Chapter One

Merlin sat in his chambers looking at his hands. He closed his eyes and opened them grinning at his hands, then he closed his eyes again and opened them grinning even harder.

"What is so entertaining about your hands?" asked Gaius stood in the doorway.

"I finally did it," said Merlin still smiling, "I can turn the Sight on and off."

"What do you see in your hands with the Sight?" asked Gaius frowning.

"You know I told you I started seeing colors everywhere, coming from people?" asked Merlin.

"Yes, I did some research I think you're seeing part of the soul called an aura, it's like an energy that shows a person's personality and feelings."

"And if they have magic," said Merlin.

"How do you know that?" asked Gaius.

"Normal people are flat colors, that shift and change like you said with emotions, people who have magic have that too, but the color is more vibrant and it sparkles," said Merlin.

"Magic sparkles?" asked Gaius frowning.

"Yes," said Merlin, "you have a faint sparkle, since you can use magic, but usually don't. Your aura is orange by the way, changing from very pale to very dark almost red. My aura is bright blue, like lightening."

Gaius smiled at him, "Here," he said, handing Merlin a sandwich, "you should get going; the entertainers are coming this afternoon."

"Stop gawping like an idiot, Merlin," said Arthur. Merlin pulled back from watching the acrobats in the courtyard.

"What's wrong?" asked Merlin, "It's your birthday, there's a feast planned, and there's acrobats, dancers and jugglers coming to entertain you!" Merlin smirked, "It must be a terrible burden."

"Perhaps I'm not as easy to entertain as you are Merlin," said Arthur going over the latest crop reports from the outlying villages, the break in the weather wouldn't last and they needed whatever was left to be harvested quickly. The grain stores needed to be replenished and…. he looked around because Merlin had gone quiet. Normally he just tuned out his servant's mindless ramblings, Arthur found it oddly soothing. Now when he looked at why the prattle had stopped, he saw Merlin was back at the window, except this time his face didn't show the unconcealed glee he'd had before. He was frowning. "What is it now Merlin?" asked Arthur, suppressing the urge to ask if he'd seen a ghost, mostly because the answer would probably be yes.

"That one," said Merlin pointing discreetly to an older man with the entertainers.

"What about him?" Arthur asked frowning.

"There's a line of the dead behind him, and they don't mean him well," said Merlin.

"Is he in danger?" asked Arthur, "Or are they like friendly spirits?"

"They're not friendly," said Merlin still staring down at the man, "but he's not the one in danger. You are."

Merlin screamed, and blood splashed across stone, and Arthur sat crying. A dagger raised high. A cup clattered to the ground. A body lay in state in the great hall, and another on a slab in the crypts of Camelot. Morgana woke from her vision with a start, a smile playing across her face.

Author's notes: This is the I'm sure long awaited sequel to my S4 plot-hole plugging story No Mortal. I hope you all enjoy it! Later Cynic.