I really have no excuse for this. I really don't know what to say. I'm really really sorry! *looks sheepish*

So anyway...

Merlin became paralysed with shock as he stared up at the sword tip looming closer. He knew he should fight or at the least move away, but he found he could not. His throat closed up and a silent scream escaped his lips. Everything around him faded away, leaving him staring up at the apparition with a strange sense of calm. Air rushed into his ears, causing a buzzing sound to echo through his ear. The sword was almost about to stab him and Merlin closed his eyes waiting for the impact, but the impact never came. There was a clash of metal and Merlin opened his eyes to see the Viking illusion flung back. He looked up at the grinning face of Curtin, Lord Darius's son, and grabbed the hand that was held out.

"Can't have the magician dying on us can we?" Curtin joked as he hauled Merlin to his feet. Merlin only smiled weakly turning to face the illusions that were now surging towards him. Merlin had been in so many near-death situations that he didn't even bat an eye-lid as he immediately began fending himself against the onslaught of illusions.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" Curtin exclaimed as he attempted to punch an apparition in the shoulder but only succeeded in causing his hand to go through and the illusion to flicker for a moment before becoming stable again and resuming its attack.

Merlin found himself back to back with Curtin as the illusions surrounded the pair. Merlin dodged and blocked aptly, occasionally blasting the illusions. Blasting fire at them did not work, as the fire balls merely passed through and illusions regenerated themselves again. Nothing he tried worked on them, as they simply ploughed through. Behind him, Curtin was a fighting terrier. He knocked back the illusions left and right only to have them getting up charging again.

"Any idea on how to defeat them?" Curtin yelled over the clash of metal and the agonising screams of men.

Merlin shook his head, but, realising that Curtin couldn't see him yelled, "No"

Merlin had seen and fought immortal soldiers and even the dead, but never something as intangible as these illusions. Swords and crossbows did not work on them as they simply went through them, and magic did not do much damage to them either. As the magician here, everyone expected him to come with the solution, a way to defeat the illusionary Vikings. There was no telling when the real soldiers would attack, if there were any, hence a solution needed to be found quickly. The Knights of Vestavia and Jaures were increasingly becoming exhausted. If they felt anything like the dead-weight Merlin felt he was, then it was only a matter of an hour or so before the Vikings claimed victory.

Merlin suddenly found himself thinking of Gaius. Gaius would know what to do, but there was no Gaius here. "I don't know how long we can go on like this. Isn't there something you can do?" Curtin shouted.

Around him Merlin could see the laboured movements of the battle weary men.

"Nothing I try seem to have any effect on the men" Merlin yelled back. Merlin really wished Gaius was here right now. Gaius always knew what to do, he always had a solution. Merlin had an inexplicable urge to see the old physician.

Suddenly Merlin found himself being sucked into a black void. Everything around him contorted and twisted into black nothingness as the ground beneath him warped into empty air. He could hear someone call his name, trying to reach him. He tried to reach out, call out but it fell on deaf ears. He was spinning in a black swirl. Then as suddenly as it began, he felt himself plummet to the ground, collapsing in a mass of limbs on the stone floor.

Everything seemed too quiet. Where were the dying screams of the men and the clanging of swords and armour? Where was he?

Wearily, Merlin opened his eyes and almost gasped at where he was. He nearly cried as he looked up the old man hunched over a bench, examining a vial of potion. Everything was so familiar; his mop of white hair, the long brown robes and even the hunched way he held himself. The various instruments and tinctures strewn across the tables and the familiar smell of dried herbs wafting across the room brought tears to Merlin's eyes. Oh how he had missed this place. He tried to get up, but his head spun and he fell back with a cry. The other man turned around and Merlin watched as his eyes widened in surprise.

"M…Merlin?" his voice was a mere whisper, almost not daring to hope as he rushed over. Merlin felt two comforting hands on his shoulder as he was helped to stand. "It's really you, but how?"

As Merlin found himself staring up into the two familiar grey eyes and a face that seemed to have aged ten years within a matter months, the fact that he had just accidently transported himself here seemed almost trivial. His eyes became moist as Merlin was pulled into a tight embrace. "I've really missed you" Merlin told the man who was more or less his father. A feeling of warmth and calmness spread through him as Merlin relished the embrace.

"I've missed you too. It's not been the same without you" Gaius responded, "But how did you come to be here?" Gaius asked pulled back.

"I don't know myself. One minute I was in the battlefield and the next I am here" Merlin waved his hand as if demonstrating his sudden appearance in Camelot.

"Remarkable…" Gaius trailed off. Was it some form of teleportation? He had seen many sorcerers with that ability. Then what Merlin had said seemed to register. "Battlefield? Merlin what…"

"Oh, Gaius I don't know what to do! They expect me to know, to be able to defeat them. Oh Merlin's got magic! He'll know what to do! But I don't, Gaius, I don't. It's like the immortal soldiers again. How do you defeat illusions? Fight illusions? They're illusions not something solid you can attack. Oh what do I do? They're expecting me to figure it out, but how? And I'm wasting too much time! More will die the longer it takes…"

Gaius patiently listened to the garbled prattle of his ward, but understood none of it. What was this battle Merlin was talking about? And these illusions? Gaius almost smiled in relief. It was like these past months hadn't occurred at all, like a normal ordinary day where Merlin had discovered some magical threat that he needed to stop and was throwing a fit about. Gaius felt as if a large boulder had suddenly lifted from his shoulders. He didn't know what he had been so worried about the past months. Every waking moment had been spent with needless worrying, wondering how Merlin was doing, if he was even alive. Trouble never ceased to follow Merlin. But Gaius needn't have worried. It was Merlin for heaven's sake, he always found a way, even if sometimes rather foolish and idiotic, but he always was optimistic.

"Merlin" Gaius called.

Merlin stopped his wild ramblings and stared at Gaius with wide eyes.

"I don't understand what you are talking about"

Merlin sighed. "I'm sorry Gaius. I guess this is just overwhelming, that's all. I never imagined I'd find myself in Camelot within a blink of an eye."

"Yes, I don't suppose it happens to anyone normally" Gaius smiled. Only Merlin could've accidently teleported himself somewhere.

"So what was it you were yattering about?" Gaius asked.

"Gaius I don't have much time, but I don't suppose you know of a way to defeat illusions?"

Gaius blinked. Only Merlin he found himself thinking again.

Merlin sighed before telling Gaius everything that had happened as briefly as possible. He knew it left Gaius with more questions than it had answered but there was not enough time. The knights of Vestavia and Jaures had already pushed themselves to the limit. They could not go on.

"So do you know of a way to defeat them?" Merlin asked once he had briefed Gaius on what had happened. Gaius looked thoughtful as he moved to his vast collection of books.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, following Gaius.

"It would be something similar to that of the cup of life…" Gaius mused.

"Cup of Life? What? How?" Merlin was confused

Gaius did not respond as he began skimming through a large time. Making a noise of displeasure, he set the thick volume aside and got another while Merlin hovered nearby anxiously.

"What is it you are looking for?" Merlin asked. He had hoped that Gaius would've known a solution. He did not want to spend time looking through books.

"Vessels…channels…conduits….things like that"

Merlin was still confused. "I don't understand"

Gaius finally looked up. "Merlin from what you've said I can only imagine that some kind of vessel or conduit has been used to contain the enchantment. Creating illusions and keeping them moving and fighting requires so much concentration and energy, especially if as you say the illusions act as an army. It's already quite difficult to maintain the illusions, but even more so when you have a large number to act as an army. That's why I'm willing to bet the enchanter would've have invested in some kind of vessel."

"So if we find the vessel and destroy it, then the illusions will disappear?" Merlin asked thoughtfully.

"Perhaps, but Merlin don't assume it's as simple as that"

"What do you mean?"

Gaius did not answer immediately, preferring to find a better explanation in his books. At last he seemed to find what he was looking for, as he lightly jabbed the page with his finger turning it towards Merlin. Merlin glanced at it with a furrowed brow, then looked up at Gaius. It seemed his ward still wasn't too enthusiastic about reading.

"Merlin, to cast and maintain an enchantment to the magnitude of what you described takes enormous power. I'd say the sorcerer has used a few different spells and charms to create the illusions, give them life-like features and have them imitate soldiers. A vessel may have been used to sustain and maintain the enchantments. But Merlin, a vessel can only be destroyed a certain way specific to the enchantments contained within it. You need to first learn what kind of enchantments have been placed before attempting to destroy it"

"How will…"

Whatever Merlin was about to ask was cut off as a knock sounded on the door, sounding much louder than it should in Merlin's ears. Merlin stared at Gaius with wide eyes. It would've almost been comical if it were not for the proverbial axe hanging above Merlin's neck that would come crashing down as soon as someone learnt that the warlock, a fugitive in the eyes of this kingdom's law, was inside the city. As much as Gaius loved Arthur, who may not have been as…narrow-minded…as his father, he knew magic was one subject where the King was relentless. Gaius knew that the King really couldn't be blamed for his short-sightedness when it came to magic, but it did not excuse the fact that he did not even try to understand the complexity of magic and the physician wasn't too sure if he would try to execute his beloved ward, not that he was ever going to give it a chance for it to ever happen.

With a huff, Gaius steered the unresponsive warlock towards the small room at the back, a room that had once been occupied by the said warlock. Gaius hadn't had the heart to change anything and apart from the dust particles gathered, nothing had changed since the night Merlin had fled for his life. Pushing Merlin into the room, hoping he'd get the hint to teleport himself out of Camelot as soon as he possibly could, he shut the door and turned to greet his unsolicited visitor.

His unsolicited visitor turned out to be a concerned husband wanting some kind of pain relief for his suffering pregnant wife. After giving the man what he wanted, and shooing the rather confused man out of his chambers he turned to the back room. He had hoped that Merlin had taken his subtle hint, but was pleasantly surprised to see that Merlin was still there, seated on the old rickety bed, wearing a rather dismayed expression.

"I thought you would've gone" Gaius said softly, but was glad to have the chance to at least bid his ward a proper farewell. The last time, everything had happened so suddenly that Gaius had hardly had enough time to say good-bye to his ward.

"What is it?" Gaius asked as he moved to sit beside Merlin. It was then that he caught sight of the hollow on the floor, a hollow where Merlin had once kept his prized magical possessions, the possessions that had either been burnt or stored in the underground vaults with all the other dangerous objects.

"I'm sorry Merlin. Arthur had your room searched and…" Gaius trailed off unable to continue. Merlin nodded, making a gesture that he understood and that by no means was it Gaius's fault. But Gaius could not help but curse his cowardice. He should've put up more of fight, he should've…his thoughts trailed off as he realised Merlin was speaking.

"…don't know how I got here. I just thought of you and here I am. But how do I get back? I tried to do the same thing but it doesn't work"

"I don't know Merlin," Gaius said gravelly, "but you need to leave soon. Arthur is not the man he once was, he may not be as merciful should he discover you here"

A brief hint of pain flashed across Merlin's face at the mention of Arthur, but vanished as the warlock grew thoughtful.

"Perhaps Kilgarrah can help me" Merlin mused thoughtfully.

Gaius watched his ward almost warily. "What are you planning?"

"I'll ask Kilgarrah to take me back to Vestavia. Gaius I need to get back quickly. A horse just isn't fast enough. If only I can figure out how I teleported myself here"

"And should you be discovered while you are sneaking through Camelot?"

And there it was; the insanely cheeky smile that Gaius had missed over the past months. "I'll be careful, Gaius, promise"

"Somehow, I don't feel too reassured" Gaius told the young man. For that was what he was. He wasn't the same frightened boy who had walked in here and saved him from breaking his back all those years ago. No, Merlin had grown beyond that. He was older, more mature and if Gaius was honest with himself more confident with his magic. Gaius could feel the web of magic cocooning Merlin and he knew his ward was finally able to be himself, something he was denied all his life. Gaius was glad, that despite the unpleasantness of the situation, that at least Merlin was able to grow into his magic, something he couldn't quite afford to do in Camelot. After a bidding him farewell and promising to visit soon, Merlin took his leave and Gaius couldn't help the prick of worry that entered his heart. Merlin could be scarily selfless at times and Gaius could only hope the foolish warlock took care of himself properly.

Half an hour later, Merlin found himself sitting in the usual meadow waiting for Kilgarrah to arrive. Camelot seemed to be the same yet different at the same time. It was something Merlin could not explain.

Merlin recalled the shock he felt when he had almost run into Arthur, while he was sneaking through the palace corridors. Merlin had all but a moment to press himself against the dark alcove before the King could see him. Arthur too looked no different from what Merlin remembered. Yet there was a steely glint to his features as he had marched down the corridor with two guards following him. It was the look of a man who had had seen too many betrayals, who had gone through too much heart break and it was all Merlin could do to comfort the man, the man- dare he admit it- who was once his best friend. He wondered how Arthur felt about him now. Arthur had never took betrayal well, and Merlin's with no doubt was probably the worst. But Merlin refused to feel guilty about something he could not control, refused to feel guilty for not sharing something that would've most likely gotten him killed.

As Merlin had watched the typically oblivious Arthur walk past, he couldn't help but notice the golden crown sitting imposingly upon the blonde's head. Merlin couldn't explain what thought, or lack of, had occurred to him then, but in a bout of mischievousness he flicked his hand causing the golden crown to tumble to the ground and roll away. Merlin had to clamp his mouth shut to stop the laughter the indignation and annoyance flashed across the King's face as he glared at the guards following him and ordered them to get. The sight of the two guards scrambling and running to fetch the King's crown nearly had Merlin burst into peals of laughter.

Thinking of that caused Merlin to collapse into giggles and that was how Kilgarrah found him when the Great Dragon arrived moments later.

"You seem to be in a better mood since I saw you last, you warlock. What amuses you so?" Kilgarrah chuckled as he landed in front of Merlin.

"It is nothing" Merlin said.

If Kilgarrah was wondering why Merlin was in Camelot, the very city he was banished from, he did not voice it and instead listened to Merlin as he asked to be taken to Vestavia. After grumbling about being treated like a horse, something Merlin heard enough of from the dragon, Kilgarrah finally conceded to taking Merlin back to Vestavia.

To be honest with you, I wanted to include the defeat of the Vikings and conclude the whole Vikings battle this chapter but I fear the chapter would've been incredibly long.

I thought it best to stop there plus I really wanted to get another chapter out soon and if I was going to include the final defeat it would be atleast another two weeks before I updated. (It's already taken me so long, I don't want to keep my wonderful readers waiting:))

The Arthur's crown part was something I always imagined Merlin doing and I this was good as any place to include. It isn't as humorous as I had originally imagined it, but this kind of flows with the story (well in my opinion anyway)

Anyway, how do you think the vessel should be destroyed? I've been leaning towards dragon's breath (partly because it's the only thing I could think of), but if any of you have any other more original (frankly I don't think dragon's breath is very original, but it's what I have) ideas I'd love to hear it! Really, I would!

Till next time:)