gaius' bed. "Hunith…I'm so sorry."

Hunith got up and walked over. She sat down next to Arthur and put her hand on his. "It's okay Arthur, it wasn't your fault."

"But it was" Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "That dagger was meant for me."

"Never blame anything on yourself, Arthur, not things like this." Hunith smiled weakly. She looked into his eyes and sighed. "You look tired, have you not been sleeping?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, not much. It's impossible right now. Every time I shut my eyes I relive the moment, and in my dreams I stop it, stop him, save Merlin, and then I wake up and reality slaps me in the face." He sighed again.

Hunith put her hand on Arthur's again. "We saw him last night. He spoke about you too."

Arthur stayed quiet for a moment. "…really?"

"Mmm-hmm" Hunith nodded. "He said he needed you."

"I've seen Merlin, I keep seeing him, and he's there, and he talks to me, but it's like he isn't really there and it's just my imagination, wishful thinking and the like. He says I can bring him back, and magic is involved. I'm so confused, Gaius, I need your help."

Gaius, who had remained quiet until this point, looked up. "With magic? Arthur, if the king finds out…"

"I know, but I don't know what to do. I know, deep in here," Arthur touched his chest, "Merlin can come back, and only I can help it happen." He sighed and stood up. "I should go; you probably think I've gone mad." He walked to the door and paused in the doorway. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Hunith got up and walked over to him. "We both understand, you're not mad! If you need anything, anything at all, you can come and talk to me." She pulled him into a motherly hug and Arthur hugged her back.

They broke apart awkwardly and Arthur nodded. "Thank you"

Merlin sat next to Thomas, floating above the floor and elbows resting on his knees. Thomas reached over and sent an old discarded dice used by the guards skittering across the floor. "You have to really focus, imagine what you want the dice to do and then, boom, you move it."

Merlin reached forward and followed Thomas' instructions. He let the energy well up inside him and flicked the second dice. It moved a little way, and Merlin smiled. "I'm getting there."

"You are! You learn fast! It will be a shame when you leave."

Merlin looked up. "I'll still be able to talk to you"

"Yeah but you'll be persecuted, won't you? Talking to ghosts got me here."

Merlin thought for a minute, "I could always see you down here, plus Arthur will know who I'm talking to!"

"I suppose" Thomas rose and drifted over to the dice, and sent them rolling back to where Merlin was sitting. "Try again with these."

Merlin practiced with the dice several times and soon had them skittering across the floor, almost as far as Thomas' throws.

"Poltergeist activity isn't hard once you know how to do it, and then you can have all kinds of fun!" Thomas outstretched a hand, waved it once and a lamp toppled to the floor. "Obviously, non-contact poltergeistery is much harder. And no, poltergeistery isn't a word, I made it up."

Merlin laughed and stretched, "It's a good word"

Arthur collapsed onto his bed, suddenly overcome with exhaustion. He shut his eyes, wishing all the thoughts swirling around inside his head would stop. His arm throbbed, keeping him awake.

"Arthur" Merlin drifted in and floated by his bed.

Arthur looked up. "Merlin."

Merlin crossed his legs and floated a few feet above the ground. This disconcerted Arthur a little, but he got used to it. "I spoke to Hunith last night. I just wanted to…tell her I'm alright, and ask Gaius for advice on what the dragon said. I wish I hadn't now."

"Yeah, she said. I spoke to her earlier."

Merlin noticed the bandage on Arthur's arm. "What did you do to your arm?"

"Nicked it during training, Gaius stitched it for me. That's when I spoke to Hunith. She said you spoke to them last night."

"Yeah, I needed help, but I've been thinking, and I think I've worked it out, but you'll need to learn to channel magic first."

Arthur sat up, suddenly alert to what Merlin was saying. "What do you mean? How?"

Merlin grinned. "You won't like this" He paused, "I am going to have to possess you."

"What? No! Surely not!"

"I thought you'd say that!" Merlin laughed but was serious once more. "No, listen, think about it. I can do magic, I am a creature of magic. I can't channel it because I don't have the energy, there has to be something solid for the magic to flow through, like water in pipes. You just need to learn to channel the magic, and all I need to do is possess you so I can cast the spell."

Arthur listened to what Merlin had to say, and he mulled it over for a while. Slowly, it began to make sense. "So you use me as a vessel for the spell?"

"Exactly. Though, as the dragon said, it is magic of the highest level, you will need to learn how to channel energy in the right direction, and, most importantly, learn about magic and its power."

"How can I do that?"

"Gaius will help you, he knows about magic and its many powers and creatures, ask him."

Over the next few weeks, Arthur began learning magic, both of his own accord and with Gaius, who, after much persuasion, had agreed to show him his books and teach Arthur how the energy flows through a sorcerer, and the correct way to channel it. He was a little taken aback when he learnt of how Arthur planned to return Merlin, but, as Arthur explained it to him, he understood.

"Put your back foot slightly further forward, like a battle stance" Gaius stood in front of Arthur in his chambers, watching and admiring the speed with which the prince learnt and understood the fundamentals of magic. He lived in fear of Uther finding out, and he knew he would be executed for treason.

"Like this?" Arthur's voice broke his thoughts.

"Yes, that's right. Now, remember, Merlin will be controlling you but you need to remember that it is you the magic will flow through, you need to know and remember that."

"I'm scared about this, Gaius"

"I know, it will be scary but hopefully, if Merlin is right, it will work."

"Hmm, well, Merlin hasn't got a great track record with his plans." Arthur sat down and yawned.

Gaius laughed, "Don't lose faith in him now; he knows what he's doing."

"I hope so, for everyone's sake."

Gaius set a cup of tea down in front of Arthur, and plonked himself down opposite. "You did well today, I'm impressed. Between you and me, I always knew you weren't like your father."

Arthur smiled, but his face fell when he realised; "What about Uther? Surely he's going to realise magic is involved."

"I don't know, I suppose that's a hurdle you'll have to jump when you get to it. I'll help, whatever you need, I'll be here."

Arthur smiled. "Thanks, Gaius, that really helps"

Gaius smiled. "You'd better get to training, your father will be wondering why you're not there."

Arthur drained his tea and sighed. "The reasons are obvious, but I suppose to him Merlin was just a manservant, nothing more." He got up and walked to the door. "Thanks, Gaius" He called over his shoulder.

"Pleasure!" Gaius replied, and Arthur left in the direction of the training ground.