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Chapter Text

In the Kingdom of Camelot darkness lingers in the air like fog, even though it is morning. But it is not just darkness; it is magic, moving with a will of its own, passing through the kingdom’s inhabitants.

The citadel looms above the town as both a symbol of protection for its followers & a threat of death to its enemies.

This is the same in both worlds.

_______________________________________________________

Inside the Castle of the first Camelot a crowd is gathered in the throne room. The councilmen all watch as two men are herded to the center of the room by guards, but they stay silent, no one daring to risk speaking out of turn.

The two men are forced on their knees to face the throne. One of the men is in his early forties, wearing blue robes & sporting a nasty looking black eye. The other seems to be in his late forties; his hair is already greying, especially in his grizzled beard, & he has many more injuries.

The first man seems scared but has hope in his eyes. The second man however has resentment instead for he knew what the outcome would be. The simple fact was that he was not a sorcerer; in fact, aside from one man, he was the only person in the room without magic. But both men still look towards there king, eyes full of fear.

If one had no prior knowledge of the man sitting on the throne with a bored expression on his face, they would be wondering how anyone could be afraid of him. Truly his mess of untidy black hair, slim features, laughably large ears, & general lankiness gave off a non-threatening appearance. But anyone who had heard of him knew that there was no reasonable response but to fear &/or worship the immense magical power held by King Emrys.

The King looks first from the sorcerer to the peasant, then to the stone-faced man in the smaller throne to his left, who was looking straight ahead. Finally, after several moments of simply basking in the anxiety of everyone else in the room, the king speaks “So, would you gentleman care to explain the situation to me?”

He does not raise his voice in the slightest, yet it carries through the chambers & seems to boom in the ears of the two kneeling men.

When the ringing in their ears subsided both men voiced their grievances towards each other. Unfortunately their combined shouts equate to little more than irritating noise to the King.

He holds up & hand & the noise ceases instantly. With that hand he points to the sorcerer & says, “You first”

With slight trepidation the sorcerer rises to his feet, careful to avoid the king’s gaze. “Your Majesty; I was simply minding my own business when this beast” he says while exchanging glares with the man kneeling next to him “assaulted me while yelling something or other about his wife. I don’t know what would’ve happened if your guards hadn’t shown up”

Emrys looks to be thinking the man’s words over before he nods to the other man “Now you”.

The sorcerer is forced back down as the other man rises. “This lying sack of filth deserved it Your Majesty.”

Several gasps can be heard in the room while Emrys simply looks amused. “How so?” he asks the peasant.

“He’s had his eyes on my wife, Mirabeth; lately she’s been sleepwalking & waking up in strange places all over the lower town with no idea how she got there. Last night I woke up & saw that she wasn’t in bed next to me & went to find her. I’m searching the lower town when I spot HIM walking out from behind the tavern with a big smile on his face” at this point, the man’s anger is clearly palpable.

“I go back there & find my darling Mirabeth dressing herself; she’s crying but her eyes are completely glazed over, like she’s not even awake. It’s obvious what happened & when I went to confront the scum he smiled & admitted it outright. The rest is like he said, I hit him & then the guards came.”

King Emrys seems to be lost in thought but there is no doubt that he’s heard every word. Finally he snaps out of it & turns his attention back to the two men. “I see. This man used magic to have sex with your wife against her will”.

The peasant nods & for the first time the sorcerer next to him looks genuinely worried. But then the king’s tone shifts from one of understanding to one of scolding.

“You had a confession of his misuse of magic & yet you chose to take matters into your own hands instead of launching a formal complaint against him?”

The peasant tries to rebut, “But Sire” but the king raises his hand again & the man fell silent, not out of free will this time but because he finds his voice to be gone.

It doesn’t matter; the king knew what the complaint would be; that in a matter such as this the king’s officials tended to favor the party with magic. This is something Emrys knew to be true, but he wasn’t the most powerful king in all the land because he was fair, it was because he himself was powerful & couldn’t have people doubting his resolve. When he seized control of the kingdom he turned it into a place where no one would be hunted anymore, but it was clear that magic users had special rights over everyone else.

The king puts his hand down & the man’s voice returns, but he does not open his mouth so the king continues. “These laws are in place to discourage acts of violence fueled by discrimination” he says, completely aware of the hypocrisy of his words.

“These laws are garbage!” shouts the peasant, his judgment clearly clouded by anger “If Uther were here!”

The man sitting in the smaller throne flinches as he is aware that the peasant has just made a potentially fatal mistake.

“If! Uther! Were! Here!” Every word loud as thunder as Emrys rose from his throne & steps towards the peasant whose fiery eyes dimmed with fear. “I would kill him all over again” these words are spoken more calmly but the rage is still evident “Except I would make it 100 times worse!” at the last word his eyes glow a dark-gold & the peasant man’s clothes catch fire.

The other sorcerer & the guards both move away as the flaming man rolls on the ground, howling in pain. King’s Emrys’ face is expressionless until he looks back to the disapproving face of the man sitting in his throne. His eyes cease their glowing & the fire is diminished.

“Take him to the dungeons” Emrys coldly orders the guards “fifteen lashes once he’s up and about.”

Two guards grab the unconscious man by the arms. The other man, feeling emboldened from his victory, approaches the king.

“I knew that you would see reason my lord.”

“Oh of course” he beckons to the guards “double for this one”.

The smile on the sorcerer’s face dies instantly & he tries to protest, “But, my lord…” but quiets when he sees the look of fury on the king’s face.

“It is one thing” Emrys begins, his voice surprisingly even “that you would so blatantly break a law in my kingdom; but to stand there & play innocent right in front of me. Do you think your king a fool who cannot tell a liar when he speaks to one?!”

“No, sire I simply…” his voice catches in his throat when he feels the cold iron manacle clamp around his wrist.

“Take them away” Emrys orders, his gaze already turned back towards the man in the throne; Will, his King Consort.

_______________________________________________________

In the other Camelot the sun shines more brightly through the darkness that hangs in the air. The people go about their business not even noticing it; not knowing that there was a great disturbance in the works.

Sunlight streams through the gap in the curtains of the King’s chambers. At the foot of the bed a neat & slightly timid looking man looks with thinly veiled anxiety at the two, person-sized lumps under the covers.

George clear his throat rather softly, it does not have the desired effect so he does it again, louder this time. But still no response; time for plan B.

“Sire?” he says meekly. George lets out a slight sigh of relief as one of the lumps stirs under the covers.

A handsome, muscular man with golden hair steps out of the bed wearing only black pyjama bottoms, he yawns then stretches, just like any normal person. Then his eyes fall upon the man standing beside his bed.

“George, how long have you been standing there?” he asks.

“A few minutes, Your Majesty” George replies; trying his best not to tremble or break eye-contact.

The King let’s out an exasperated groan “We’ve been over this George. If you’re going to be my manservant you have to able to get me through the day. That means you can’t be afraid to wake me up in the morning” he thinks it over for a moment “unless I’ve been drinking.”

George cautiously dresses him in a red tunic with a black jacket & trousers.

Arthur smirks as he recalls the reason for his servant’s anxiety. The day he’d hired George he introduced him to Cedric, his old servant who’d been thrown in the dungeon for stealing. He told Cedric that he was letting him go; when the rat started praising the King’s mercy, Arthur unsheathed his sword & lopped the thief’s head off, before telling George to ‘clean this mess up’.

It wasn’t a very nice thing to do to either of them but it showed George that he must be prepared to witness many horrible things while in the King’s service & what would happen if he ever betrayed him.

Not that Arthur thought George would betray him. The man was clearly terrified of him, but showed a passion for his work that seemed, at times, unnatural. These factors made him an unlikely candidate to poison Arthur’s dinner, not that it would succeed anyway.

“What does my day look like George?” Arthur asks when he’s fully dressed.

“There are three executions scheduled for this morning” George recites as if he’s reading a grocery list instead of reminding his master to have someone killed “also, the Lady Morgana has requested your presence in her chambers afterwards”

Arthur lets loose another audible groan. If Morgana wanted to see him badly enough that she would put in on the schedule it was most likely news that Arthur would not like. He wondered if it had anything to do with the way the magic in the Kingdom had been acting lately.

“Finally, you have a meeting with your knights, Sire.” George says while lightly dusting Arthur’s body with a small brush.

“Thank you George” Arthur managed to say in a way that was both kind yet also hinted to his manservant that if he didn’t get that brush away from him, the King would do something painful to him with it.

Hastily shoving the brush into his pocket George bows & says, “Of course your majesty”.

……

The executions weren’t as dull as Arthur had expected them to be; a woman tried to rush onto the executioner’s platform to save her husband, of course she wasn’t successful, but she was restrained by the guards & had a front row seat to her husband’s decapitation.

He died shouting her name… MIRABE…, that’s as far as he got.

Nevertheless he found himself knocking on the door to Morgana’s chambers.

The smile on Gwen’s face when she opened the door disappeared the second that she saw it was Arthur on the other side.

“Your Highness” she welcomes him in with thinly veiled contempt, but Arthur doesn’t fault her for it, he understands exactly why she hates him. He wondered if Guinevere would ever be able to move past what he’d done to her brother.

He decides not to dwell on it & instead moves to embrace his High Priestess who is turned away, facing towards a mirror. She wears a blue gown & a string of pearls around her neck; her skin is flawless as always but her hair looks only half done, Arthur realizes his intrusion is probably to blame.

Arthur wraps his arms around her slender waist. “Okay sister, how bad is it?”

Morgana’s voice is calm & collected as she speaks, “Why do you assume that it’s bad news”

“Because” Arthur retorts as if speaking to a child, as expected Morgana is not pleased “it seems that lately you only want to see me when there is some crisis that I must avert before it starts”

Arthur’s known about Morgana’s visions for a long time & she’d been an invaluable ally in his quest for power of his own. He supported her when she decided to harness her magic & they stood by each other when they learned that Uther was her actual father.

Arthur loved Morgana & wished he could trust her with all that remains of his heart, but in his mind he knows that if anyone could be capable of seizing his power from him, it would be her. This is why he is always wary when she tells him her visions, dreading the day when she leads him into a trap, & he’ll have to make her pay.

“I saw into the future” Morgana says, an almost unnoticeable tremor in her voice “I saw into tomorrow & you weren’t there.”

Arthur’s grip loosens around his sister’s waist. “Are you saying I’m going to die today?”

“I’m saying I don’t know what happens to you. I saw into tomorrow & you were nowhere to be found, as if you’d just vanished”

“Is that even possible” Arthur asks, more to himself than to Morgana.

“I don’t know” she answers “but you must’ve noticed the way the magic around the Kingdom is acting, something is distorting it.” Morgana finally turns to face her brother “Something big is going to happen, Arthur, & I think we should be worried”

_______________________________________________________

After the meeting Emrys & Will walk silently through the castle until they find themselves in a secluded hallway & the king stops abruptly, halting his King Consort as well.

“Alright Will, I know you wanna say something so just come out with it” the King spouts impatiently.

“That punishment of yours was a little harsh, at least for the man who didn’t deserve it” Will states calmly.

“He broke one of my laws, assaulted a citizen above his station” growls Emrys in response, but Will holds his ground.

“You didn’t care about that. You knew he was innocent but you lost your head when he brought up…”

“Don’t say his name!” this time there was an actual snarl in there as well.

“See” Will shouts “you hear that name & you flip out”

The King simply glares as if saying ‘get to the point’ with his eyes.

“Merlin, you have every right to despise that man; I know that more than anyone, but you’re the King; when you lash out it hurts everyone.”

Merlin’s gaze softens a little “You’re right, I let my emotions get the better of me, I’m sorry”. He pulls Will into his arms & plants a kiss on his lips for a few seconds before pulling away, eyes steeled with resolve. “The punishment still stands” before Will can protest “That man should’ve known better than to provoke his king like that, he needs to be made an example of; we both know I could’ve done a lot worse”.

Will did know this; he knew that even before becoming King, Merlin was angry at the world, wanted revenge. He’d seen what Merlin could & would do to those that crossed him & how much worse he could be. He sometimes wondered if he was the only thing keeping Merlin from becoming that man. But Merlin was still his closest friend; he’d made a promise long ago to stick by him, now it was less for Merlin’s sake but for Camelot’s.

“I understand” Will answers, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice. But Merlin senses it anyway; he strokes his lover’s cheek & looks at him with that big goofy grin of his that Will can’t help but smile back at.

Merlin knew why Will stayed, what he thought about Merlin but would never admit, even to himself. But Merlin doesn’t care. To him, Will isn’t just a lover & a friend, he is also the only person who still calls him Merlin, the only one who looks for the man he used to be & can bring it out of him. To Merlin, Will is a link to something he isn’t ready to let go of completely.

The two men press their lips together, harder this time, their tongues fighting for dominance. Will is forced against the wall, Merlin grinding his body against him.

They knew that they were out in the open but they didn’t care, at least until Emrys sensed a disturbance emanating from somewhere in the castle; he pulls away from Will abruptly.

“What is it?” Will asks him

“Something in the castle” the king responds absently, trying to pinpoint the exact location “I need to go deal with this” he turns back to face Will “head back to our chambers & wait for me there”.

Will nods in compliance; Emrys gives him one last kiss on the lips before walking off down the hall.

_______________________________________________________

After leaving Morgana’s chambers, Arthur finds himself wandering along the castle’s many hallways, contemplating his supposed fate.

‘How can someone simply disappear from existence?’ he thinks to himself ‘& more importantly; how can I stop it?’

Suddenly he feels it, a disturbance in the magic in the castle, rippling out from somewhere like a stone tossed into a still pond. It seems as though whatever is causing this disturbance doesn’t wish to hide itself.

He wastes no time sensing its location & rushes down the quickest path there. Finally he reaches his destination & finds himself staring at a plain wooden door at the end of a hallway.

----

Emrys had memorized every inch of this castle when he overtook it. This used to be a dead-end hallway, there is supposed to be no door there, yet there it is.

He is struck by conflicting emotions; curiosity at what could be on the other side of this magical anomaly that he couldn’t see behind.

----

The other emotion is anger; anger that someone would dare cast a spell like this in the home of Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, without his permission.

He reaches out & grabs the handle

----

Emrys stops. Is it possible that whatever is on the other side may be more than he can deal with alone? He’s never encountered magic quite like this before.

----

‘Should I retrieve the knights?’ Arthur ponders ‘Or perhaps I should consult Gaius?’

He shakes these thoughts clear from his head.

----

‘I am the King of this land.’ he tells himself ‘Even more than that I am Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer alive; I can handle whatever this may be!’

----

Both Kings open their door & walk inside.

The room is small, circular, & made of wood with a door on the north, east, & west side. The single window on the south side of the wall gives a view of the tops of trees, suggesting this room is located in a tower of some sort. The table in the center is covered in open books along with various vials & flasks of various potions.

The eastern & western doors open at the same time. Out of the eastern door walks a man in a black jacket & bottoms, a red shirt, with golden hair, & a sword sheathed at his hip. The man at the western door is skinny yet somewhat muscular, though not as much as the other man, he has raven black hair & wears a plain red scarf that looks out of place against his dark blue royal cloak.

Both men stare at each other in silence, just for a moment before, “Who are you?” they demand at the same time.

The doors slam behind them as they meet by the table, sizing the other up. The dark haired man speaks first.

“I, am Emrys” he states as if that one sentence is all anyone should need to know, the unimpressed look on the blonde’s face seems to negate that theory. “I am the most powerful sorcerer in the realm & I am the King of Camelot” he continues.

The blond raises an eyebrow at the other man “King of Camelot you say? Well that’s interesting because I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot”

“Pendragon” Emrys echoes, an edge in his voice “I wasn’t aware Uther still had kin running about. So, you’ve come to usurp my throne & avenge your fallen king? Well you can burn like he did!”

Without preamble he raises his palm & his eyes glow golden. A ring of flames appears around Arthur Pendragon’s feet, rising above the man’s height, threatening to consume him.

Emrys could not see the man, Pendragon, but he expected to hear agonized shrieks; what he got was a strong steady voice saying, “My father did not burn!”

For the first time in a very long time, a look of shock appears on Emrys’ face as the flames die down & disappear, but that is not where Emrys is looking; no, his gaze is locked onto Pendragon’s eyes which are now glowing scarlet.

“You call yourself a Pendragon yet you use magic?” Emrys half shouts/laughs.

“I’ve done a great many things that my father would disapprove of, on my way to becoming King” Arthur answers coldly.

“You keep calling yourself Uther’s son, but I know for a fact that that damnable bastard never had a son.”

Without warning Arthur closes the gap between himself & Emrys, hand at the hilt of his blade. He glares straight into the other man’s eyes.

“Speak of my father that way again & I shall…”

The threat itself is never uttered because at that moment an old man with wild gray hair & a dirty brown coat emerges from the northern door. He takes barely a look at the two men in front of him before moving around the room.

“Good, you’ve already acquainted yourselves” he says while rummaging through one of the cupboards on the wall, his voice is thick & rough “Sorry I’m late, I had some last minute details to take care of but we can started as soon as I…”

The man is interrupted himself, this time by the sword currently poking the side of his neck while a rather sharp dagger floats precariously on the other side.

“Who are you?!” Arthur & Emrys simultaneously demand.

The old man, with a large purple bowl in hand, grumbles as he turns around, something about how young people today are too impatient.

“My name is Serkin” he gives each of the kings a little mock-bow “I’ve brought you both here to wage a friendly wager”

Arthur & Emrys look upon the man with a mix of suspicion & confusion; they lower their weapons but do not sheath them.

“What kind of wager?” asks Emrys

“I just told you, a friendly one” Serkin chuckles at his own joke as he places the bowl on an empty spot on the table “but we’ll get to that”.

He picks up a water jug from the floor & pours its contents into the bowl. Next he whispers words of power over the water & his eyes flash silver, the water sparkles & begins to ripple. He looks up at the two kings.

“Well go on, dip your fingers in” when the two of them only look at him like he might be crazy he lets loose an impatient groan “It’s not like it’s gonna bite you or anything; just dip your finger in, swirl it around, then we can start already! Or are you just gonna keep wasting my time?!”

Arthur wanted to point out that he was the one who arrived late for, whatever this was. Emrys wanted to point out that they had not agreed to this wager because they knew nothing about it. They both wanted to point out these points with the point of their blades.

But they both wanted to get this over with more. So after exasperated looks at the old man & a quick stare-down with each other, they both swirl their index finger into the bowl of water until a blurry image appears in it. After a few seconds the image becomes crystal clear.

It might’ve seemed like a reflection of the two men, except they were wearing different clothing, sitting on a grassy hill, & laughing. The other Arthur shoves the other Emrys, who shoves right back, but these are clearly friendly gestures.

Emrys, however, is not amused “What is this?”

Serkin smiles as he gestures to both kings “This is you; well, it’s you that you might’ve been”.

Now Arthur is annoyed as well, “What does that mean?”

Serkin sighs & puts on his best lecturer voice “What you’re seeing here is a window to another reality. This place we’re standing in is a pocket dimension that exists between realities; the spell I cast is only possible in a place like this” he gives them a look like he’s checking if they’re paying attention.

“You each come from different realities, which is how you both came to be king of the same land” Serkin explains.

Arthur & Emrys make mental notes of each other while Serkin speaks. They also realize that they are sitting on stools that weren’t there before.

“These two specific realities have a fascinating difference.” Serkin gestures to Arthur “You do not exist” then to Emrys “in his reality, just as he does not exist in yours”

He gives it a second to sink in before continuing.

“In every other reality Arthur & Merlin always play very important roles in each other’s lives, whether they be allies, enemies, rich, poor, etc.”

“Merlin?” Arthur wonder’s aloud as Emrys casts a death-glare at Serkin.

“I meant Arthur & Emrys, I’m sorry” said Serkin, clearly not sorry.

Emrys, in a desperate attempt to change the subject asks, “If every reality has both of them affect the others life, like you say, then why is it that we didn’t get the other person? Doesn’t that contradict your theory?”

The old man chuckles “On the contrary lad, it’s the exception that proves the rule. Look at them” he gestures to the Arthur & Merlin in the water that have since left the hill & are now in the prince’s chambers picking out an outfit for him “don’t their lives seem vastly different from yours?”

Arthur & Emrys stare silently at their counterparts.

“Sometimes a person can have a greater impact by not being there” He stops to observe the look on the kings’ faces- sadness, regret, & envy even? He could work with this. “But enough about that; I’m sure you’re dying to know about the wager?”

Both men immediately snap out of it & face the older man.

“They are Prince Arthur & his manservant Merlin” Serkin continues before Emrys can interrupt “Yes he is still Emrys & is still the most powerful sorcerer ‘although he has a lot to learn’ he has to hide his magic, of course, otherwise King Uther would have him executed.”

“He’s still alive?” both kings ask at once, for different reasons.

“I thought that might interest you boys. Anyways, tomorrow a man named Lord Wolftower will be visiting their kingdom. He must die before the seventh midnight after his arrival.”

It is Arthur who speaks first, “So the challenge is whichever of us can murder this man first?”

Serkin gives an obnoxious hacking cough/laugh in reply, “If it were that simple you wouldn’t need seven days then, would you? Why I imagine either of you could accomplish that in no time at all.”

“So what is it then?” asks Emrys, losing what little patience he has left.

“You must go to this world & convince your counterpart to murder Lord Wolftower.” Serkin half-expected a look of shock somewhere but all he saw was cold determination.

Now Emrys spoke “So what do I get when I win?” earning him a subtle smirk from Arthur.

“I think it would be fair if the loser handed over control of their kingdom to the winner” Serkin suggests nonchalantly.

“What about you?” replies Emrys “You organized this all, are you not going to take part?”

“Of course; for me it is simple, I win if both of you lose, that is to say that I win if Wolftower still lives on the seventh midnight after his arrival.”

“Then it’s basically two against one on that front” Arthur thinks aloud “But if all you have to offer is this hovel…”

“What I offer, should I lose, is that I will divulge all of my knowledge of interdimensional magic to the winner.”

Both kings contemplate what this could mean; an unknown number of worlds at their fingertips. They both nod their agreement.

“However, if I win then you will each get to stay king of your respective lands but you must obey any request I make of you.”

Emrys & Arthur share a look of suspicion before remembering that they strongly dislike one another.

“Like what?” Emrys asks.

“That’s for me to know & for you to find out. Do you agree to the terms?”

There is silence for several minutes as both men contemplate exactly what they are risking in this strange game orchestrated by this strange hermit. Then they glance at the two men in the water, & something inside them pushes.

“I’ll do it” both respond in unison; & they certainly find it annoying how much that’s been happening.

“Excellent” shouts Serkin “Now I don’t want any mind control tricks, at least not on those two, they have to do it of their own free will; also you can’t kill either of them or you automatically lose”

Nods of agreement.

“Meet me back here at midnight & I’ll send you to their reality. You can use that time to get your affairs in order.” He notices the suspicious looks this time “You’re going to be in another reality for at least half a fortnight, so unless you think your kingdom will thrive from its leader’s mysterious absence?”

The Eastern & Western doors re-open without warning; Arthur & Emrys take this as their cue to leave, so without a word of goodbye they exit through their respective doors which shut behind them.

Finally alone, Serkin takes a deep breath then laughs as he sticks his own finger in the bowl of water & stirs it.

“I hope you’re ready lads” he gloats to the partially obscured image of Arthur & Merlin “’cause come midnight, everything is going to change”. His laugh is loudest when the image is completely obscured & the water is blood-red.

Chapter Text

Unlike in the other realities, magic is not acting as a dark fog, lingering throughout Camelot. In fact, the magic in this realm is scarred & separated, as a whole. This Camelot is not a place where magic is openly welcomed, especially within the walls of its citadel, lest the source be discovered & snuffed out. But oddly enough, there are two very powerful sources of magic residing there.

One of these sources of magic is a young man named Merlin. This particular morning finds this man in the prince’s chambers forcing the curtains wide open, a smile on his face.

“Wakey, wakey. Rise & shine” Merlin is dressed in his usual attire of a blue tunic, brown coat & trousers, & a red neckerchief.

A grumbling mass pokes it blond head out from under the bedcovers.

“Merlin, it’s early, why are you waking me up?” grumbles Arthur clearly still half-asleep.

Merlin continues to smile as he makes his way to the prince’s wardrobe. “That’s part of my job isn’t it Arthur?”

“Yes, but you doing your job” replies Arthur as he gets out of bed & slips off his nightshirt “without a single complaint is highly suspicious. Why are you so happy anyway?”

Merlin stands frozen with that grin taking up his whole face, as he contemplates the question. Finally he grasps the solution, “I don’t know actually” earning a prompt eye-roll from Arthur “I just woke up & everything seemed, lighter, I guess is the word”

“Good for you” Arthur says as he bends over, arms stretched out in front of him. Merlin fits the brown tunic onto the prince’s body.

“All set” says Merlin.

Arthur looks his manservant up & down, settling on his wide grin & deep blue eyes; Arthur couldn’t recall a day that Merlin could be both charming & not have a sarcastic remark, not that Arthur had ever found himself charmed by Merlin. It would be nice, hypothetically, to have a manservant who shows proper respect to his Prince, & yet it just doesn’t…

“Hello, Arthur?” Merlin snaps the prince out of his thoughts “are you trying to think, or did you fall asleep standing up, like a horse?”

And all is right with the world.

----

Arthur & the knights had gotten a little overexcited & quickly ran through most of their training dummies; fortunately, Merlin was there. Well, not fortunate for Merlin.

“Just when I think I can’t lose any more dignity” Merlin drawls as the armor that hangs on him loosely is stuffed with hay by two knights.

The grin is now on Arthur’s face as he watches the scene before him. “Quit whining Merlin, you’ve sparred with us before.”

“I can hardly call this sparring” Merlin retorts “When we were sparring I at least had weapons to defend myself with.”

“To be fair Merlin, you never did that great a job defending yourself with the weapons.” Arthur’s joke earns a round of laughter from the knights, a half apologetic/ half he’s got a point Merlin, look from Leon, & a pout from Merlin.

Seeing this Arthur rolls his eyes & genuinely tries to calm the other man’s nerves. “We’ll be using wooden swords & the padding will make it easier for you”

Arthur’s efforts, while very noble in his opinion, were very stupid in Merlin’s.

“So instead of being brutally slashed with metal I’ll only be brutally beaten with wood? And as for the padding; I just saw you lot demolish a dozen dummies filled with this stuff, & they were actually built for this kind of abuse!”

Arthur sighs audibly “Fine Merlin, if it makes you feel any better I’ll give you ten seconds.”

“Ten seconds?” Merlin repeats, clearly not understanding.

“Nine”

Merlin looks first at Arthur’s smiling face, then to the evil grins of the other knights, & suddenly it clicks.

“Eight”

Without any ado Merlin dashes away as fast as his straw-filled, armor-coated legs will carry him. After a time, though not nearly eight seconds in Merlin’s opinion, the knights give chase.

From above, the Lady Morgana & her maidservant Guinevere look on with amused smiles.

The boys are certainly in high spirits today” notes Morgana.

Gwen moves closer to Morgana at the railing. “They’re not the only ones milady”

Morgana blushes, adding to the already rose tint of her usually pale cheeks.

“I must say” Gwen continues “It’s very refreshing to see you smile like that again.”

“I know what you mean” Morgana replies as her focus are drawn to the sight of Merlin nearly being tackled by a knight who, mysteriously, trips over his own feet. Morgana also can’t help but notice the chuckle that escapes her lips. This rare joviality that she feels, where is it coming from?

The questions swimming in her head are pushed away by the feeling of Gwen’s fingers entwining in hers. As the two women smile at one another Morgana thinks to herself ‘what does it really matter?’

----

After several minutes of trying, & inexplicably failing, to catch his manservant Arthur dismisses the knights saying that ‘they’ve gotten enough exercise for one session’. Merlin can’t help but smirk as he notices the hitch in the prince’s breath as he speaks.

As Arthur helps Merlin remove the straw-filled armor Merlin takes the liberty of pointing it out. “Are you sure you don’t need to take a breather, Sire?” It’s a simple jest at his master’s expense, & in no way just to distract himself from the feel of Arthur’s hands on his torso & the fact that, in a shocking role-reversal, Arthur was the one undressing him; nope, not at all.

Arthur briefly considers giving Merlin a light, or not-so-light, smack upside the head but finds himself laughing instead & it’s not long before Merlin is laughing as well. “It’s amazing that you can move so fast & yet you work at a snail’s pace”

“Maybe if you had a group of knights chasing me around while I did my chores” Merlin jokes.

“Don’t tempt me” Arthur removes the last of the armor from his manservant & softly brushes straw from his tunic; at least until he realizes what he’s doing & turns away to hide his now strawberry-red cheeks.

When Arthur turns to face Merlin he expects to see a look of thinly-veiled amusement at the Prince’s embarrassment. However, Merlin seems to be off in his own little world.

Merlin barely registers Arthur’s voice calling out to him until it is accompanied by a hard whack to his forearm.

“Ow!”

“Have you come back down to Earth, Merlin?” Merlin frowns, rubbing the sore spot on his arm as he chooses his next words.

“I just remembered an errand that I need to run for Gaius” Before Arthur can open his mouth Merlin is off & running towards the castle. He calls back to Arthur; his signature grin plastered on his face, “It’s very important apparently, so you’ll have to deal with your armor without me.”

Arthur could call out after Merlin or even chase him down, because obviously it was some sort of fluke earlier, but he doesn’t. Instead, Arthur simply takes a deep breath.

‘Maybe Merlin was right; today just feels like a good day.’

----

Within the citadel of Camelot there are two very powerful sources of magic. The first is a young man named Merlin. The second, however, is quite older & much more intimidating. The source is not in the citadel so much as under it, & it is not only hidden, but captive as well.

When Merlin came down the secret tunnel to visit the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, it was with fair apprehension.

As usual the dragon was resting on the large rock near the mouth of the cave where he is held, it does not move when Merlin comes near. Merlin briefly considers waving the torch around to make sure that the dragon isn’t sleeping, when the great beast rises up & faces him.

“Greetings young warlock” calls that familiar, yet slightly condescending, voice that Merlin’s grown accustomed to. “Are you having a pleasant day?”

“As a matter of fact I was” Merlin answers with a tone of sarcastic wit “until a voice in my head called me down into a dank cave”.

Merlin & the dragon hadn’t been seeing eye-to-eye ever since it’d become clear that he was only using Merlin for his own ends. But circumstances, usually involving the fate of Arthur &/or Camelot, kept forcing him to seek Kilgharrah’s aid. If the dragon was actually calling for Merlin this time, then Merlin didn’t want to consider how bad it might be.

“You seem impatient Merlin; are you in a hurry to be somewhere?” the dragon asks, with a slight joking undertone.

Merlin however, does not find the situation very funny at all.

“To be honest, I think I’d rather be just about anywhere other than here if I didn’t need to be” Kilgharrah’s expression molds into a glare but Merlin does not back down “so if you had a point of summoning me here, would you just tell me.”

“I’m surprised that you haven’t already guessed why you are here. Perhaps I overestimated your skills of observation” Kilgharrah chides.

“What are you talking about?”

“The magic in the kingdom, if not the kingdom itself, is preparing itself for something; something powerful. Have you not felt that there was something different about today?” he asked with an eyebrow raise that would give Gaius a run for his money.

Merlin decides that maybe he should heed the dragon this time, “Well, I did wake up this morning & everything’s felt… lighter, I guess?”

“That would be from the magic, retreating from the kingdom” Kilgharrah explains.

“Wait, magic’s leaving Camelot?!” shouts Merlin, aghast.

“Only temporarily, it will return very soon & with greater force” Kilgharrah looks peacefully contemplative for a moment before speaking again, “much like the tide pulling back before a large wave, or perhaps more appropriately, like the calm before a great storm.”

If Merlin wasn’t concerned before, he certainly is now “What’s happening; what can I do about it?”

“Those, my dear warlock, are questions that I do not know the answers to” He gives Merlin a look that conveys just how serious the situation really is, “& that, is cause for concern in & of itself.”

----

In his chambers, Gaius casts a concerned glance over to his apprentice. The second Merlin walked through the door he’d barely said hello to the old man before retrieving his magic book & poring through it.

Gaius steps away from crushing herbs & walks over to Merlin, who doesn’t seem to register his presence until Gaius loudly clears his throat.

“Oh Gaius, when did you get here?”

“Merlin is something the matter? asks Gaius; sporting his signature eyebrow raise.

“I spoke with the dragon” admits Merlin.

“Merlin…” Gaius’ tone tells his apprentice everything that the physician feels about that; anger, anxiety, fear.

“I know but, he called for me & he told me that the magic in Camelot was acting strange, & he’s right” Merlin looks back down at his book with worry “I’ve been calling on my magic since this this morning; don’t ask… & I’m just realizing that it’s taken more concentration & energy to do even the simplest of spells all day.”

“Hmmm” Gaius looks over Merlin shoulder at the page that he is reading “I think I know what you mean. When I woke up it did feel as though some unknown burden had been lessened.”

“The dragon says that’s the magic flowing away. What’s worse is that he says that soon it’s all going to come surging back into the kingdom like a tidal wave & when that happens it means something powerful has been unleashed.”

“Is that what you hope to find in your book?”

“Except I have no idea what it is I’m supposed to be looking for.” Merlin slams the book shut for emphasis “What am I supposed to do Gaius?”

“For now I’m not sure that there’s anything you can do”

“That’s not really the answer I was looking for” Merlin sulks, but Gaius notices a hint of a smile.

“What I mean is, that whatever this is that’s happening, when the time comes you will rise to the challenge & triumph” he gives the boy a light pat on the shoulders “like always.”

Merlin stands & wraps his arms around his mentor, the closest thing to a father he knows, & smiles “Thank you Gaius”

When Merlin lets go Gaius retrieves a wooden vial. “If you need help taking your mind off of things, I have an errand for you to run.” he hands the vial to Merlin “Bring this to Ewan down in the lower town.”

----

And so it was that Merlin found himself making his way through the castle halls when suddenly he stops in his tracks. A set of footsteps can be heard briefly before it stops just as suddenly. Merlin’s feeling was correct; he’s being followed.

Trying hard to keep a natural demeanor, Merlin turns the corner of the hall & hides behind the wall. He stomps in place as to give the illusion that he is still walking, all while listening for the footsteps. They are close now; Merlin slowly peers around the corner &…

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

“Merlin!” Arthur shouts at his servant who is clutching the wall to keep from falling over “What are you doing hiding behind corners? You could’ve given someone a heart attack like that.”

“Well it serves you right for following me!” Merlin rebuts “Why were you following me?”

“I was just keeping track of my manservant’s whereabouts.” Arthur’s voice has an accusatory tone & he crosses his arms “How did that important errand for Gaius turn out, by the way?”

“What?” Arthur’s look of suspicion grows when Merlin remembers his previous excuse for running off to see the dragon, “Oh, right, that errand, the errand from earlier, it went well.”

Arthur, however, isn’t buying it. “That’s interesting that you forgot, because I went to see Gaius earlier & he seemed to have forgotten about your errand as well, until I reminded him.”

“Oh” A lesser man might’ve faltered under the Prince’s scrutinizing gaze but Merlin is used to thinking up lies on the spot. “Well the thing is that the patient; well, it’s pretty embarrassing actually. Gaius probably just wanted to protect the man’s privacy” Merlin whispers conspiratorially.

“Oh really; so he just made himself forget then?” Arthur asks skeptically.

“I wouldn’t put it past him, the man is very clever.”

“Merlin…” Arthur starts

“I’m sorry Arthur, but I’ve got another delivery to make” Merlin waves the wooden vial in Arthur’s face as evidence.

“Well then, I hope you won’t mind me coming with you” Arthur says.

“What, but Arthur” sputters Merlin “I told you that I’m on important business.”

“How many times do I have to tell you Merlin? I’m your Prince, so if I want to go somewhere I’ll go there.” he points out “Now come on; we don’t want to keep your patient waiting.”

Arthur leads the way, although he has no idea where they’re supposed to be going, while Merlin follows, face twisted in disbelief of his Prince’s unbelievable pratishness.

And so, by the time they got down to the lower town, knocked on Ewan’s door, calmed Ewan & his family about the fact that the Prince was at their doorstep, delivered the vial, & made their way back to the citadel, the sun was setting on the horizon.

“Well sire, was it as exciting as you hoped it would be?”

“There was that one woman who almost fainted when she saw me walking by” Arthur remarks with a chuckle.

“That was Gladys, she’s a bit melodramatic” Merlin replies flatly.

“All right; what’s putting you in such a mood, you big girl?”

“I’m in a mood?” Merlin shouts at Arthur “You’re the one who insisted on following me to the lower town like you don’t trust me or something”

“Well can you…” Arthur grabs Merlin & pulls him into a nearby storeroom, away from anyone who might be passing by, “Can you really blame me for being suspicious of you? I know you weren’t really running an errand for Gaius, I’m not completely oblivious you know.”

Merlin opens his mouth to protest but Arthur continues “And it’s not just today either; you’re always going off somewhere & no one knows where you are, not even Gaius, although he keeps covering for you.”

Arthur pauses to allow Merlin to respond but his manservant stays silent. “So you have nothing to say for yourself then?”

“I’m sorry Arthur” says Merlin, looking at the prince’s boots rather than his face “there are just some things I can’t explain.”

Arthur wants to yell, he wants to ask what the hell that’s supposed to mean, why the man couldn’t just be honest with him; but then he looked at Merlin’s expression & all his anger faded into tiredness.

“Fine then, if you don’t want to tell me that’s your business” Arthur concedes “As long as it doesn’t interfere with your duties I won’t bring it up again.”

Before Merlin can say anything in response Arthur is already making his way into the castle. Merlin feels like he could slam his fist through a wall if he weren’t sober enough to realize that the wall would most likely win. How had a day that started out so bright end up looking so dour?

________________________________________________________________

In his own kingdom, the man named Emrys has called a meeting of his closest advisors; a group of the most powerful sorcerers who aided their strength in the war against Uther. They sat at a circular table of black ash in a room that was covered in the symbols of the Old Religion. The woman sitting directly to his right looked at the king with great curiosity.

“Could you please explain what exactly you are planning to do my lord?” Nimueh was never one to beat around the bush; Emrys knew that very well. The high priestess looks over at the faces of all the others; Edwin, Alator, Tauren, Morgause, Will, & finally back to Emrys himself. With just a glance she can probe what each of them is likely thinking.

“I will be travelling to another reality” Emrys says as if moving through realities is as common as taking a stroll through town “I don’t know exactly when I’ll be back but I will be gone for up to seven days.”

“Perhaps you should start from the beginning my Lord” Will is the one who speaks up, albeit calmly; he is the only non-sorcerer of the advisors but he holds the same rank as the rest of them. He heard the gist of Emrys’ story when he got back but would still appreciate some actual details.

Emrys sighs & looks over at each of his advisor’s before beginning “I trust you are all aware of the strange behavior of the kingdom’s magic today.”

They all nod.

“Earlier this afternoon I located the source of the disturbance; a rift between realities in the form of a doorway” Emrys continues “I went through the door & arrived in a space between realities, but I was not alone, with me there was a man who called himself Arthur Pendragon, Uther’s son.”

As expected, there was quite a bit of commotion at that, especially from Tauren “Pendragon!”

“Believe me, I know how you feel” Emrys says, but the look on his face is more contemplative then angry “that’s not even the strangest part; he has magic.”

“Uther Pendragon never had a son!” Nimueh speaks, her voice a mix of emotions “Especially not one with magic.”

“I’ll explain that part in a moment” Emrys raises his hands placating, & waits for silence before continuing. “As you might expect, the two of us didn’t get on very well, but before we could come to blows an old sorcerer named Serkin appeared & told us that we were in his domain, a place between realities.”

“Magic that can transcend reality?” Edwin ponders aloud, stroking his unscarred cheek “I’ve never heard of something that powerful.”

“Neither have I, which is why I want you to look into this while I’m gone” the king orders. “As I was saying; the man told me that, just as Arthur Pendragon does not exist in our world, I do not exist in his. He showed us both a third world where we exist together… as friends.”

“It must be a strange world indeed” Tauren ponders aloud “where the Great Emrys would ally himself with a Pendragon.”

“Not according to Serkin” Emrys mutters under his breath.

“Did you say something my king?” asks Will.

“Serkin issued a challenge for the two of us” Emrys quickly announces “to enter this third reality & sway our counterparts to do our bidding” for whatever reason he felt he shouldn’t divulge the actual goal of this challenge.

“If this is a contest Emrys, then what is the prize?” asks Morgause boldly.

“The winner will gain control of the other’s kingdom” Emrys answers reluctantly.

As expected there is any immediate uproar from the table; a mix a questions, concerns, & complaints all directed, very loudly, towards the king. But Emrys keeps his composure & simply sends out a burst of his magic in all directions. Though no one is injured by this, the threat is recognized & the room immediately quiets.

“I am very aware of the severity of the situation” Emrys speaks, his voice brimming with authority “I’m certain that the space we were in had some sort of enchantment on it to cloud my & Pendragon’s senses. It wasn’t until I returned that I realized anything was wrong at all, but by then the wager was struck; there’s no getting out of it.”

A pensive silence passes through the room. None of the sorcerers make eye contact with each other, instead opting for some extremely interesting spot on the table, until a voice draws their full attention.

“Then you must win My Lord” the King Consort decrees unshakably, earning him a round of nods from the rest of the advisors “And of course we will do everything in our power to support you”.

Anyone who thought of remarking that Will had considerably less power than the rest of them quickly thought better of it when they saw the King smile at his consort. It wasn’t often that the King publicly displayed his affection.

“Well if this is how you all feel” Emrys proclaims as he rises from his seat “then I’m leaving the kingdom in your capable hands. I trust you won’t disappoint me” It was said with a smile but the underlying malice is still notable.

“My Lord” is the unanimous response before the meeting is adjourned.

----

As soon as he reached the bed in their chambers Emrys flopped onto it with an exasperated sigh, Will sits down on the edge of the bed, assessing his King’s current mood. Without warning the door to the room slams shut, the curtains draw themselves & the candles on the table come alight. Emrys sits up & smiles at the other man.

“You’re making progress” he beams proudly at Will.

Will stands up & rubs the back of his neck, cheeks slightly red “I have a very capable instructor, although it’s nothing you couldn’t do in your sleep.”

“But you make it look so good” Emrys smirks as he wraps his arms around Will’s waist; he breathes into the man’s ear as he speaks “& that’s on top of how good you normally look.”

“Careful my lord, magic is a delicate thing & we wouldn’t to set the bedroom on fire, at least not prematurely.” Will leans his head & captures Emrys’ lips between his own.

After a few moments Emrys pulls away & looks Will in the eye. “I will miss you while we’re apart Will, but I will keep you in my heart no matter how we are separated.”

It was a seemingly innocent statement but Will & Emrys had known each other since they were children; back when he was Merlin. Will knew that the King was trying to convey what he couldn’t bring himself to say out loud.

“Do you think me the kind of man to run away as soon as your back is turned?” Will asks “Haven’t we had this talk before?”

“I know why you stay Will, & it’s not for me” Emrys whispers as he steps away from Will & backs into the bed, allowing himself this rare, private, moment of weakness “And if I lose this wager… when a King is conquered, the Queen is… I just don’t want you to suffer any more because of me” Emrys finally meets Will’s steely gaze “Even if I win & you leave, I won’t turn into that monster that you fear, I promise!”

Will sits down next to Emrys & clasps the King’s hands in his own. “My Lord, with all due respect, you really can be an idiot sometimes.” Emrys opens his mouth to protest or complain or something; what does a King even say to their lover openly calling them an idiot?

“I don’t stay just to protect the people from the monster you might become; I stay so that you don’t forget the man that you were, the man that I fell in love with in the first place.”

Emrys’ eyes become heavy with tears that will not be shed.

“Even if I falter, you would stay by my side?”

“As long as you are willing to let me help you right yourself, I will be there.”

“I love you Will & I want you to promise me that if I do lose this wager & my life is taken, you will stay safe”

“Merlin, I…”

“Promise me, Will!”

“I promise Merlin, I promise to stay safe, as long as you promise me the same.”

“I will” Emrys softly assures his consort. Will smiles & slips his hand underneath the King’s robes.

“Good. Now I believe we were in the middle of something. I might not see you for seven whole days after all.”

Emrys smiles & reclaims Wills lips with his; pulling them both onto the bedcovers in the process.

__________________________________________________________________

The door to Serkin’s realm is back, just as he said it would be; Emrys doesn’t hesitate this time. Once again the so-called Pendragon, dressed less as a king & more like a bandit, enters at the same moment he does & Emrys wonders if this is somehow Serkin’s doing.

“Glad that you both could make it my lords” Serkin horns in, seemingly materializing from thin air behind the table.

“It’s not as though you gave us much choice in the matter” It’s seems that Pendragon is aware of the enchantment that affected them last they were in this room.

“I have no idea what you mean” Serkin smirks mischievously “But we may as well be on our way”

Suddenly, but slowly, the door on the northern side of the tower swings open. Serkin gestures towards it in deference.

“After you”

Emrys steps around the table, towards the doorway; but without warning, turns and grabs the older man by his robe, lifting him off his feet.

“If this is some sort of trap I will make you regret it”

“I assure you my lord; I have no need for such underhanded tactics, especially when I can win all that I want from you fair & square.”

Emrys glares coldly at the sorcerer but drops him to his feet & turns back towards the door. But Pendragon already has one foot into the black void beyond it.

“If we’re done here”

This is all the warning he gives before disappearing into the nothingness. Prat.

Nevertheless, Emrys steps into the void & finds himself alone on a dark grassy field. Well, almost alone.

“Where’s Serkin?” demands the ‘other’ king.

“Not here” Emrys replies evenly “With everything we don’t know about the man, I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“What if he’s simply abandoned us here so that he can conquer our kingdoms?”

“You didn’t seem all that concerned back in the tower, your majesty. Serkin is here though, somewhere, I can feel it.”

As if on cue, a large gust of wind sweeps across the field, headed towards the unmistakable castle in the distance; Camelot.

“Whatever he’s up to, it can’t possibly mean anything good for this world.” Pendragon murmurs to himself before stalking off towards the citadel.

“He just wants us to kill one man” replies Emrys who somehow finds himself chasing after him

“No, we want us to kill one man, because it’s what he wants us to do. Meanwhile he only needs to keep this man from dying. Why, who is he, & why is it so important that our counterparts do the deed?”

“I suppose we’ll find out when we get there.” Emrys frowns at the pensive look on Pendragon’s face; how the hell did I end up being the lighthearted one here?

“Whatever Serkin’s up to, as long as it doesn’t get my kingdom involved it’s not my problem” Emrys says with a sly grin “And if he decides to make it my problem, like I said, I’ll make him regret it. I assume we can agree on at least that.”

“Absolutely; of course it won’t be your kingdom for long.” Pendragon adds with a surprisingly playful smirk.

“That’s the spirit, now let’s go find ourselves.”

________________________________________________________________

Deep underneath the citadel, Kilgharrah rises from his slumber to meet his wizened visitor.

“Hello Killy”

“Serkin” Kilgharrah spits with no small amount of contempt “You know that you are forbidden from entering this realm.”

Serkin smiles & waves his hand until the rocks around him form themselves into a comfortable throne.

“Actually, if you’ll recall, the terms of our wager state that I was no longer allowed in the land of your kind” Serkin smiles a sadistic, toothy smile “& since it’s just you now, you have no kind anymore.”

“Leave it to you to exploit such a morbid loophole.” Kilgharrah sneers “Dragons have been gone for several years; why have you come back now?”

“I was waiting for something Killy.” Serkin replies “Your young warlock, Emrys.”

Kilgharrah rises to his full height; smoke billows from his flaring nostrils as glares daggers at Serkin.

“He will not fall to your tricks Serkin. Emrys is too powerful & you know it.”

“You know me well enough to know that when I play a game I always have the odds stacked in my favor Kilgharrah.” Serkin stands from his throne & steps closer towards the great beast; he has to raise his voice as a fierce wind blows into the cavern.

“You’ve struck another wager?!” says Kilgharrah, outraged “With who?!”

“Not your boy; if that’s what you’re concerned about” Serkin laughs into the wind “Although you needn’t bother worrying; as you won’t be around for the outcome. But I can assure you that this time, I will be the one who stands victorious!”

Serkin begins an ancient chant & his voice seems thunderous, even in the deafening winds of the cavern; winds that begin to wrap themselves around the dragon.

“You will not succeed Serkin!” Kilgharrah lets loose a great jet of fire towards the warlock but the winds form a shield to protect him. Seeing the futility of his actions, he does the only thing that he can right now & reaches out to a familiar mind.

----

In his bedchambers, Merlin tosses & turns in fitful slumber, until he is awaken by a voice.

“Merlin”

“Kilgharrah?” he answers into the empty room.

“A great danger has made its way to Camelot. I cannot aid you against this foe, but I can tell you that if you are to face him, you must keep hold of the things that you know to be true. Goodbye Merlin.”

Silence fills the dark room, leaving only a confused young warlock in his bed.

----

Having to sneak down into Kilgharrah’s cavern is always a pain but especially in the middle of the night. It’s rather rude warning someone about some great threat in the vaguest way possible. Merlin was going to have to give that dragon a piece of his mind, not that it ever does any good.

When Merlin reaches the cavern he calls out for the dragon, but there is no answer, no telltale clinking of heavy chains to signal his return from wherever it is in this cave that he makes all of his overly dramatic entrances from. Merlin wonders at that, until he spots the shackle that keeps the dragon prisoner, intact yet empty.

Goodbye Merlin.

Goodbye? Did the dragon escape somehow? No, before he said that there was danger in Camelot, & that he couldn’t help Merlin face it. Did this evil get to Kilgharrah first? Is Kilgharrah dead?

Merlin is in no way the dragon’s biggest fan; but to think that this constant presence in Merlin’s life since moving to Camelot is gone…

Merlin drops to his knees. What is he supposed to do now?