He could see his people all around him, looking at him with so much betrayal in their eyes. They started closing in on him, finally stopping a few feet from him. He looked around; they were standing in a circle around him. His own people, their faces portraying anger, betrayal, despair and hopelessness.

"How could you, Sire? How could you abandon us?" They wailed as one. He shook his head and desperately tried to say something, anything, but found out that he couldn't. He turned, scanning the crowd for at least one friendly face, but found none.

"You left us, betrayed us all! You call yourself our king, but would a king leave us to a tyrant witch?" again they wailed.

"No..." He whispered, finally recovering his voice as he kept shaking his head, trying to deny those accusations.

But his people paid no heed; it was as if they could not hear him.

Suddenly the scene shimmered and changed before him: he could now see his people, lying on the street, injured, with fire all around them, licking at their bodies as they laid there helpless. They wailed in pain and misery, calling for him, begging him to help. But again, he could not move. In the distance he could hear children, sobbing, calling for their parents. He watched as his people were killed by Nimueh's army, unable to move, unable to help them. His body started trembling with suppressed anger and despair, anger at himself, for not doing anything, letting his people down, unable to even ease their passing. Despair at having to see his people fall dead before him, to see his city in flames burning down to ruin.

The scene shifted, he was in the Crypt, looking at his father's sarcophagus.

"Son, how could you? This was not what I taught you, a ruler does not abandon
his people! You disappointed me." His father's voice, echoing throughout the crypt, was tainted with disappointment and despair. However, before Merlin was able to say anything, the scene shifted.

He was high above the city, on one of the castle's ramparts; below him was a sea of fire with waves of smoke. That rose to tidal height, only to try and suffocate him where he stood. He looked up to the blood coloured sky only to see dark smoke rising up to meet the sky.

He heard a laugh behind him. He turned around, and immediately recognized the Witch. He tried to lunge towards her, do something to her, anything, to make her pay for what she did to his people, but he couldn't, seemingly stuck to the ground.

Again she laughed, the sound bordering into insanity.

"Well, Prince." She sneered at him, spitting out his title like she was insulting him. "Welcome! Welcome to my Kingdom!" She started laughing maniacally.

Merlin was shaking his head, whispering, "No...it can't be!" Nimueh was still laughing in the background and he couldn't stand the sound, so he brought his hand to his ears; but it wasn't enough. He could still hear her. And his head was still shaking in denial. He was still whispering the word "no", over and over again, as if this could not be happening. Soon he collapsed out of grief, and with his body on one side, he curled into a foetal position. His body was shaking, sobs threatening to break out.

"...No..." Nimueh's laughter was fading away, with another voice now slowly becoming louder.

"...Sire..."

"...No..."

"Sire...please...you...must..."

"...No..." He was still curled up in the foetal position, his sobs now finally braking through.

"... Merlin...wake up...You must wake up!"

Merlin was still sobbing, his mind playing back what happened over and over again. "No..."

"Wake up Merlin! Wake up!"

"NO!" Merlin woke up, gasping, drenched in sweat, even though it was not a hot night. Tears streaked his face, his hair wet and sticking up in all directions. His hands clenched his cover so hard that they were white. Slowly, very slowly he unclenched them, still breathing hard and hissing in pain as the muscles loosened.

"Here Sire," suddenly there was a cloth being offered to him.

Merlin jumped upon hearing the voice. Then relaxed, recognising Lancelot. He nodded his thanks, not trusting his voice to say anything, and accepted the cloth, using it to wipe his face with it.

"Are you alright Sire?" asked Lancelot with a worried tone, crouching at Merlin's side.

Merlin was quiet for a few moments, not knowing what to say. Then he sighed,
and nodded solemnly.

"I'll be alright." he said, a small smile of reassurance gracing his face. "Have I woken you up?"

Lancelot shook his head. "I was awake anyway. You should go to sleep, Sire, I'll keep watch."

"No, I probably won't be able to sleep now. But you can try to get some sleep, I'll keep watch."

"But, Sire-" whatever Lancelot was about to say was lost as he yawned and promptly looked sheepish.

"Lancelot, you certainly look sleepy enough." said Merlin, smirking. "Sleep, the sun will be rising soon enough, we'll need all the rest we can get."

Lancelot looked as if he still wanted to argue, but Merlin cut him off.
"Sleep! It's an order." his voice commanding this time.

Lancelot nodded, and lay down, under a tree, promptly falling asleep.

Merlin sighed as he got up and stretched. He gathered some fire wood, and placed them on the ground a few feet from Lancelot. He muttered a spell to light the fire as he sat down near it, to warm himself after that nightmare. He looked up, to the stars; it was a clear night with not a cloud in sight. One more sigh escaped him as he laid back, the events of the previous day coming back to him.

FLASHBACK

They ran, as fast as they could, leaving Albion behind them. Lancelot was ahead of Merlin, leading the way. Although, right now, they were not going in any direction, they just wanted to get away. They'd stopped, once their energy had depleted -magical energy as well, since Merlin was using a spell to mask their trail- and even so, Lancelot had made sure that no one followed. Merlin now sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly meditating.

He opened his mind, searching for any searchers -"and isn't that ironic", he thought- of Nimueh's army. Finally finding none, he explored further. He went back to his castle, to find out what was going on. What he saw made his blood run cold: Nimueh was on the throne, her minions occupying the place his guards once had. Already the place seemed darker, more evil.

Nimueh was issuing orders to a messenger; she wanted to summon the Nobles of Albion. She wanted them to swear fealty to her and if they didn't, they would be disposed off.

Suddenly, Nimueh looked directly at Merlin, as if she knew that he was there and smirked, mouthing the word 'welcome' as she did so.

Merlin felt as if he was pushed out of his castle. He was vaulted out, travelling downwards to the town. He saw ruins. His people were trying to put out the fires, they looked miserable. He saw his Army being cremated by weeping family and friends. The smoke of the fires rose to the sky, creating a black blanket over them, which only served to worsen the despair. The visible parts of the sky were not like usual: from tranquil blue, they had turned into a fiery red, reflected from the flames below.

"Our so called Prince has deserted us! He left us to fend for ourselves against the Witch!" One man was saying to another. Merlin felt as if he was stabbed in his heart by a million blades.

"No! He has not! I'm sure that our prince has a good reason to leave us! He will return! I'm sure of it! This is Merlin we're talking about. He doesn't care about ranks, he cares about each and every one of us. Remember all the times he has helped us! Remember them and do not forget them! Merlin has never forsaken us before and he will not do so now! I'm sure of it! He must be looking over us right now to see what has become of his people." said another to the pessimist.

Immediately Merlin felt warmth flow through his body. He wanted to show his people that he was there, watching over them; but he could not. If Nimueh found out, the consequences would be terrible and his people would suffer even more.

Merlin opened his eyes just in time to see Lancelot return.

"Is it safe?" Merlin asked.

"It is sire." Said Lancelot with a nod.

"Good, then we shall rest here for the night and make plans on where to go from here tomorrow." Merlin got up, and started to draw a circle around their camp, chanting a spell as he did so. "It will keep us safe." He said with a reassuring smile. "Goodnight Lancelot."

"Good night, sire." Lancelot smiled back.

And with that they both found their respective sleep spots, and they slept and they dreamt.

END OF FLASHBACK

A/N: And end of chapter! what do you think?

I just realised that FF resed and that i've had everything reset *Glares at FF* How lame is that? I'm so sorry if u've wanted to PM me and couldnt, its enabled now so it should be fine!:D And to any anonomus reviewers i do accept them its just that i've had it disabled with out realising it...so sorry about that!

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! and thanks to my amazing Beta Weihna!

Please revied, they're like candy to my eyes!:D

~Alexandra