Chapter II

After being woken with smelling salts and being prodded and questioned by Gaius to see if he had any symptoms of illness, Merlin had just about had it. He rose from the cot ignoring the concerned looks from Gwen and Morgana and turned to Gaius.

"Where's Arthur?"

Gaius raised a brow at his ward shaking his head and getting him a bowl of oatmeal he heated up and a cup of water.

"Eat first. I have come to the diagnosis that if you are not ill you may very well just be dehydrated and have low energy after skipping breakfast."

"I'm fine Gaius. I'm not hungry." Merlin said but still reached for the water taking a few sips.

"Arthur was here earlier," Gwen spoke up moving over to take a seat at the table and motioning Merlin to do the same. "He had to go tell the stable hands to get everything ready, before riding out to investigate that old legend about the knights of Medhir on Uther's orders. He said he would be back before he left to see if you were alright enough to go along."

Merlin sat at the table across from Gwen and begrudgingly started eating the bowl of oatmeal all the while ignoring the elephant in the room. Merlin had no idea what exactly was happening. If anything, Merlin was certain he was losing his mind. Everything felt exactly like his dream. Well except for collapsing. How was that possible?

"Don't worry about that Merlin. Arthur will understand, if anything this is probably his fault for overworking you so much to the point that you have now collapsed from exhaustion. I will make sure that he won't force you to go if you would prefer to rest."

Merlin winced turning for the first time to look at the king's ward.

"I am fine," Merlin lied before smiling weakly. "Really I am. I can finish eating and be ready to go. Thank you for your concern. All of you."

Morgana scowled, Merlin was a horrible liar! Even she could see that he wasn't fit to travel after collapsing. She was about to retort when there was a brief knock on the door and Arthur stepped inside.

He looked to Merlin first seeing that he was awake and eating before turning to the physician. "How is he? Can he ride out or is it something serious?"

"I am right here. I am fine, Sire. Ready to go after I finish."

Arthur glanced at him briefly before turning back to Gaius waiting to hear it from him.

Gaius nodded, "He is alright. If anything I recommend taking some food for the road just incase and an extra water skin. It appears to have just been a minor case of malnutrition and probably exhaustion."

"Very well. We depart in ten minutes. Go pack up the meats that were left over for breakfast and bring them along. I am a bit hungry as well so I don't see why we both can't have some food on the way."

Merlin nodded rising from the bench. Ignoring how Morgana started shaking her head and glaring at Arthur. "Is your stomach all you can think about? It's not like if you collapsed."

"The trip there and back is long Morgana. We most likely will not return till the day after tomorrow and I happened to have been called to a meeting this morning causing me to skip breakfast."

Morgana rolled her eyes crossing her arms, "Oh poor you."

Merlin snickered a bit before schooling his features at Arthur's glare, "I really am alright Morgana. I swear and I'll make sure to get some rest when we return."

"You'd better. Come on Gwen, we've done our duty if the men want to be ridiculous and galivant into the woods who are we to stop them. Goodbye Gaius. Merlin take care of yourself." Morgana said sweeping past them and out the physicians chambers pausing a few feet away to wait for her maid.

"She didn't mean that. She really is concerned… not that I am not concerned too! I was. Am. We all were, really. Anyways take care, the both of you. Good bye." Gwen rambled flushing a bit before following her mistress out the door.

Arthur dismissed himself, soon after telling Merlin that he better be at the courtyard to leave in ten minutes.

"Are you really alright?" Gaius spoke carefully to his ward, knowing that Merlin didn't like to be pushed.

Merlin paused, "Gaius, have you ever had a feeling that something bad was about to happen because it sort of already happened and you don't know if it was real but it feels real and that's not good… but if it hasn't happened yet then would that be like I have a second chance to change things, but that's mad right because it already happened-"

"Merlin what are you going on about? What is going to happen? Is this about the vision you received from the Crystal of Neahtid? Merlin. It was just one possible future. The Great Dragon is trapped beneath Camelot and while I am sure its heart is filled with anger and betrayal that does not necessarily mean that if he is released he will destroy the entire city."

Merlin blinked completely forgetting about the crystal… could that be it? Could the crystal have given him another vision? But he wasn't even holding it last night or the night before whatever day ago it was when he fell asleep. The crystal was locked underneath the castle.

"It's not that. Do you know if the crystal can impart visions without a person holding it?"

Gaius paused, "I am not sure that is how it works? Why what happened?"

Merlin quickly retold Gaius a brief version of the upcoming attack on Camelot by Morgause and leaving out Morgana's betrayal and him poisoning her.

"We must inform the king. Are you certain of what you saw?"

"Yes! I have no idea how, but yes. Gaius I did not collapse from malnutrition and exhaustion. I mean I haven't been eating or sleeping much since what I saw from the crystal, but this wasn't that. I have lived this day before. I know it. Or at the very least I have seen what is to come and the future is bleak. Completely and utterly and I don't know how to fix it. It's worse than the vision of the Great Dragon so much worse."

"I will inform the king that I was informed by a source that Morgause was spotted heading to Camelot. For now you must head to Arthur and see to the knights of Medhir before she comes here. The knight of Medhir will destroy everything in their path if they were to reach Camelot."

Merlin nodded ready to go, before pausing, "Actually I don't know how well that will go. I forgot to mention that Morgause has cast… will cast a sleeping spell and tie it to an object here in the castle. I didn't get a chance to figure out how to break it last time. If you could look for a cure while I am gone that would help."

"What exactly is the object?"

"Trust me you do not want to know. Just please find a way to end the curse and stop the knights. Make sure to write the answer down somewhere for me to find incase you fall asleep. Hopefully one that doesn't require destroying or killing the object in question. Oh if you can also jot down any spells that could wake a person up after being under a sleeping curse that will be good too."

Gaius sighed, "Merlin, if that is true then I am not sure it will be possible. I don't know if you are familiar with the tale, but the knights of Medhir were corrupted by the sorceress Medhir. In the legend the only way that the knights were able to be stopped is by killing the source of the magic. Once Medhir was killed the knights became lifeless without her power being able to keep them animated."

"I know, Gaius. However killing this object is out of the question."

"Merlin." Gaius prompted rising a brow urging him to tell him the truth.

"It's Morgana. Morgause cast a spell on her. I don't know when or if Morgause has done it already but Morgana is the reason everyone falls asleep."

Gaius inhales sharply, "I'll try and find a way to break the curse then. Either of them. Do not worry Merlin, remember we have the power to change the future it is not yet shaped. If we break the link between Morgana and the sleeping spell you need to be prepared to help Arthur to kill Morgause. That's the only way to defeat the knights."