A/N: Once again, I'm blown away by your enthusiasm for this story. Thank you guys for all of the wonderful reviews! I hope I can meet your expectations for this story. I'm still working out the details of how it'll go… As a good time-travelling friend of mine might say, "Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey."

"He knew who I was. He called me by name, and got me all mixed up with him, there," Merlin gestured to his unconscious lookalike as he explained the recent incident to Arthur and Uther. "He sounded just like you, Arthur."

The king and prince shared a look. Arthur shrugged. "But… couldn't that… be faked? By magic?"

"A voice could, perhaps," Gaius told them, "but even so, the man's confusion was real. He really did recognize Merlin, and identified him as you would have, Arthur, and really was genuinely confused when he saw the Other Merlin. I stand by my original conclusion, sire. These two are yourself and Merlin from the future. And by the looks of it, they weren't expecting to be here."

Silence.

"When will know for sure?" Uther asked, trying to stay calm.

"When we talk with them."

"How long will it take for them to wake up?"

Gaius sighed. "It's hard to say, sire. Arthur, as Merlin's already told you, woke up just earlier today, which is a sign he will likely wake up again, for longer. Merlin, however…" Gaius cast a look over at the pale-faced figure, "appears to be worse off for whatever happened to have sent them here. I'm still assessing any injuries or illnesses he may have sustained, but I don't think he'll be up anytime soon. Merlin looked at his feet and tried to act like he wasn't concerned about that.

Uther looked even more nervous, and wrung his hands. He didn't say anything before he left. Arthur followed shortly.

Gaius went quietly back to his work, and Merlin was left standing in between the two cots. He cast a glance at either of them, and wondered when they'd next wake up. He tried to pretend that the prospect didn't scare him.

Because Gaius was adamant that Merlin not come into contact with his potentially future self and Gaius was too busy to tend to his newest patients all day, the physician enlisted the help of Guinevere to help Merlin care for the two.

"It's so weird," she said as she helped Merlin re-bandage some of the cuts and scrapes the two had sustained.

"You're telling me. I don't think I could ever get used to it, looking over and seeing myself."

Gwen nodded, and glanced over at the sleeping Arthur, whom Merlin was bent over. Part of her wanted nothing to do with the lookalikes, but another part of her, a larger part of her, was undeniably curious. She stared for longer than she ought at Arthur's matured face and clipped mustache before shaking herself and turning back to the unconscious Merlin.

"I hope they wake up soon. So we can figure all this out," she said as she cleaned Merlin's left forearm, which had scrapes all along its length.

"I hope we can figure it out, even once they're awake," Merlin said. She nodded her head.

It was so strange, seeing what Merlin might look like in ten or so years. He hardly looked like the same person, Gwen thought, casting a quick glance at Merlin across the room. The Merlin she knew was, well, Merlin. He was tall and gangly, awkward and sweet with a heart bigger than Camelot itself. He had comical ears and a smile that lit up his whole face, and long hands that could be gentler than even hers could. She looked back down at the Other Merlin whom she cared for, and could only think how eerily similar but how completely different he was.

This Merlin didn't look like Merlin. Not completely. He was more filled-out, for one. His clothes didn't appear to be loose or dingy, as Merlin's tended to, and after years as Morgana's maid, Gwen did not fail to notice the high quality of the fabrics he wore. His ears' size was half hidden behind hair that was thicker and longer than Merlin's, with a speckling of grey throughout. There were slight wrinkles around his mouth, and crinkles at his eyes – developed, Gwen had no doubt, by his squinted, infections smile. But perhaps the most striking change was his beard. Gwen had never seen Merlin with a beard, but the unconscious newcomer had a scruffy, slightly messy layer of facial hair. It accentuated his mouth and cheekbones, and in the back of her mind, Guinevere had to admit that it made him look handsome. Powerful. Confident, even in sleep. This Merlin didn't look like the Merlin that Guinevere knew; he looked like the man that Merlin could become.

"I know I'm not him, not really, but… d'you think you could stop staring? It's… strange." Merlin looked up only for a moment.

Gwen jumped in her seat as she realized she had, in fact, spent the last several minutes not cleaning wounds like she should have been, but staring intently at Merlin's unconscious face. She blushed and sat up. "Sorry," she said awkwardly, and went back to work. She lifted Merlin's arm and resumed cleaning and applying medication to the red, scabbing sections of skin. She was holding his hand to work on his wrist when she noticed something. Her eyes went wide, and she couldn't help but to gasp.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked. Gwen tried to recover.

"Oh, nothing," She said too quickly, "Just slipped is all, nearly knocked this… Gaius' medicine bottle off the table." She motioned to the bottle of the medication she'd been using. It wasn't near enough for her to be knocking it over, but Merlin seemed to buy the excuse. He grunted and went back to work. Gwen looked back at the Other Merlin in alarm. Her heart working more quickly than normal, she finished up on his arm and laid it back down across his stomach. Carefully, she made sure his right hand covered his left, so the Real Merlin wouldn't see what she'd noticed: a solid gold wedding band around his third left finger.

She glanced furtively back at Merlin, who was completely oblivious, his eyebrows bent together as he concentrated on cleaning Arthur's shoulder, which had sustained a nasty, inflamed cut.

Merlin. Married. Merlin. She squinted at him. It was a strange thought. She peeked back at the ring she spied. If this was the future Merlin, that meant that one day, Merlin would be married. She supposed later that she really shouldn't be too surprised, but then… It was Merlin. Sure, she'd nursed a bit of a crush on him for the first few months of their friendship, but she was quick to recognize that for what it'd really been: friendship. She'd joined Arthur in teasing Merlin before about getting a girl, but secretly, she'd always viewed her friend as an overall platonic character, who really hadn't the slightest interest in romanticism.

Apparently, she was wrong. And, despite her confusion and slight disturbance over the whole thing, Gwen would spend the rest of the day wondering if she'd already met the woman who would marry her best friend in the future.

A thought struck her.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she rose and went to clean the blood off the cloth she'd been using. To do so, she had to go around Merlin and the Other Arthur. She glanced quickly and sharply at Arthur's left hand. She only just managed to fight off another gasp of surprise when she saw that Arthur sported a wedding band, too.

Her eyes were a million miles away as she scrubbed the cloth clean in a bucket of water. So Arthur would marry, then. She didn't know what to feel. The ring itself had been lovely – whereas Merlin's was rather simple (albeit still gold, not pewter or bronze as some peasant rings) Arthur's was large and rather fancy, for a man's ring. It was suited for nobility, of course. Nobility that his future wife would have. Gwen tried not to let it sting when she thought, nobility that I don't have. She wondered if she'd already met Arthur's future wife, too. She determined that, when she did, she'd have to do her best not to hate her. She'd always known that it would happen. She tried not to let the tears rise. She known it would happen, but she didn't know it would hurt this much.

But she was being silly. It was all years away. And they didn't even know for certain how many. Here she was, crying over something she'd seen on a man that may or may not have been from decades in the future. She shook herself and set the cloth aside.

"I'll be going, then. Morgana is probably wondering where I am by now," Gwen said to Merlin. He nodded and thanked her for her help. She left, thoughts of wedding rings and other women and her two best friends filling her thoughts.

She wondered if she would end up married, too.

The next day, when Arthur awoke again, Merlin and Gaius were at least somewhat prepared for it. It was midday and they were both working when they heard a groan emit from Arthur's cot. They shot each other sharp looks, stopped what they were doing, and went over to the man's bedside.

"Ohh…" Arthur grimaced as he squinted open his eyes. He saw Merlin again. "How long've I been out?" When Merlin didn't answer but only stared, Arthur grunted again and attempted to sit up. For an injured man, he did fairly well. "Nevermind. Ugh…" He put a hand to his head, which throbbed. "You wouldn't believe the dream I had last night, Merlin," He rubbed at his eyes. "I must've gotten hit on the head pretty hard… I dreamt that there were two of you. And one of you looked like a cornered deer when you saw me, just because I woke up. You didn't give me one of your healing potions again, did you? You know how those things always give me the oddest-" and he stopped talking when he finally bothered to open his eyes again and look up. It was Gaius and Merlin who stood before him, but immediately, he knew that something was off.

"Gaius?"

"S-sire," Gaius answered, somewhat nervously.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, but before the frightened boy could think of answering, Arthur spotted the other cot, which Gaius and his ward had been trying to hide behind themselves. Arthur's eyes went wide and he felt his chest drop. "Oh, god…" He was white. "Oh god, it wasn't a dream, was it? It…" His eyes darted back up to Merlin, and his face transformed into an expression of anger. "Who are you?" The sudden bite in his words made both Merlin and Gaius step back.

"I'm Mer-"

"No you're not," Arthur said, suddenly rising from his cot with surprising strength for a man who'd been unconscious for days. Gaius seemed alarmed. "That's Merlin," Arthur pointed at the unconscious man. "Who are you? A sorcerer?" He tilted his head and regarded the boy with an exasperated look. "Don't tell me you're one of the Watchers gone and messed up some forger spell."

"Wh-Watchers?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Who are you?" Arthur asked, pointing a finger in Merlin's face. The anger in his voice made Merlin genuinely scared. Finally, Gaius intervened.

"Sire, you need to calm down, this is much, much more complicated that you may think." Arthur glared at Gaius and squinted, as if he thought Gaius might be someone else, as well. Eventually, however, after several glances at Merlin's unconscious form, Arthur stepped back and looked to Gaius again.

"Explain it, then."

Gaius looked at his ward, then back at Arthur. "Well, sire… We were hoping you could explain it to us."

Arthur was nonplussed. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean to ask, Sire, is… Well, who are you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Who are you?"

Arthur scoffed. "Who am – what kind of – Gaius! You've known me all my life!"

"Please answer the question, sire."

Figuring it was some sort of test, Arthur straightened up and tried not to look too hurt. "Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot."

Gaius glanced at Merlin. "King…" Arthur heard the False Merlin mutter confusedly.

"And… And what year is it, Arthur?" Gaius asked nervously.

Arthur crossed his arms, frustrated. "The year five hundred and thirty-nine, in the common era. Why are you asking me this? What is going on?"

The False Merlin was pale, and Gaius didn't look too much better. The physician swallowed and turned back to Arthur.

"Well, because, Sire… It is currently the year five hundred and twenty-four."

Arthur stared, not comprehending.

"You've gone into the past, Arthur," Gaius explained.

There was a tense silence as Arthur's brain processed what had just been said, what it all implied.

"The past."

"Yes, Sire."

Arthur looked around himself, and suddenly it fell on him like a ton of bricks. He could feel his stomach drop out.

Gaius' chambers, rearranged in a way he hadn't seen in years.

Gaius, with fewer wrinkles that he remembered.

Merlin, who was young and scared and didn't remember that Arthur was a king.

Two Merlins.

Morgana.

The spell.

Back in time.

The past.

All at once, Arthur's face was very, very pale, and he was falling down. He threw out an arm, and caught the edge of his cot so that he could ease himself down into a sitting position. "Five twenty-four…" He murmured in shock. "That's… not possible…" even as he said it, his eyes drifted over to the unconscious Merlin. "Back in time…" His breathing was beginning to quicken.

"Arthur, you need to stay calm," Gaius said warningly.

"You really are Gaius?" Arthur asked, not listening. The physician nodded. "And you… You're Merlin?" He pointed. Merlin nodded nervously. Arthur glanced again at the Older Merlin. "But… That's… five twenty-four… that was fifteen years ago," He choked out, looking at the Young Merlin again. "You are fifteen years ago. How could we possibly-"

There was a knock on the door. Gaius moved for the door, but Uther and Prince Arthur walked into the room before Gaius could stop them. Immediately, they saw the Other Arthur awake and they froze. King Arthur was staring at Uther in pure shock.

After a tense silence, Uther stepped forward. "Who are you?" He asked, and the voice clipped through Arthur's hearing with a familiarity that he hadn't thought he'd ever hear again. He didn't respond, and continued to stare in something between horror and grief. "Who are you, you who impersonate my son?" Uther shouted again. Arthur only stared, and then, as before, his breaths began coming quicker and quicker. He began to sway.

"Arthur, Arthur, you need to calm down," Gaius moved toward King Arthur. Beside Uther, the Young Arthur seemed alarmed.

"Arthur? He's not Arthur – he can't be! I'm Arthur, how can…" The Older Arthur saw his younger self and inexplicably began sweating all over. He felt sick, and his hearing was fading, replaced by a dull ring and the sound of his own hyperventilation. Gaius reacted with a physician's speed and urgency.

"He's going into shock. Your majesty, Arthur, you need to leave. Merlin, help me." Gaius went to push the man's head down over his own lap, but Arthur had other ideas, and fought him.

Merlin tried to help, but paused to say, rather forcefully, "Go!" To the royals who still lingered. As they left, Arthur managed to break free from the physician's grip. He quickly found an empty bucket from Gaius' bench and was sick. After days spent unconscious, his stomach didn't have anything to reject, and it came up as pure bile in hacking, gagging coughs.

Back in time. Fifteen years. His father. Him. Merlin was terrified of him. Five twenty-four. The Past. Back in time. He choked on his nausea again.

Trying to talk as little as possible, so as not to further remind the displaced Arthur to his situation, Gaius handed the man a dose of medication. Arthur took it with shaking hands and downed it without question. His nausea soon subsided, but he had to fight to keep his breathing at a normal rate. Sweat poured off him.

"That was me?" he asked in a shaking voice, "I've gone back in time?"

"Yes, Sire." Gaius' voice was small.

"No…" they could hear the man whisper to himself as he ran hands over his face, "no… this has to be a dream…" Gaius and Merlin looked on without comment. "But… That was my father," He said in a wobbling voice, "that… That was me."

"Yes, Sire."

"…Back in time…" Arthur sat there for a long time, and when Gaius and Merlin tentatively moved to clean him up and wipe the sweat off his brow, he let them without complaint. Eventually, after they'd gotten him to eat a small amount of bread and water, they'd led him back over to sit on his cot again. He stared unblinkingly across at the face of the unconscious Older Merlin. As Merlin passed them by, he could hear Arthur talking to the unconscious man in a lost tone of voice.

"Merlin, what the hell have you done?"

Merlin wanted to ask himself the same question.

A/N: I actually don't know if I should have done the whole scene with the wedding rings, but it fits into my headcanon, and I really wanted it to be in there, just for the heck of it. It's sorely off-topic with the rest of this chapter, so I apologize for that, but I'll play with it later.

I hope I handled Arthur's reaction well! I know that, if I ever met myself or people I knew from a time that wasn't exactly the golden years, I'd react pretty strongly, as well. Read and Review, please!