At the sight of who it was, the guards at the entrance were swift to open the gates for him. He was being welcomed with open arms, but perhaps understandably so. This place was supposed to be his home. A place his counterpart had constructed, and the place where he had lived. He stepped through the gates, remembering the words Gaius had written. He needed to avoid suspicion. He had to make it seem like he belonged there, that this was his home. There was no going back now.

This was his home now, and he needed to adapt accordingly

The Sanctuary was huge, and as soon as he stepped inside he was dumbstruck. They had claimed a rather considerable piece of land from Camelot, for it appeared that the Sanctuary was much larger than he could ever have imagined.

The Sanctuary seemed to have been constructed in a circular fashion, for as he glanced around he noticed a curved wall up ahead, much like the one he had just stepped through. The area he now found himself in purely consisted of farmland, ranches and plantations, at least as far as he could see. Yet there were no buildings that seemed fit for anyone to live in, and from this he drew the conclusion that the people must be residing closer to the center.

He fought the urge to let his mouth hang open, remembering that he had to behave a certain way. The people in the fields stopped their work as they saw him, offering him energetic waves, greetings and wide smiles. Some of the smaller farm equipment seemed to be working on their own will, making it evident that magic was involved with every aspect of their daily life.

Merlin smiled and greeted them back, carrying on down the surprisingly straight road. He noticed that several smaller paths were branching off from the main road, leading out towards the fields. It all seemed very well planned so far, it wouldn't take long to reach the fields, yet with the circular shape of the sanctuary, they would have more than enough land to work in order to provide food for the city and the population that resided there.

He found himself nearing the second wall, which was also pretty tall, but it was nothing compared to the wall he had just passed. The gates were already open, as opposed to the outer wall, where the gates had been closed upon his arrival. He stepped through the somewhat thick stone structure, soon finding himself in something that resembled Camelot's lower town.

The area seemed to be a hub of activity, houses scattered here and there, yet it all seemed to have been made in an organized fashion. It seemed like there was a method to the madness that was the housing district. People were busy at work, magic was being used to aid in everyday tasks, children were running across the streets, horses were pulling carts and the streets were rather busy.

He found himself shocked. If not having magic was outlawed in this place, then were all these people truly sorcerers? It blew his mind. It was almost as if people had moved from other kingdoms, merely to settle down here where they could use their magic freely, without fearing persecution.

Of course, the housing district was smaller in size compared to the farming district, yet it could easily be considered a small city or a large town. It still had ways to go before it could compete with Camelot when it came to the size. It also appeared as if the Sanctuary was mostly self-sufficient. He could see women creating yarn from wool, and others turning plant fabrics into linen and cloth. Although magic was accepted in this place, many still seemed to take pride in their craft, and did their work manually. It was unlikely that a majority of the people living here would have magic strong enough to handle their daily work, so in many ways this was just like any other regular town.

Several small roads stretched out between the buildings, branching away from the main roads, creating several alleyways through the district. The side-roads were made from dirt, while the main roads had been covered with cobblestone.

The houses themselves seemed to look rather different from each other. Some were made of wood, others stone, and a few seemed to have been made from a combination. Some houses were crooked, others stood perfectly straight. It looked as if they had constructed their own homes, and they certainly did not appear to have been made from magic.

He couldn't help but to wonder where they had gotten all the materials from, and how they had managed to build a place like this so quickly.

Again he found himself greeted with smiles and kindness as he walked on the main road. People moved out of his way and allowed him free passage, to which Merlin revealed his gratitude and returned their smiles and kind greetings. He did as best as he could to hide his awe and amazement, realizing that the other Merlin must be very familiar with this place.

He noticed a third wall up ahead. They wouldn't be able to fit a fourth wall within that one, and therefore he reached the conclusion that the Sanctuary had been divided into three separate districts. He wondered what was located behind the third and final wall, and soon he would have his answer.

As he stepped through the gates, he found his gaze drawn towards the structure that seemed to have been constructed in center of the wall. It was made of stone, but did not look extra-ordinary in the slightest, but from it's location it seemed as if it held some importance. There were a few houses located near the structure, which gave Merlin the impression that the Sanctuary had humble origins, but had grown according to the demand and population increase.

He noticed something that could resemble barracks and training grounds. People seemed to be practicing, both with magic and with swords and shields. It looked like this place had a pretty decent army, though, surprisingly enough it was a decent blend of women and men. It seemed like they had been selected based on their magical talents and their ability to fight. It made sense.

He cast a glance over his shoulder, noticing that there were a few individuals located on top of the wall as well. He had barely even noticed them, but when he thought about it, he was pretty sure that there had been soldiers just about everywhere he had gone.

The next thing he noticed was the marketplace. He found it peculiar that they had placed that within the inner walls, but at the same time, it could be quickly cleared out, which would give them a large open area to gather their troops, in case they needed to fight. His gaze passed over a stable, though it wasn't very large. He was sure that there must be a larger one somewhere in the sanctuary, but he hadn't had the opportunity to see all parts of it yet.

He would need time to explore and to familiarize himself with this place. But he was certain that this was in fact a self-sufficient place.

He came to a halt before the structure in the center of the Sanctuary, examining it closely. It looked as if it had been rebuilt and increased in size, for some parts looked more weathered than others, other than that it looked incredibly uninteresting. No banners, no decorations, no statues or carvings. Plain, simple and functional.

He assumed that this was the main building of the Sanctuary, and that it served the same purpose as the castle back in Camelot. Merlin snapped his gaze away from the building again, and begun to scan his surroundings once more. He made note of a storehouse, where people seemed to be delivering grains and other supplies, and receiving something in return for it. He assumed currency, though he wasn't sure if they used the same type of currency here as elsewhere. He could only assume so.

It looked like the inner district held some of the more important structures, whilst also making it more accessible for the entirety of the sanctuary. This place had been very well planned out, and it also seemed rather secure as well, considering the three sets of walls enemies would have to bypass before they could take full control.

He was wondering how his counterpart had been able to plan and create all this on his own, because he knew that he himself would not have thought of this.

As that thought crossed his mind he heard a voice originating from the main building.

"Merlin! When I heard word of your capture in Camelot, I was beginning to worry that you couldn't escape. What were you doing there in the first place?" A female voice sounded. Merlin turned his head around, almost losing his composure when his gaze fell onto blond, curly long hair, fair skin and a face he had hoped to never see again in his life.

"Morgause."

**I wanted to cover a lot of the layout of the Sanctuary in this chapter. I still hope you found it interesting though, even though I was mostly descriptive and pretty much no dialogue. The next chapters will be more exciting, you have my word! Also, we have over 3000 views on this story! I want to thank you all again for all of your continued support! You all keep me motivated to keep writing!**