Merlin parked his car outside a brown building and got out. A small sign stated:

Connor Reid, M.A. LPC

Professional Counselor and Therapist

This was his life for this decade. Over the centuries he had changed identities and jobs like one changed clothes, never getting too attached to a particular field so that he could always move on to the next one. The little fact that he had magic also helped considerably as he could memorize entire books and heal near death people with his spells. He had been a lawyer, teacher, curator, medical assistant (his favorite so far), librarian and many more. He had even been part of a local band in the small Irish town of Dunloy, as a Bodran player, but that didn't go too well. It had a been a particularly lonely year, even more so than the rest, so he gave it a try. He decided to stick to simple, academic professions after that, not wanting to be kicked out of a bar again.

But he never left Britain. He didn't care how long it took, how impossible it seemed as the millenium came to a close with no sign of him, he refused to give up hope of seeing Arthur again. He will rise again, of that Merlin was sure.

Until then, he did all he could to occupy his time and give back to each community he was living in. He soon discovered living forever could be extremely boring if you had no one by your side. So he immersed himself in books, learned all he could and here he was in 2013, a therapist in North London. Helping others get rid of their demons while his own plagued him day and night. But he tried not to dwell on that too much, he tried.

Merlin walked inside and was greeted by the sight of his perky receptionist Delilah. With her blond hair and hyper personality, she vaguely reminded him of Vivian.

"Good Morning Dr. Reid." she gave him a bright smile.

"Morning Delilah. I wanted to let you know, I have an unscheduled appointment today with a Ms. Campbell, so just direct her to my room when she gets here."

Delilah nodded and then went back to her computer. Merlin was sure he would find her tweeting about last night's 'wicked' party if he were to check.

He went inside his office and glanced at the clock. Ms. Campbell should be here in about fifteen minutes if she turned out to be punctual. Rita Kavatski, one of his colleagues, phoned him the other day and asked him for a favor. Apparently she was swamped with clients and couldn't take on anyone else, but there was someone who really needed help and she wanted him to be her therapist. He agreed even though he usually liked to pick his own clients, Rita was a lovely old woman for whom he'd make an exception. He would miss her terribly when he disappeared once more.

A firm knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

" Come in."

The door opened to reveal the one person he thought he would never see again: Morgana.

Merlin nearly dropped his cup of coffee as he gawked at her with disbelief etched across his face. What was she doing here? How was she even alive?

Delilah walked in behind her.

" Dr. Reid, this is Ms. Campbell."

The so called 'Ms. Campbell' held out her hand, and for an insane second Merlin thought she wanted him to kiss it, but then he realized that they were in the twenty first century and quickly shook it. His palm was sweaty as he pressed it stiffly against her cold skin.

Delilah left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

Merlin looked like he had seen a ghost, which was sort of true considering he had thrust a sword inside the very woman who sat in front of him. Apart from the modern clothes, nothing had changed. She was a carbon copy of the sorceress in his first life, the same striking features that could take away any man's breath. Only this time they weren't contorted with hatred and immeasurable rage, this time she looked vulnerable, almost exactly like she had been when she came running to Gaius' chambers that night so long ago, with bags underneath her eyes that spoke of countless sleepless nights.

She was waiting for him to speak, but when it became clear that he wouldn't, she fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat and began, " My first name is Aisleen, you can call me by that if you wish, instead of Ms. Campbell."

Merlin still said nothing. For centuries he tried his best to keep Camelot's former ward out of his mind, thinking about her brought the most painful memories as he reminisced about days when she was so kind and compassionate, and how she had been reduced to nothing but a bitter shell of her former self. Thoughts of just how badly he failed her, and in the end how he killed her, would haunt him for days. A thousand years was a long time, enough to make you rethink all your choices and feel guilty about your worst enemy in another life.

But surely it wouldn't be enough for her if she had somehow managed to come back. Merlin was expecting that cruel smirk to appear any second now, her green eyes would glow gold and he would be flung across the room. But nothing of that sort happened, instead the Morgana look alike just stared at him, anticipating some sort of reply. Who was this woman and what was she playing at?

" Okay Aisleen." he somehow managed to choke out. "Rita briefly told me about your case, but I would like you to tell me a little bit about yourself, what you do, your likes, dislikes?"

He wasn't sure what to say or ask anymore. His degree and certificate on the wall were mocking him now, some therapist he was, at a loss for words. But how could he treat Morgana, if she even was the high priestess? He hadn't seen anyone from Camelot and now here she was, it was safe to say he was completely baffled.

" Well, I'm 21 years old, an only child and a dancer at 'The Royal Ballet' in Covent Garden. So naturally my favorite movie is the 'Black Swan'-"

" You're a dancer?" Despite the gravity of the situation and his sense of foreboding, Merlin couldn't help the bewildered smile spreading across his face. Morgana, a dancer? What the hell kind of crazy world was he living in?

She obviously didn't miss his amused expression and replied curtly, " Yes, is there a problem Dr. Reid?" She sounded offended and now looked like how Morgana would during one of her arguments with Arthur.

He realized how rude he must seem, and quickly wiped the insolent grin off his face.

"None at all, please continue." he asked politely.

She still seemed slightly miffed but carried on. " There's not much else to say, I am introverted and find it hard to express myself using words, so I do it through art, whether it is singing, drawing or dancing, I do a little bit of each, but mostly dancing. It's my life and nothing brings greater pleasure to me, that is why I am here today. I haven't been able to concentrate on anything lately, whatever Dr. Kavatski told you, I assure you it's ten times worse. It's ironic that my name 'Aisleen' means 'dreams'. It should've been nightmare." Her voice grew sombre, eyes downcast as she recalled the events of last night.

In retrospect, Merlin should have guessed the moment Rita told him that his new patient had a severe case of chronic nightmare disorder. He was beginning to comprehend this bizarre situation, though he couldn't be quite sure until she related the content of her nightmares.

" There could be a number of reasons why you might be suffering from bad dreams Aisleen." she scoffed at the term 'bad dreams' as though to imply it was so much more than that.

He ignored her and continued, " Anxiety and stress in life, excess consumption of alcohol, drugs including antidepressants, barbiturates, and narcotics, post-traumatic stress disorder due to recent traumatic events you've experienced, and sometimes even common illnesses such as the flu can trigger nightmares. We have to be honest with each other, are you addicted to drugs or alcohol or even smoking, as nicotine can lead to sleep disorders as well."

She leveled a dark look at him. " You want me to be honest, let me tell you, I had no desire to come here this morning. It's all the same with you therapists. You just don't understand. You sit there with your pen and pad and offer practical solutions to us ignoramuses who just can't get a grip on their lives. I've heard it all Dr. Reid."

In a high pitched voice she imitated 'Aisleen dear, nightmares are just signals representing the disturbance that is taking place in your mind as a result of some stressful life events you are going through. You need to interpret these signals correctly in order to understand the message your subconscious mind has decoded into a nightmare.' But what they don't understand is that my life is perfectly fine! I wasn't abused as a child, I have the most wonderful, supportive parents in the world, and no, I haven't gone through some great ordeal that has changed my world. My nightmares aren't the result of what happens to me during the day, it is something else entirely. I have been having 'bad dreams' since I was six years old so neither drug abuse or alcohol caused it. Over the years my parents have tried every method, and for a while it would go away, I would finally get some peace. But they always come back, always. All the counselors repeat the same thing over and over again, I'm sure some even think I should be sent to an asylum by the time we part ways. I gave up on counseling long ago, gritted my teeth and just dealt with it at night. But recently they are getting out of control, I don't feel like a normal person anymore. My parents couldn't see me suffer like that, and the only thing my poor mother could do was to set me up with another shrink, she made me promise I would go today. But I wish I had broken that promise since it'll just be repeating history again, so how about you simply dismiss me as another nutcase and we can both be happy?"

Saying Merlin was shocked would be an understatement. He did not expect that outburst. Usually his patients had a hard time opening up and sharing their deepest troubles or worries, but she just laid all her cards on the table immediately. But something Morgana, or Aisleen or whoever she was, said had touched a nerve. Repeating history?They were at the same exact position again that they were a thousand years ago, how surreal. But there was no Gaius or Kilgarrah this time to influence his choices, he had to decide himself whether he would help this woman or not. And he had already made up his mind.

He was about to apologize when she beat him to it. " I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone off like that. You must think I'm crazy." she looked thoroughly embarrassed and wanted nothing more than to just get out of there.

" No offense, but I specialize in crazy and I assure you, I've seen far worse." he gave her an easy smile. "Let's start over shall we? I'll try my best not to act like a pompous know-it-all this time."

She went bright red but he chuckled, and after a while she joined in too.

" Tell me what you see Aisleen."

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leant back in her chair. " Now you'll really think I'm a lunatic, especially if you hear my theories."

" Let me be the judge of that. I won't interrupt or tell you my thoughts till you've finished. I want you to tell me everything."

She nodded and commenced. "Where do I begin? I see mass death and destruction, bodies scattered across a bloody battlefield, on such a massive scale it could be the world war, but it's not. It's a different era, these are not countries at war, these are kingdoms. I don't see bombs and fighter aircraft, I see knights riding horses, clashing swords and...magic. The images are all so blurry, I can never see the faces, but I see nameless people falling left and right, and here's the best part, I feel like I'm not a mere onlooker, I am part of this battle, I am the cause behind this calamity. I can feel it. I think...I think they are not dreams, they're memories."

She opened her eyes and a wry smile twisted her lips. " Still believe I'm sane Dr. Reid?"

" Call me Connor, and yes I do, please continue." he replied without hesitation. His words rang true and she knew he genuinely meant what he said. Not a reaction she expected but she made no further comment.

She settled back into her chair once more. " It's not all bad you know. Some nights I see myself in a castle banquet hall, surrounded by well dressed lords and ladies, and servants holding jugs of wine. I am happy, laughing and talking in whispers to a maid I think, judging by her clothes. But I can't see her face, I can never see their faces. It's like the screen has been cut off on the top while watching a film in my head. The merriment only lasts for a few moments though, it never ends well."

" I've noticed a recurring pattern in my dreams. I'd be standing in one location, but then it would morph into something similar but far more sinister and dangerous. For instance, I see myself being pushed back into a wooden chair, a large hand closing around my neck, suffocating me, but not intending to quite kill me. And then suddenly I'm sitting on the floor in a throne room, drinking water from a pouch someone just handed to me. Within seconds I'm clutching at my throat and desperately gasping for air that will never come. I am being poisoned, by some faceless man I thought I could trust."

Merlin had turned as white as sheet, and he continued to grow paler by the minute. This was his Morgana, his old friend, his worst enemy. And now she was back. He was glad her eyes were closed, because surely he thought, one look at his face would give him away. Aisleen carried on.

" The same thing happened again. I was dragged by some men, guards I presume, to a dungeon. They tossed me inside and chained me to a wall, but I had paid them no attention. I was shouting at someone else who stood at the entrance, shouting about how he was a tyrant. I sat down on the cold stone floor and closed my eyes, but when I reopened them I was in a different cell. It was a thousand times worse than the first one, and I wasn't the only prisoner this time. There was someone, something beside me and it's cries are inhuman. It's white and huge like some mythical creature from fairytales, but there's no happy ending for us. We weren't just being held captive there, we were being tortured. Why? I don't know."

" And then there's the most recent nightmare, I haven't seen anything for the past week, and each time, I wake up terrified and screaming even though I know what's coming. I'm lying in the woods, bleeding to death due to a wound in my side and the same creature who was with me in that cell comes and breathes life back into me. I'm filled with wonder and surprise but the picture shifts soon and I'm standing on a deserted field, looking as like I'd been through hell. Someone, a man I'm certain, stabs me with a sword and I am shocked because in my mind, I didn't think he could do it. He twists the blade inside me and I collapse on the ground,once more bleeding profusely. It's a dreadful sight, sentences on the tip of my tongue that I never can utter, and just before the darkness overtakes me, I hear two words: 'Goodbye Morgana.'

The silence surrounding them was spiraling out of control, they could hear the clock ticking but no one still said anything.

" But that's just scratching the surface, I see a host of other terrible things I'd rather not talk about. What do you think it means, is my subconscious self trying to tell me that I have another name or what?" she finally spoke up.

" To tell you the truth, I don't know. I'm curious about why you think these are memories, not just dreams?"

She sighed, obviously having tried to explain the answer to this same question a million times to other people, but failing miserably each time. " I don't think you'll understand, even if I tell you, even if I show you, I don't think you will. You have to live through it like I did, since I was a child, and then you'll realize that it's not just a figment of your overactive brain or wild imagination, it's the story of your past, your very real past, narrated through dreams."

Once again Merlin was stumped, he knew all the answers to her questions, but even in this lifetime he couldn't come forward and just tell her the truth.

" But their significance doesn't matter to me anymore, all I want to do is get rid of them! The nightmares occur on an almost daily basis, leaving me petrified and desperately fatigued. I don't want to see myself dying anymore, or killing others for that matter! I wake in the middle of the night terrified, afraid to go back to sleep. And the horrible feelings are hard to shake off, they continue to haunt me throughout the day. It's affecting my life, my work, my family and I would give anything to get rid of it." she truly looked exhausted and Merlin couldn't help the feeling of dejavu as she sat in front of him, with sunken eyes and trembling hands. No, no repeating history this time Morgana.

" I think I can finally be of some assistance here Aisleen. There are three options here now for you, decide which one you would like to go with.

The first one is psychodynamic psychotherapy, where patients meet regularly with a therapist to discuss their nightmares and consider any emotional problems that might be causing them. But since you've been doing that your whole life and there's been no progress, I wouldn't recommend it.

The second option is taking prazosin, a medication usually prescribed for high blood pressure; studies have shown that nightly doses of the drug are effective against chronic nightmares in people with post traumatic stress disorder. But since you believe that is not the case with you, I don't think that'll be much help either.

So the last option is not such a modern, conventional method. I have a herbal remedy for nightmares that has proven effective on all my patients. It's a concoction I make personally, with natural ingredients. I have a license to prescribe drugs and I assure you it has no side effects and is completely safe. So what do you say?"

She looked a little dubious about the idea, and thought for a while before finally shrugging and saying " I've taken countless drugs, pills, medication over the years, I suppose I could give your 'magical' herbal remedy a try."

He winced at the word magical but she didn't notice. He told her to wait a second and then ran inside the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. He took out a small vial filled with azure blue liquid and said "Gefultuma híe þæt heo onslæpe."

It was the same enchantment Morgause had used on Morgana's healing bracelet that drove her nightmares away. He'll be damned if she didn't sleep like a baby tonight.

He went outside to find her texting, probably telling a friend how she wasted her morning at the office of some old school shrink handing out potions.

She heard him approach and looked up from her phone. He handed her the vial and she thanked him, putting it inside her bag. She stood up and held out her hand and he shook it once more.

There was little else for him to say except, " Remember to engage in regular exercise, it will help alleviate nightmare-causing anxiety and stress. And although I know you are not addicted to anything, still remain cautious about the use of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, which can remain in your system for more than 12 hours and often disrupt sleep patterns. Just in case."

" Sure, no problem. Once again, thank you Dr. Reid."

" Connor." he reminded her.

" Oh yes sorry, Connor. It's just, please don't mind, I just didn't expect you to be so young. You barely look like you're in your early twenties, most of my therapists are well in their late thirties or forties."

He smirked. " Well, I did skip a few grades."

She smiled and waved goodbye as she walked out of the building. Merlin watched her drive away in her Jaguar. He turned away from the window and prepared for his next patient, although his mind remained on the first one for the rest of the day.

Aisleen toyed with the tiny vial in her hand, wondering whether she should drink it or not. She found Dr. Reid a little shady and queer, what with the way he was staring at her and seemed tongue tied and pale at regular intervals during their session, especially when she provided him with a detailed outline of her dreams. Maybe he was just a little weirded out she thought. He certainly wouldn't be the first, Aisleen had dealt with unsympathetic people all her life who thought she was an attention seeking idiot or just a loser with an overactive imagination. She soon learned that sharing her dreams and what she thought they meant with others didn't end well. Now she only confided in her parents, best friend and the string of therapists she had in the past few years. None had managed to truly help her get rid of her night terrors.

She looked at the bottle one more time, before slowly opening it and pouring the contents down her throat. She drifted off to sleep with little hope of a peaceful, dreamless night.

Merlin stayed awake till one that night, wondering why now, why here, and why Morgana? Why couldn't it be Gwen, or Gaius or his mother, someone who he could embrace wholeheartedly and tell them that yes, their dreams are true. He couldn't do that with her.

He was plagued with nightmares that night, while his patient was enjoying peaceful slumber for the first time in a long time.

The next morning Merlin had barely entered his office when he felt someone crash into him and embrace him tightly. Aisleen. Her soft hair smelled like jasmines and he buried his face in it as he hugged her back.

" Yup, she's been here since I opened up Dr. Reid, spouting praises about you." Delilah informed him with a wry smile.

Aisleen finally let go and said " Thank you, thank you so much! It worked! For years I've tried everything but nothing was as effective as this little remedy. You don't know how much it means to me to be finally able to close my eyes without the fear of seeing terrible things. I do hope you have a large stock in your office." she asked tentatively.

Merlin grinned, truly happy that she was happy. " Of course I do, come on in."

He led her inside and told her to wait. This time he came out carrying a large cylindrical bottle filled with the same blue liquid and handed it to her.

" Thank you so much once again. I don't think mere fees is enough for this, is there anything else I can do for you, anything at all?"

All he could think of was how she would slip out of his life once again. After today, she would have no reason to see him again, at least not for a while, and even if she did, it would just be to collect the potion. So, he couldn't help himself, couldn't stop it, before he knew the words fell from his lips, " Would you like to go out sometime?"

Immediately he wished he could take them back as a stunned expression crossed her features, eyes wide and mouth forming a small 'o'. Clearly she was not expecting that. Merlin's face turned beet red and he wanted to shoot himself for being such an idiot.

" I'm so sorry, I don't know where that came from, I mean I just-"

She cut him off. "Yes, I would. Like to go out. Sometime." she spoke the words haltingly, as though wondering why she was agreeing so easily and quickly but at the same time, couldn't help but give him a positive reply.

They were both silent after that, and it just went from awkward to more awkward. Finally Aisleen took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it and gave it to Merlin. " Here's my number, give me a call and we'll meet again soon. I guess."

She stumbled out of there as fast as she could, very ungraceful and not like a ballerina at all.

Merlin stood staring after her a while, clutching the piece of paper in his hand. He could hardly believe he had just asked her out and she had agreed.

" Ahem." Delilah leaned against the door frame, with raised eyebrows and a wicked grin on her face.

Merlin groaned. " You heard all that didn't you?"

" Every last bit. My my I never knew you were such a romantic Dr. Reid. Sure this chick is gorgeous but we've had pretty girls come here before and you barely gave them a second glance. This one must be special somehow."

" You're right Delilah, she is. She is very, very special."

next chapter: the date!