Chapter 15

"NO! No, I'm not going to tell you!" As Arthur continued to re-live his time in the cell, he also in his sleep shouted out the words he had thrown back at his tormentors, and this was usually followed by another cry of pain from him. And when Arthur cried out that he would not betray his friends, Lancelot felt a fresh sense of shame. He and Gaius tried to restrain Arthur and hold him still on the bed as Merlin's eyes flashed gold again and again as tried every spell of healing and restoration that he knew.

"Gestathole!" Nothing.

"Thurhhaele!" Nothing.

He even prepared and laid a poultice on Arthur's forehead as he had done once – successfully – for Gwen's father. "Pu fornimst adl fram guman." Nothing.

Gaius looked grave. "Merlin, you must find something that works soon. Arthur cannot take much more of this. He didn't have much strength to start with, and he's getting weaker all the time."

As Arthur convulsed on the bed and groaned yet again, Merlin suddenly put his hands to his own head. "I'm an idiot!", and with that he leapt up and ran at speed into his bedroom. His book of magic that had fell to the floor when he awoke out of his dream the previous evening was still lying there. Merlin grabbed it, and as he hurried with it back into the other room he was desperately trying to find again the page it had been open at when he'd fallen asleep. There was a note of excitement in his voice as he spoke rapidly to the other two. "I came across a spell last night about dreams. I'd read it just before I dozed off and had the dream about Arthur!" A triumphant look came to his face as he finally found the right page. "Here it is! It's a spell for entering the dreams of others. Maybe that's what helped me see Arthur yesterday, Gaius, and maybe I can enter his nightmare now and somehow change it!"

"Will that work?"

But before Merlin had a chance to answer the question, there was a quiet tap on the door and Gwen crept in. "I couldn't sleep and…" Her words died on her lips as she took in the scene before her. At that moment, Arthur's body jolted and he gave another cry of pain.

Gwen looked at him in horror. "Gaius – what's going on?"

Merlin whispered to Gaius, "This isn't going to make it any easier!"

Gaius whispered back, "Leave this to me."

The physician left Arthur to Merlin and Lancelot and walked over to Gwen, who was standing staring at Arthur with a look of fear on her face. He laid his hands gently on her arms. "Gwen, we need your help. Arthur is having some nightmares and I need some valerian to help calm him. Could you get some from the apothecary in the lower town. I fear you will have to wake him, but he owes me a favour. Could you do that for me?"

Gwen took another look at Arthur, "Of course. I'll be as quick as I can"

And as the door closed behind Gwen, Gaius turned to back to face the others: "You have your time, Merlin. It may not be much – do what you can."

Merlin gave Lancelot a quick instruction, and the two of them lifted the sleeping prince into a sitting position, so that he was on the same level as Merlin who was by now sitting on the edge of the bed. Merlin glanced down at the book that was still open in front of him, took a deep breath and put his hand on Arthur's forehead. He spoke every word of the spell, his eyes flashed gold and then he closed them.

Merlin immediately found himself back in the darkness, standing in the cell again, with Arthur chained as he had been before, but this time he was alert and fully conscious and with his tormentors at his side. And now it was Arthur who was staring at Merlin, with a look of bewilderment on his face. Merlin spoke more words of magic within Arthur's dream, and suddenly the tormentors simply disintegrated before their eyes. He spoke again, Allinan, and the chains fell from Arthur's wrists. Arthur stood, still staring at Merlin, but utterly confused by the blurring of memories, dreams and magic, and with no idea of what was really real. Merlin looked into his eyes and commanded him: "Arthur – leave this darkness. Come with me into the light." And with that, still not taking his eyes off Arthur, Merlin slowly began walking backwards, beckoning Arthur to step forward out of the nightmare. Arthur's brow furrowed and he hesitated, not understanding what was happening, but then did step forward and as he did so, the darkness of the cell melted into a bright meadow under blue skies, and Arthur looked around him in bewilderment again. Every one of knights who were closest to Arthur were also standing there, in full Camelot livery, with their cloaks billowing slightly behind them in a gentle breeze, and all had their swords drawn, points to the ground, with their hands resting on the hilts. Merlin took hold of Arthur's hand and led the prince, who was still dressed in his ragged shirt and walking barefoot, towards the knights. The knights each spoke to Arthur as he passed them, and they spoke to re-assure him.

The first in the line was Leon: "My lord, the battle is over. Evil has been defeated."

Lancelot was next: "You have overcome, Sire, and you are free now."

Arthur looked up in his dream into the face of the gentle giant, Percival: "But you are weary, highness, and you must rest."

Gwaine spoke with a smile: "No harm will come to you here. We will watch over you and our swords will protect you."

Gwen's brother was the last in the line: "We salute you, our captain. Now you must sleep."

And there in the dream, was Guinivere, standing by embroidered cushions and covers laid out on the grass, and holding her hands out to Arthur, inviting him to come and rest. She was smiling at him, and beautifully dressed with flowers in her hair. His look of confusion and trouble began to fade, and a faint smile began to play across his face. He took her hands. "Come Arthur, lie down and sleep. I will stay with you as you sleep and I promise I will be here when you awake."

A peaceful look had come across his face, and he allowed himself to be led by Gwen to lie down as she knelt beside him.

Merlin spoke one last word of command to him as he rested his head on the cushion: "Sleep deeply Arthur, free from dreams."

As Arthur's eyes closed in the dream, Merlin's eyes opened back in the real world of Gaius' rooms. And Arthur was asleep and at peace, with his head resting against Lancelot, who was still supporting him.

They laid Arthur down gently, and Merlin was smiling, and looking extremely pleased with himself. Gaius looked at him in amazement, and spoke in a hushed tone. "I don't think I will ever cease to be amazed by you Merlin! What did you do?"

Merlin continued to look pleased. "I just gave him a different dream. But it was a pretty damn good one!". He turned to Lancelot, grinning. "You were in it….. and so was Guinivere." Lancelot just smiled back as his own dreams were once again dashed. But he did not care: he was truly glad that his prince was saved.

By the time Gwen returned, Lancelot had gone but had been sent with a message to take to the king from Gaius. So it was just Merlin and Gaius left, and they were standing together talking quietly at the foot of Arthur's bed. She immediately looked over to Arthur, and Gaius smiled at her, "Thank you Gwen, but I think we may not need the valerian after all." Gwen walked quietly over to the bed, and knelt beside it, saying Arthur's name with relief in her voice.

Gaius smiled at her again as she looked up at him: "The nightmare is over. He is at peace, and sleeping deeply now. All is well."

But Merlin, conscious of what had been said in the dream, casually dropped in a suggestion to Gwen. "Maybe you could stay with him now. I think it would be nice if you were here when he wakes."

Her face lit up with a lovely smile: "I will not leave him."

And Gaius took charge, once again. "And now I think it is time that we allowed the Prince his sleep, and for both of you to get some as well. It's been a long and very dark night. I will stay here now until morning." Merlin began to protest, but Gaius held up his hand and Merlin gave up and finally went back to his own room, as Gwen prepared to take her rest beside Arthur's bed.

But there was one more visitor that night, just as the light of daybreak was beginning to filter in through the window. All was quiet as Uther entered the room. Gwen was sitting on the floor on cushions, but her head was resting on the bed next to Arthur, and her arm was laying across him, and both were sleeping peacefully. Gaius had been anticipating this encounter, and had prepared his words carefully. He fixed his gaze on Uther, who was standing near the bed and looking down on Arthur and Gwen, watching them. He glanced up at Gauis. "Thank you for keeping me informed. The nightmares have passed completely now?"

"Yes, my lord."

Gaius paused, and then spoke the words he has prepared. "Arthur has been through a very great ordeal, Sire, and has suffered cruelty that can scarcely be imagined. His body will heal soon enough, but the memories of it will take longer. I know that you do not approve of the love that Arthur and Guinivere have for each other, but I believe that Guinivere's gentle and kind spirit is exactly what Arthur needs now. There is no one else in Camelot that I know of who shows such care and compassion as she. Her care for Arthur will bring a healing that my medicine cannot. Allow her to stay with him, my lord, and I believe his recovery will not be too long in coming."

Uther turned his gaze back to look at the young couple, and then spoke, uncharacteristically, of Ygraine. "After a battle, it was always Ygraine's love that soothed the memories of its horrors. She calmed my mind like nothing else."

Silence hung in the air between them, and then the moment was past. Uther nodded his approval to Gaius, and walked back towards the door, saying as he left: "Send word to me when Arthur wakes."