A/N: Greetings readers ^_^ This is the beginnings of my story "Phoenix" about Merlin's "immortality". Some of you may remember a summary I posted of it on my bio ages back. This is just a little intro, then I'll post the first full chapter tomorrow. This story will be a little different. There will be a "main story" which I will post all of in the next couple weeks or so, and then I will go back and fill in gaps with supplemental chapters. You'll see why soon enough, I expect. Anyway, please enjoy!

Merlin leaned against the door as he fumbled with the latch, vision blurred and hands numb. He only knew he'd succeeded when his support disappeared, sending him straight to the floor. The infirmary was dark, the hearth fire dead long ago with no one to tend it. Merlin huffed and made a cursory attempt at getting up, barely managing to move his arms.

He'd known it would be dangerous to confront the basilisk when Gaius was away, but he'd had little choice once it started taking people instead of livestock. He'd half-expected to be able to influence it with his dragonlord abilities, seeing as it more or less had a dragon's body, but apparently it was the rooster's head that mattered.

It wasn't as if he'd gone completely unprepared - there was no doubt the ward he wore around his neck had repelled the paralyzing gaze – he simply hadn't expected the thing to have deadly breath as well. His own breath was getting short, which was bound to happen when one's chest seized up.

He could only hope Gaius would return before Arthur came looking for his absent servant.