THE ROYAL CHAMBER

The midnight moon glimmered in the night sky.

Its crystal light shimmered through royal chamber, striking with the candle and fire light that filled the room with warmth.

The occupants of the room were deep in slumber, embraced together and safe in their bed.

Over one month had passed.

Over one month had passed since Guinevere had proved her love to the powers that resided in Avalon.

It had been over one month since Arthur had been brought back from the dead.

He slept on his back now, his white shirt soft and warm against his wife's cheek, where she was laying on her side against his chest.

One of his arms was around her back and shoulders, resting on the top of her arm and holding her to him. The same arm that his hand rested on was laying half on his chest, her small delicate hand covering his heart, feeling it beat steadily against her palm.

His other hand was on hers, holding it there.

His hand on the top of her hand was covered by hers, which was folded across her chest between her torso and his side.

They slept wound together nearly every night now, wanting to be near one another…

Part of Guinevere knew that she was too terrified to let him go.

She slept soundly, filled with a glowing warmth that spread up through her body from its deep center low in her abdomen.

She had yet to know the cause of it.

Arthur shifted in his sleep, and his arm flexed around his wife somewhat.

Behind his eyelids, his eyes flickered around, squinting in his sleep against a bright white light which filled his head.

It was not a dream.

It was not a memory.

It was somewhere in between.

"Arthur…"

"Mother…"

A voice filled his head and he could see himself, watching as a past him was rushing towards a woman with blonde hair and his eyes.

"My son…"

Her arms wrapped around him and consoled him.

Arthur watched and turned his head, to realise that he was wearing the clothes that he had died in, and that he was silver, a flickering ghost.

He was the Arthur that Guinevere had showed her love to… the one that she had seen in Avalon.

Was he dead?

Was he remembering what it was to be dead?

His head turned again, and saw the woman who was embracing the Arthur that he could see.

His mother glanced at him.

"Watch."

That was all she said.

He turned his head forwards and watched the scene.

His heart started to beat faster.

He could see himself, and he remembered.

He was being shown the exchange from years ago, when Morgause had resurrected his mother…

But Merlin had said that it was not his mother..

His father had denied it all…

Yet here it was before him again…

Had his mother showed them this when he had been dead in Avalon…

He could not remember seeing her.

He could not remember seeing his father.

He could not remember anything of being dead…

But here he was, stood watching a memory…

His mother was showing it to him.

The real, alive, sleeping Arthur started to twitch, his eyes screwing up as his heart beat faster.

The words of the memory flowed through his blood, breathing something knew into his body…

Gwen stirred slightly against him, feeling his arms tighten around her.

Words from the memory filled his head as his mother stood beside him and stared with sad eyes at the scene he was being shown.

"He went to sorceress Nimueh and asked for her help in conceiving a child…"

The Arthur in his head straightened, watching as the Arthur from the memory started to let tears fall down his face.

He could feel the weight of the memory chorusing him, the knowledge of what it meant…

But it sparked something in the back of his brain.

"You were born of magic."

The mother at his side cast him a frantic glance as his mother in the memory, in that cave with Morgause and Merlin, grabbed his arms and pleaded with him to listen and to understand.

"To create a life a life must be taken your father knew that…"

Sleeping Arthur's heart started to hammer and he coughed slightly, shaking his head in his sleep.

He twitched and stirred and it woke Guinevere.

She blinked her eyes and rubbed her hand over his heart.

Inside Arthur's mind his heart was pounding, just as the one in his alive and beating chest did.

"He sacrificed my life so that the Pendragon dynasty could continue… but now that I see you I would have given my life willingly."

Arthur twitched in his sleep and made an incoherent noise.

Gwen rubbed her eyes and shifted her head on his shoulder.

Behind his eyes Arthurs head was spinning with what he was seeing.

He was seeing a memory, from the eyes of his dead self.

He was watching his past self, meet his mother, and learn the truth regarding his father's hatred of magic…

But was it the truth?

"Do not let this knowledge change you…"

His mother's voice faded and the memory did to.

Arthur snapped his head to his right to see the mother at his side smile sadly and touch his cheek.

Everything disappeared into blinding white light.

Arthur drew in a long breath as though he had been underwater a long time.

His eyes blinked up at the canopy of the bed above him, and for a moment the world swam with disorientation.

"Arthur…" Gwen pushed herself up drearily, rubbing his chest.

His eyes continued t stare at the ceiling above, and his heart hammered in his chest.

His raging and frightened heart contrasted the confused look in his eyes, and the silent exterior of his face.

His mind swirled.

"What is the matter?" She asked him anxiously.

He shook his ehad slightly.

"I… my mother…"

She narrowed her eyes, his inchoernet words making her soothe him.

"It was a dream Arthur, just a dream…" She stroked his chest.

"It didn't feel like a dream…" He mumbled, not looking at her, still staring at the ceiling.

He half sat, and she pushed herself up onto her knees facing him.

His eyes were glazed and she was anxious.

"It felt…" His voice was low.

Something in his mind snapped together.

He pushed her gently away from him and threw back the covers, yanking on his boots and striding across the room.

"Arthur!" She called anxiously in confusion.

He opened the door and let it slam behind him.

GAIUS'S CHAMBERS

Merlin's snores were cut off by an incessant hammering on the door to Gaius's chambers.

The young warlock groaned and pushed himself up onto his arms, rubbing his eyes and swallowing against the dry feeling that came with sleeping with one's mouth open.

The knocking continued and he stumbled from bed, barely making it out of the door into the main chambers by the time the door burst open.

Gaius stopped shuffling towards it as the king burst in.

Arthur let it slam behind him, and stared at the two of them, his face pale and his eyes wide.

Gaius narrowed his eyes.

"Arthur?"

Merlin stepped closer, a small confused smirk on his face.

"What is wrong, it looks as though you have seen a ghost…"

Something in his words made Arthur stiffen and turn his eyes on Gaius.

"Is it true?" He demanded.

Gaius stared at him in shock.

Merlin's heart beat faster.

"IS what true…"

Arthur snapped.

His words were confused and therefore angry.

They demanded an answer from Gaius.

"Is it true, all that my mother once said to me, is it true that my father used magic to have me conceived, and that is where his hatred from magic came from, and that is why my mother died."

A/N - MERLIN CREDIT THEME – nah nah….. so this is the start of episode 1 – big things and big changes happen! Welcome to the series that Tiger Aspect should have written – it contains most of the things that you as reviewers have said and begged for.