cat_77 | Merlin - Realms [Part 1]

Title: Realms
Genre: pre-slash: Arthur/Merlin, tiny bit of het: Gwen/Lancelot
Rating: R for violence
Length: ~45,000 words - Complete
Spoilers: Through Series 2, AU after the end of Series 2
Warnings: Violence, death of minor original characters
Synopsis: A portal has opened in Gaius’ rooms between Merlin’s realm and one very much like it, only on the other side magic was never banned and can be used freely without pain of death. Needless to say, Merlin has fallen through this portal more than once.
Author’s Notes: OMG, it’s done! Oh-so-many thanks to the awesome

threnodyjones for the beta job on this monster, and to all the excellent cheerleaders over at

camelot_fleet for their support as I tried to wrap this up for the Finish-a-thon. This ended up far longer than originally intended, but tells the tale I wanted to get out, so I hope people are willing to give it a chance.
Secondary Notes: Suaimhneas = Irish for quiet, peaceful.
Synopsis: I do not own this interpretation of the myths and am making no profit from this.

The portal was back again. It was not as if it ever truly went away, but there were times it grew, both in size and in intensity. Merlin had carefully marked out the outermost boundary of the thing, adding a good extra arms-length worth of room around it for safety’s sake, and warned Gaius to avoid it. This would be why Gaius had moved the most important of his equipment to the far side of the room, leaving the area wide and open to avoid. This would be why it was so obvious to Merlin that someone had been there.

Over half of the circle was gone, swept up into a nice neat little pile. A pile that was next to a broom half-disappeared into the ether.

Merlin hung his head and cursed in a way that would have done the filthiest guard proud. He prodded the broom handle with his boot and watched the golden ripples ebb and flow. Gaius swore he did not see a thing but, to Merlin, they were as bright as a torch in the underbelly of the castle, and about as welcome. Without them, he would never know where the damned this was and would have continued to walk through it again and again.

He cursed again as the sound of booted footsteps behind him reminded him both of what he was supposed to be doing, and just who was behind him. Arthur was prattling on about something, and Merlin was certain it was important, at least to the prince, but his eyes were focused on the footsteps in the dust. They were small and delicate like the slippers one of the chambermaids would wear, and they disappeared mid-step exactly where the curtain to the portal lay.

He turned in time to see Arthur enter the room, a questioning look upon his face at the new layout. He did not have time for explanations; there was no telling how long the maid had been gone. Arthur opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but Merlin cut him off with, “Promise me you won’t cross this line?”

“What?” Arthur asked, truly confused, as Merlin poured a pitcher of water along where the rest of the circle should have been, the droplets disappearing at the vale to become a precise demarcation.

“Do you trust me?” Merlin tried. Fifty heartbeats, he knew how long that was.

“As much as any man can trust an idiot,” Arthur conceded. The words were light, the expression was not.

“Then promise me,” Merlin said, already taking a step backwards. He could feel the tingle along his spine, his magic try to reach out for the source of power.

“Fine, I promise,” Arthur huffed like a put upon man.

“Good,” Merlin smiled, and stepped through to the other side.

It was, as always, a disorientating journey. He emerged on the other side to the flickering of torches and a trio of armed guards. The first one, a man he now knew as Noel, stepped forward. “Master Emrys?” he asked. At Merlin’s nod of confirmation, he shouted, “He has returned!”

A knight appeared in the doorway to the room that would have been Gaius’, had things been truly identical in this realm. “Come this way,” James bade, and Merlin dutifully followed.

“I can’t stay long,” he warned. He thought of Arthur standing at the edge of the portal, of his lack of patience mixed with his bullheadedness and need to protect. He took all of these things into account and determined exactly how long he had before this realm had to deal with one royal prat before they were anywhere near ready to do so.

“The woman you sent through, is she to serve as your emissary?” James asked as they hurried along the corridor.

Merlin shook his head. “Not exactly,” he sighed. It would have been too much to ask that she appeared at the changing of the guards, or simply not at all.

“Then we shall have her killed at once,” James nodded.

“No!” Merlin exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. “She’s not an enemy, just a mistake. She didn’t know where the portal was and crossed it in error. She’s a servant, nothing more.”

James turned to face him, a slight smirk upon his features. “You too claimed to be but a servant, Master Emrys, and look how that turned out.”

Okay, so there was that. James did have a point. Then again, Merlin actually had some stature and say in this realm, and there was a chance he could actually free whichever innocent was unlucky enough to come here.

They resumed walking, James leading the way though Merlin was fairly certain where they were going. “How long has she been here?” he asked when they paused outside the heavy oak doors.

“Long enough to wear on the ears,” James replied which was not truly an answer, but Merlin had learned to take what he could get.

With a nod the two guards at the door pushed it open, revealing what Merlin had come to think of as the Holding Chamber. Not quite the dungeons, and not quite luxury accommodations, to say the least. He peered in to see a mop of red curls bowed down across a rather dusty dress. Pale wrists were exposed and chained to a heavy loop set into the wall. It did not look like she had been moved yet, so it must have not been that long after all. Also, as James had warned, the girl was sobbing uncontrollably. The only words Merlin could make out were a mantra of, “I didn’t know!” and “Please, set me free!”

“Marie?” he asked, crouching down to her level.

Startled green eyes peered up at him through a knot of curls. “You know me? You know who I am?” she gasped.

He nodded and promised, “It’s me, Merlin.”

“Merlin!” she exclaimed. She threw her arms out as if to cling to him, but was stopped by the chains that held her in place. Instantly, two of the guards had their swords out, James attempting to pull Merlin back from what he apparently perceived to be a risk.

“It’s okay,” Merlin tried as he pushed back through to the girl. She couldn’t be more than fourteen and was about as much of a threat as three-day-old kitten.

“Really, one would think they did not trust my work,” a new voice rang against the stone. Merlin looked up as Morgana entered, long cloak wrapped around her to ward off the minimal chill of the room. He did not need to ask how she knew he was here. “I enchanted those chains myself. No one, save perhaps you, should be able to free themselves.”

“Our apologies, my Lady,” James said, head hung in contrition.

Morgana waved it off as unimportant. “Merlin,” she smiled in greeting instead, waiting for him to rise to wrap her own arms around him. “It’s been too long. I was beginning to think you were avoiding us.”

The thought had crossed his mind, but he was finding Fate had other opinions on the matter. “Not so long,” he replied, pulling back to take a look at her. She looked well, healthy and hale and not at all like the Morgana he had last seen in his own realm.

“And I supposed your stay will be short yet again?” she mock sighed.

He nodded tightly. “I only came as it appeared someone had crossed over who should not. I need to retrieve her before she goes amiss.”

“My mother,” Marie wailed from her spot on the floor. “She will be furious with me! Oh, Merlin, how do I explain this to her?”

Morgana waved her hand and the noise stopped, the guards breathing as much of a sigh of relief as she did herself. “I thought we were done with the caterwauling,” she rolled her eyes. On the floor, Marie’s mouth still moved, though it was as if she was trying to figure out why no sound would come out.

“She’s an innocent, Morgana,” Merlin advised. “She has no business here and you must admit, an unexpected journey to another realm can be quite stressful.”

“I’ve only been to your side once,” Morgana insisted, though she looked slightly contrite. “I could go nowhere, had to hide, and received no respect as to my rank. Well, as to my rank here,” she corrected at Merlin’s raised eyebrow.

“I’ve told you before...” Merlin started.

“Things are different there. Yes, I remember,” Morgana finished for him. She gazed down at the heap on the floor. “So what is she then? There’s not much to her, so I assumed she was not sent by you. What skills does she have?”

Merlin looked down to Marie’s tearstained face and shrugged. “None really, unless you want your rooms cleaned thoroughly, and even then it will be by hand and broom and not by power like you are accustomed to.”

Morgana made a face. “How mundane. Why did she even cross over then?”

“It was an accident,” Merlin said for what felt like the hundredth time.

He knew Morgana’s next question before she even asked it, “Then why come to save her?”

“She’s an innocent. She got caught up in this simply by trying to do her job. She’s no threat to you, nor is she a threat to the crown,” he explained. “She just wants to get home to her mother. You can’t fault her that, can you?”

Morgana’s shoulders slumped. “No, I cannot,” she agreed. Merlin could tell she was willing to release her when she added, “Can I assume she will cause you grief should she return and mention her journey?”

Merlin snorted at the understatement. He wondered if it would be possible to toss her at Arthur and cross back over with enough time to close the portal behind him. Then again, he was forced to wonder if they had figured out a way to close the portal at all on this side as he had not on his own. “It’s possible,” he conceded. “But if I don’t return with her soon, we will have another problem on our hands all together.”

“Someone saw you cross,” Morgana guessed. “Can they be trusted?”

“To a reasonable amount,” Merlin answered. He was still counting heartbeats and knew they were already cutting it close.

“Then let me handle the girl to make things a bit easier on you,” Morgana insisted. Her knowledge of the mind was incredible in relation to his. He could control the elements themselves, bend the world to his whims if need be, but she could bend the mind and will one to remember anything she so chose. Well, within reason – her powers did not work on him, but she assured him he was one of the rare exceptions.

He nodded his consent and watched Marie’s eyes grew wide in fear, certain he had just betrayed her. A whispered breath and a glow of gold and those eyes drifted closed, the shackles around her wrists releasing her to slump against the floor.

Morgana snapped her fingers and James picked up the unconscious Marie, cradled her to his chest as the guards opened the door back into the corridor. “I assume time is of the essence?” James guessed.

“Unless you want magic despising royalty at your doorstep, challenging everyone to duels until something truly unfortunate happens, then yes,” Merlin said less than cheerfully. He turned back to Morgana and added, “Do pass on my regards and apologies for so brief of stay?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “Though you know the crown welcomes you at any time,” she smiled mischievously.

He felt himself blush as he offered a brief bow, even though he knew both actions were entirely unnecessary. A few hustled footsteps later and he was back on his way to the portal. James carefully transferred the still sleeping Marie to Merlin as he stood just outside of the shimmering curtain. “Hopefully you will not wait too long to return, we do miss your presence,” he told him.

Merlin smiled, half in apology and half in agreement. The other realm was so much a different place, a place where magic still ran free and he knew he was safe and would never be persecuted. It was, however, not home, not the place where his destiny awaited. With a determined resolve, he took the first step back through into nothingness, felt the world bend around him, felt his own mind shift and stretch and perhaps even scream. Another breath, and he stepped back out into Gaius’ workroom, still dizzy enough that the plain wood and glass seemed to spin around him.

He blinked to right himself, not at all surprised to see Arthur looking nearly as he left him, surprise writ across his face, likely both from Merlin’s disappearance and his unexpected guest upon his return. He managed a few stumbling steps forward, enough to cross the boundary he had marked out fully, before Arthur strode forward purposefully, righted Merlin and helped him hold onto Marie until the prince himself could take her from his arms.

Arthur laid her out on Gaius’ workbench and quickly checked her over for injuries, though Merlin knew he would find none. Morgana was good at what she did; both of them were. Even though he was still a bit disorientated himself, he knew well enough to wait for the questioning to begin, so he stood his ground until Arthur turned and levelled him with a look Merlin knew would come in handy in his role as the future king.

“Everything. Now,” Arthur demanded, crossing his arms in front of him.

Merlin had a perfect explanation for him, really he did. It was concise and precise and detailed with necessary points and everything. However, he took a slight step to the side to try to steady his wobbly stance, and was quickly reminded as to why one did not make the journey twice in so short a time. The dizziness surged and he soon found himself gently guided to the other workbench, a concerned, yet perturbed, Arthur looming over him.

“Sorry,” he said with a wave of his hand towards the portal. “One trip is doable, but two rather takes it out of you.” He took the cup of water offered to him and dutifully sipped, though it did nothing but wet his throat.

Arthur was still waiting, and even doing so with what amounted to patience for him, but asked, “So I take it you have done this disappearing act before?” His eyes were shaded, as if willing himself not to lash out at such a thing being hidden from him.

“A few times,” Merlin admitted. “Though mainly by accident.” He set the cup of water to the side and focused on Arthur, knowing he had one chance to make him believe what he was about to say, and that sounding like a drunken country boy would probably not help matters along. “It’s a portal to a world very much like ours, but with a few notable differences. It appeared a few weeks ago and we have yet to determine why, much less how to close it. I marked out the area in hopes it could be avoided until we found a way to shut it completely.”

“It sounds an awful lot like sorcery,” Arthur commented less than mildly.

Merlin fought not to sigh. That was not the half of it. “The books we have been referencing to try to close it, both here and on the other side, do have several references to magic,” he admitted. Before Arthur could comment, he added, “But they were the only thing we could find with any hints at all as to what the blasted thing is in the first place.”

“And you told no one because?” Arthur prompted.

Merlin scratched his head. Yeah, he knew that one would come back at him. “The physician and his assistant, already accused of magic once, already using herbs and medicines to cure things that only spells were capable of until recently suddenly having a magic vortex in the middle of their room? Somehow, I did not think that would go over well in a place where magic users are condemned to death.”

Arthur swallowed, a sign Merlin’s point had been made. “And you are certain you did not cast some sort of summoning spell in your sleep? It’s awful close to your room, Merlin,” Arthur teased, an obvious attempt at levity after the image of his friend burned for witchcraft.

Merlin blinked. It was technically possible, especially given how tired he had been lately. Who knew what he did when he was asleep at this point? He was fairly certain he was innocent in this matter, however, and declared himself thus. “To the best of my knowledge, I have had nothing to do with bringing this thing here or keeping it open. I’ve just been trying to make sure no one else got sucked in.”

“Well, someone did slip through, and now we must deal with the consequences,” Arthur told him archly. The attitude was cut with a sigh and the prince rubbing his brow before he asked, “What do we do with her? How much did she see and how much will she remember?”

Merlin took another sip of the water. The dizziness was still there, but it was beginning to fade. “I have been assured she will not remember a thing about the other realm,” he shrugged not knowing what else to say. Either Morgana’s magic worked, or he was well and truly buggered.

“And you trust the person who assured you thus?” Arthur questioned.

Merlin did not even need to think about the answer to that and so he readily nodded. Morgana, the Morgana of that realm that was, had proved herself both the loyal friend and a damned good sorceress. He would swear by her word, and already had previously.

Arthur made a face. “And just who is this mysterious person you put your faith in so blindly?”

Merlin cleared his throat – no amount of water was going to help this time. “Well,” he hedged. “That’s where things get complicated.”

He was saved from Arthur’s ire by Marie beginning to stir. Arthur shot him a look to let him know the discussion was far from over, but dutifully helped the young maid sit up. She was disoriented and confused, and clearly embarrassed when she realized the prince himself was at her side. “Sire!” she rushed, dipping her head in reverence only to nearly fall sideways from what looked to be a round of dizziness all her own.

“Shh,” Arthur soothed, righting her once more. “How do you feel?”

“I...” she started, only to trail off. She glanced around the room and her eyes widened in surprise. “I have no idea how I got here,” she admitted, a blush staining her fair cheeks.

“You were cleaning,” Merlin supplied, gesturing to the broom that still lay on the floor nearby.

“Yes,” she nodded as if the mere suggestion was a surety in her mind. “I was cleaning, and then I was here. I really do not know what happened, sire.”

“Neither do I,” Arthur replied. He glared over at Merlin, and Merlin knew how much it hurt the prince to lie, even through omission. Arthur had phrased his comment carefully – he did not know at this time, but as soon as Marie was seen off to her mother, he most certainly would demand the full story.

Merlin pushed that to the side for now, the blind panic could come later. He turned to Marie and offered, “There was a sign on the door that things were not to be disturbed. The physician’s quarters can have a great many dangers that are best left alone.”

She hung her head, rightfully chided. “I had come to ask for some of the tea for headaches, and saw the mess on the floor,” she explained, motioning to where the broom lay amongst the dirt and markings. Merlin had to give Morgana credit for working within the girl’s own memories. “I thought I could help, but must have fallen. I don’t read, sire, never been taught. I know now to leave well enough alone. If there’s words on the door, I’ll either walk away or ask someone to read them for me. I’m sorry for trouble, sire.”

“No trouble,” Arthur assured her. He held out a hand and she bashfully accepted his assistance to stand. “We’ll see that you get to your mother and that you have the day to rest.”

Merlin pushed himself to his feet and shuffled over to one of the shelves. “Let me get you the tea,” he offered. “It will help your head and help you to sleep.” He pulled out the drawer of herbs he would needed and placed them in a tiny pouch. He gave her a fair sized dose, and slipped in just enough chamomile to hopefully send her into a peaceful slumber for the rest of the day.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, accepting both the pouch and her broom. “My head is right bleating at me right now. It is much appreciated.”

Merlin nodded and let Arthur escort her out to the hallway. The prince flagged down a guard and had him bring the girl home, hopefully avoiding any further trouble along the way. Merlin debated trying a bit of the tea for himself, and the ache in his head he knew he’d have by the time Arthur was done with him, and had gone so far as to let his fingers drift towards the drawer again when the prince came storming back into the room, stopping only to lock the door behind him.

“Start talking and do not even think of taking sleeping herbs to get out of this,” Arthur demanded as he crossed his arms in front of him.

Merlin sighed and used the hand that had been nearly at the drawer to scrub through his hair instead. He gestured for Arthur to sit, but the prince did not immediately do so. With another sigh, Merlin appropriated the comfortable rocking chair by the hearth for himself and got ready to tell his tale.

“It’s going to sound a lot like magic, but it doesn’t appear to be anything we did on our side,” he warned to start with. He knew there was a very large possibility that he would be ending his day in a cell over this, if his trip to the chopping block was not expedited to the evening’s entertainment, but figured a fair warning might help put things off, at least for a bit.

“I’m not blaming anyone, yet,” Arthur told him, his posture relaxing slightly. “I just need you to tell me the truth about this... portal, and whether or not it is a danger to the people.” There was a guarded look to his eyes, as if he fully expected Merlin to be to blame, magic or no, but was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

There was no way Merlin was about to out himself as a sorcerer, not yet. He had no idea how Arthur would take it and would really rather not die horrifically before sorting out this portal business. There was no telling what those on the other side would do if the portal was still open and he did not return with an explanation for any disappearance.

He leaned back in the chair and began his tale, hoping Arthur did not notice him brush over some things and clear out omit others. “The portal first appeared nearly three weeks ago. I awoke to a crash and came out here to find someone sprawled about the floor and a fading shimmer from the curtain at her feet.”

“Someone crossed through and you did not see this as a threat?” Arthur questioned.

Merlin could see his temper rising again and rushed to try to cut it off at the pass. “I told you things were very similar there. This person, this woman, is someone I knew from here. It took me a while to figure out both that she was not the same woman, and that she was from far away from here.”

“And yet you trusted her?” Arthur asked doubtingly.

Merlin smiled ruefully. “Not at first,” he admitted. “At first I thought she was going to try to kill me, but it turns out she did not even recognise me.” He thought back to a disoriented Morgana, how she was willing to protect herself, yet knew enough to know she needed more information about where she was and who she was with.

“Why would anyone want to kill you? Other than me, of course,” Arthur asked. There was a hint of a smirk at his words, but not enough for Merlin to think he was truly teasing.

He did not have the time nor the inclination to explain his role in Morgana’s disappearance with Morgause. “Long story that will probably come out some time but hopefully not today,” he said far too quickly to avoid suspicion. Before Arthur could get stuck on that, however, he continued, “So this woman and I talked and we tried to figure out both how she got here and how she could get back. Magic is not outlawed where she is from, and she thought perhaps it was a spell gone wrong. After a lot of research, we discovered there was what amounts to a weak spot between our two realms. It was somehow affected by magical energy, which created the portal. She had been caught up in a simple transportation spell at the time, and somehow got sent through to this side.”

“There appears to be a lot of ‘somehows’ in that explanation,” Arthur commented disparagingly. He sat down on the bench Marie had recently vacated and stretched his long legs before him. “Can I assume that, if magic pushed her through to this side, magic was needed to send her home?”

“She did the spell based on what we found in some of the Old Texts, and managed to get home,” Merlin confirmed. He left out the part where he helped with the spell and it somehow created a near permanent doorway between the realms that ebbed and grew with any magical usage nearby. He also left out the part where he was thrown back with her and used that realm’s far greater library on the subject to figure out how to get back.

“You mentioned you have been through before, were you brought back with her?” Arthur asked.

Merlin silently cursed; of course Arthur would have remembered that point. “Yes,” he admitted.

“Then why did I not notice you were gone?”

This is where things went beyond Merlin’s ken. He scratched his head and said, “The closest we can figure is that time moves different on the different sides.” He got an idea. “In your view, how long was I gone before I came back with Marie?”

Arthur shrugged. “A matter of a few breaths, if that. It was negligible, really.”

“I was there long enough to make my way through the castle, have a conversation, and return,” Merlin told him, pleased when Arthur gave him a disbelieving look as he had hardly believed it the first time and thought himself daft.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed in thought though, and Merlin made a mental note to never discredit the man’s intelligence. “I believe I know when you were gone,” Arthur mused. “You disappeared for a full afternoon and did not return until the following morning. When you did, you were far more exhausted than you had reason to be, dressed different than I had ever seen you, and had several scratches you never explained.”

Merlin nodded. “I was there for nearly four days, sire.” A very busy four days, where he learned battle tactics of both sword and magic, and then used them repeatedly.

He was almost proud to have made the normally composed prince balk, “Four days?”

“Four,” Merlin confirmed. “The woman I spoke of earlier? She was here for nearly six, yet only two and a half passed on her side. We reasoned that time distorts for the traveller, or during the journey itself. The people I talked to on that side thought I occasionally looked different, foggy around the edges but then they would blink and I’d seem fine, and M-, the woman who crossed over looked the same here.”

“Merlin,” Arthur sighed, leaning forward and bracing his arms on his thighs and folding his hands before him. “Who is this woman? And how could you have hid her for so long with no one discovering who she was or where she was from.”

“I don’t have her permission to tell you,” Merlin hedged, though he was, in all technicality, being honest. He bit his lower lip, knowing that would not put off Arthur for long. “Remember how I said things are very similar over there? She is someone you would know here and I do believe you would trust her. She slept in one of the guest rooms and the kitchens did not really question why I needed more food – I think they though Gaius had a patient. Clothing for her stay was more difficult, but...”

“But you borrowed from Morgana’s wardrobes, didn’t you?” Arthur smirked.

Merlin was not quite sure if it counted as borrowing as it was Morgana wearing Morgana’s clothing, just a different Morgana and there went his headache again as he tried to sort that out. In the end, he settled for a reluctant nod as it seemed the closest to accurate.

Arthur seemed satisfied with that and moved on to ask, “What role did Gaius play in all of this?”

Merlin sighed. He did not want to implicate his mentor, but the fact that his rooms were arranged and he had already mentioned the need for research had pretty much seen to that already. “He helped try to sort out what was going on and how to fix it,” he admitted. Then, quickly, so as to try to prevent the prince from bringing the elderly man up on the same charges Merlin himself was certain to face, he added, “He gave me books only, and tried to find some reference to this happening in the past. He saw the woman, but took no part in anything remotely magical and tried to keep me from it as well.”

That was an understatement. At one point, Gaius had threatened to leave the other realm’s Morgana to figure things out on her own and to take Merlin away to make certain he did not get caught up in anything. He relented, slightly, but that was why Merlin and Morgana had done the spell to send her through while he was out visiting an ailing family in the village.

“I do not fault Gaius for this,” Arthur promised. He narrowed his eyes as he continued, “I do, however, fault you. There was a risk, to the castle and to yourself, and you did not see fit to notify me. Something dangerous could have come through or this woman of yours could have been trapped here indefinitely and needed means to provide for herself, not to mention protection from execution should she have been foolish enough to be caught doing magic.”

Merlin looked up at that, the word “protection” ringing in his ears. Arthur sounded more concerned for her welfare than for ridding the world of another witch, despite both his father’s laws and not even knowing who it was who would need the protection.

Arthur looked at him as though he were particularly dim. “You claim she is from a place where magic is welcomed. One cannot fault her for not knowing the laws and ways of a place she encountered by accident.” He leaned back on the bench once more. “And I, for one, cannot fault someone for simply trying to get back home.”

Merlin swallowed the grin that threatened to erupt; pleased to see the blind hatred for the unknown was not passed from father to son after all. If Arthur could believe magic might possibly help someone, perhaps he could believe it wasn’t pure evil as well.

Arthur stood and clapped his hands together, shocking Merlin out of his thoughts and reigniting the pain in his head. “Right,” the prince said as he paced towards the door. “You need to find a way to close this portal and we need a way to keep people from mucking about this room.” He turned on his heel and folded his arms before him, one finger tapping his bottom lip. “I could assign a guard?” he offered.

Merlin shook his head. “And if Gaius or I need to do something that sounds remotely like magic and he comes in to find a glowing portal? No thanks; I’d prefer not to be put to death if I can help it.”

Arthur gave him a look that clearly questioned his intelligence. “I’m the prince, Merlin. I can say it was on my order and you will be spared.”

Now it was Merlin who looked at him like he was daft. “And if we were to be brought before the king? I doubt he would be pleased with you keeping such a thing from him and I doubt he would be as understanding about our roles up to this point.”

The finger missed Arthur’s lip and hit his teeth. He pulled it away in annoyance. “You have a point,” he admitted reluctantly. “Father would likely have you imprisoned for keeping this from him and either lock the room away or burn it to the ground.”

“Neither of which would work when the portal isn’t really here in the room in the first place,” Merlin pointed out.

“I could pretend to be interested in herb lore,” Arthur offered. “It would give me a reason to be here and I could serve as guard from both inquisitive maids and anything that came through.”

“And if you miss your other duties?” Merlin frowned. “Your father would notice and quiz both you and us on your progress.”

“Healing techniques?” Arthur tried. “They are important for anyone engaged in battle to learn about and I already know quite a bit, not to mention most seem common sense. My father might not be able to tell the difference.”

“Especially if you keep up with at least some of your usual duties,” Merlin conceded.

Arthur flashed a grin, apparently pleased with the hint of a plan they had come up with. “If I am not here though, I want this door locked and you, both of you, off doing other duties,” he ordered. “No poking at this portal and absolutely no going through to the other side.”

“Agreed,” Merlin nodded.

Arthur looked at him as though that had been far too easy. “Is there anything else I need to be concerned about? You’re not going to sleepwalk your way into another dimension or anything?”

Merlin shook his head. He had only did that once and had since taken the precaution of placing a chair in front of the door in his room at night. “No, I think that’s it,” he agreed.

That was, of course, when a small thud echoed throughout the room and they both turned to find an elaborate scroll case now sitting at the edge of the portal. A raised eyebrow from Arthur and he picked up the thing, held it before him and examined the gilded carving along the edges. “Merlin?” he asked, drawing the name out into far too many syllables.

Merlin winced. Morgana had only done that twice before. Once when she had a promising discovery about the portal itself, and once when she feared his life was in danger. He could only guess at the reasoning this time, but had to admit, her timing was awful. “Um, it appears to be a message from the other side?” he tried, not surprised when Arthur did not relinquish his hold on the case.

“I see that,” the prince said, sounding both insulting and as though Merlin was trying his patience. “But why does it have the Pendragon crest? And why is it using a container identical to one I know for a fact currently resides in my father’s study?”

This is where it would get tricky, well, trickier, Merlin presumed. He bit his lip, but released it when Arthur scowled at the stalling tactic. Finally, he threw all caution to the wind and figured the truth could not hurt that much, especially if he was selective with what truths he used.

“Similarities,” he reminded him. At Arthur’s nod of reluctant understanding, he continued, “The Pendragons do still exist there, as does this castle and most of the same people. It’s only logical that she, the woman from before, would use such a thing to send a message, right?”

“Who is this woman?” Arthur demanded. He still held the case in his grasp and Merlin recognised a ransom demand when he saw it.

“I promised her I would not tell,” he insisted. To let Arthur know of Morgana’s magic in the other realm would let him know if it in this realm and open the door to far too many questions he simply was not ready to answer yet.

“Merlin...” Arthur warned.

“Would you have me break my word just to satisfy your curiosity?” Merlin countered.

Arthur sighed and Merlin knew he had won this round. A promise was an oath and one did not break an oath on pain of death, his or another’s. “No, I would not,” he relented. With a tilt of his head to the side, he added, “Especially when there are much easier ways of doing so.”

As expected, he popped the seal on the case to reveal a length of parchment. He tossed the case to the table and spread the parchment out on the same. Merlin did not even bother rolling his eyes at his lack of surprise of his behaviour. He did, however, have to hide a smirk at his confusion.

“What is this?” Arthur demanded. He gestured to the parchment and the scrawl of ink upon it. “It’s gibberish!”

Merlin peered over his shoulder and recognised both the handwriting and the language immediately. “It’s not, really,” he insisted. “It’s just something you do not know how to read.”

“And you do?” Arthur scoffed. “Are you saying that you learned their entire language system during your short time there? You can barely remember how to buckle a vambrace some days.”

He pushed away from the table and stalked away in frustration, which allowed Merlin a clear view of the text and Morgana’s message. “It’s a language we use here, just in some of the older texts,” he called over his shoulder distractedly. It was the truth. Gaius had been the first to show him and help him decipher the intricate scrawls and accents. It was also primarily used in magical texts, a fact Merlin was going to keep to himself for the time being.

“So,” Arthur demanded, suddenly hovering at Merlin’s shoulder. “What does it say, oh great scholar?”

Merlin reread the message, then read it again to make sure he was not missing anything. The language was nearly as complex as the script itself and a slight change could have drastic consequences. It seemed simple enough, however, so he replied, “She just wants to make certain Marie returned safely and that there were no lingering consequences from the journey.” The concern was more that Merlin had been caught and was to be put to death for witchcraft and she was offering him a safe haven if need be. If Merlin had been captured, the only other person who would have recognised the script would be Gaius, who could get him the message and possibly to safety.

Arthur looked doubting, but reluctantly seemed to believe him. He opened his mouth to say something more, but a guard chose that moment to appear in the doorway and request his immediate presence with the king. Merlin looked around for a quill to write a short reply to Morgana in his absence, but was dragged along with Arthur before he got the chance.

There had been an assassination attempt, most likely directed towards Arthur, but it was possible several knights were targeted as well. Tober had caught his hand on a sharpened edge of one of the shields. He had managed a startled cry before he collapsed to the floor, the wound and the hand it was attached to a dark black that spiralled up his arm, even in the death that finally claimed him agonizing minutes later. The king had wished to make sure Arthur’s armour was not affected and, in an uncharacteristic manoeuvre, wanted to make sure Merlin’s own gear was not affected as well.

Arthur’s armour was safely locked away in his room and not stored with the others. It also had no trace of the thin and sticky green fluid along its edges. Unfortunately, they did find the liquid on three separate pieces in the general storage area, including a sharpened buckle to one of Leon’s pieces.

Merlin was fairly certain the poison was magical in nature, as was Gaius. The fact he could nearly feel it in his very blood certainly helped with that opinion and, thankfully, helped him locate more of the toxin on one of the practice blades Arthur preferred to use. Gaius took a sample to attempt to find a remedy, and anything and everything that might have come in contact with the poison was gathered to be quarantined and later cleansed or destroyed if no cure was to be found.

It was after all of this excitement, which had gone on late into the night and well into the next morning, that Merlin finally found himself at the door to Gaius’ workroom once more. He was dead on his feet and could barely keep his eyes open and honestly thought he could have been hallucinating when he walked in just as a fully armoured and fully armed James appeared through the portal.