Daemon

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Merlin.

Warnings: Contains actual methods of exorcism, possession and sacrifice.

Summary: How would it feel to be trapped within your own mind, with someone else? A Royal-Merlin fiction.

Authors Note: See! I told you it would be up soon! So that was like nearly six months ago. *shrugs* – technicalities.

The main thing is I AM NOT DEAD! Yeah! So if anyone still cares about this; enjoy (I actually like this chapter… Which for me is quite unusual, anyway enough of my ramblings – read on!)

NEWS FLASH: Two of my stories are to be completely abandoned/deleted.

Well I supposed only really one of them, as technically Enslavedis being absorbed (Isn't that a horrible word! Like moist. Ugh moist moist moist. Oops, now I've side tracked us) Enslaved is being consumed (That's not really any better is it?) by this one, which in case you have forgotten, is Daemon.

The other to go is Remember Me largely because I have forgotten what I was rambling on about.

They'll both be deleted sometime after I posted this (when I can be bothered)

Chapter Two – Keep breathing

He watched as the rain pounded against the glass, through which he could see the knights training in the yard, the servants hurrying through the courtyard.

He could hear his manservant, Thomas, bustling around behind him.

His book, long since abandoned, lay in his lap as he idly twisted one of the corners.

His Father had confined him to his chambers again after his seizure yesterday. He'd been fine for months then suddenly it was back to this; at least when he was younger he hadn't known what he was missing.

It had been so embarrassing. It would be bearable if he could have some warning, so he wouldn't collapse in the middle of a knighting ceremony; in front of everyone.

Sighing he put the book back on the desk, he had to dine with his father that evening; no doubt he would have to answer a seemingly endless tirade of questions about his health.

He hated being so weak; People either tried to coddle him, like Gaius and his father, or they were like Arthur and dismissed him, putting him down at every chance.

He had a hard time deciding who was worse, the Squires or the Servants. The squires used him in their endless fight to become Arthur's number one, while the servants treated him like he was made of glass.

All he wanted was to be treated like a person.

"Your father will be waiting for you, My Lord"

The sound of Thomas's voice shook him from his reverie.

"Thank you Thomas, that will be all for today" He replied, not looking around, savouring a few last moments of peace before he would be forced to present himself for yet another barrage of overly-protective father questions.

"As you wish M'lord."

He heard the door swing shut behind his retreating manservant. He let out a sigh, easing himself out of the chair, he returned the book to the shelf, smoothing the slight crease in the front of his robes, he allowed his feet to pull him from the room.

He pushed the door to his father's chambers open; he could already hear Merlin's quiet voice from within

He hadn't bothered to change from training with the knights; he was covered in mud and grime, all the better for them to see what a fearless warrior he was; Particularly Merlin, the weakling.

Only yesterday the shrimp had collapsed in the middle of the ceremony, it had been hilarious! The perfect way to make the dull ceremony more to his taste, the only downside was all the attention Merlin had gotten from his father, not Merlin's. Merlin was only adopted; he would never be as good as him, Arthur.

"-m fine, Father, honest!"

"Your health is a serious matter, Merlin! And you will do as you are told!"

He had to fight to keep the smirk of his face; he loved it when his father chastised Merlin.

"…Yes Father…"

"Good, if you are still well in two weeks' time we can consider you taking a trip down to the lake and not a day soon – Arthur! There you are!"

"Sorry I'm late Father, I was just teaching your knights how to fight!" He drawled, rolling his shoulders as through to shrug off a strain, a trick he had seen some of the older knights doing.

Plonking himself down opposite Merlin he pulled the nearest platter towards him and began loading his plate.

He could feel his father's cool green-grey eyes watching him approvingly. He looked pointedly at Merlin, who had barely touched the food on his plate – this was what a true man should look like. Not scrawny and weak; what would Merlin do if Camelot was attacked by dragons?

Cower. That's what, behind the knights, behind Arthur.

"Merlin, please eat your food don't play with it" snapped Uther

"Yes Father" Came the quiet reply.

He had no willpower; that was Merlin's problem. Arthur decided. If he truly wanted too he could make himself better; Merlin just wanted to steal attention that should rightfully be his!

"When can I go to war father?" Arthur drawled

Referring to recent collapse of the peace treaty between Camelot and Mercia; King Bayard having finally managed to stamp out the opposition to his rule, had taken offence at the lack of action from its neighbour.

Uther chuckled, "Not yet son, I'm leaving this one to Gorlois

"Speaking of whom, he and the young lady Morgana will be visiting in the week; the latter of the two will be staying here in the Castle until her father returns from the borders"

Arthur couldn't contain the groan that escaped him, earning a sharp, albeit amused, look from his father

Morgana was no fun to have around; she was nearly as good with a sword as he was, although he would never tell her that, nor would she stand for pranks on Merlin; although why not he would never understand. After all, what else was the weakling good for?

"It would be appreciated if you would please refrain from attempting to decapitate each other this time, Arthur"

He snorted then

"She would never manage…

He trailed off under his father raised brow; sometimes he could push his father further than others

Uther continued as though there had been no interruption, fixing both him and Merlin with a stern glare

"In light of their upcoming visit, the Lady Helen of Mora will be coming to Camelot for a week of entertainment. As such I expect the both of you to behave; no more 'accidents' in the hallways Arthur, and no more provoking him Merlin; do you hear me?!"

"…Of course father"

Arthur only grunted in response, shovelling food into his mouth

Father would never have found out about that if Merlin had been slightly less of a girl, a slight smile forms on his lips at the memory of Merlin thrashing about soaked in freezing cold water-

"Arthur, please pay attention" The tone saying that Uther didn't expect it to have any impact "I was asking when you planned to go hunting"

The word 'hunting' making his ears prick up

"As soon as the weather clears up"

It had been nothing but rain and thunderstorms for weeks; it was supposed to be summer

"And what do you intend to do with the next few days Merlin?"

The boy in question flushed at being the sudden centre of attention, pushing the food around the platter with a fork at ever increasing speeds

"…Maybe read in the library?"

Arthur rolled his eyes; the library, it was always the library.

"Don't strain yourself, Merlin"

He had to bite his lip to contain the laugh, the idea that reading in the library being straining.

A half disguised laugh-cough escaped him; his father glanced at him briefly; while Merlin now resembled something akin to a tomato

His humour died when he saw how genuinely concerned Uther, his father; not Merlin's, his, was.

He would have killed to be looked at like that; once, must have been about three years ago now, he had fallen from his horse; dislocating his shoulder. Uther had only looked disappointed.

Yet Merlin only had to shiver and half the servants in the kingdom would descend upon him with blankets and Uther, HIS father not Merlin's, would worry; would walk out of council meetings to check on him.

It wasn't fair.

He wasn't Merlin's father. He couldn't understand it, why did Uther care so much about the 'peasant prince'

He didn't bother to hide the pure ice in his glare when he looked at Merlin, the little weed, stealing the attention that should have been his.

Hours later he eventually managed to escape his father's chamber, pleading exhaustion; he fled back to his chambers, away from the hate filled glares of Arthur

He didn't know what he had done to the prince this time, it was hardly like he wanted everyone checking on his health every ten minutes; as though he might drop dead at any time, he would give up everything to just be normal.

He didn't ask Uther to worry, to go on and on about his 'fragile' condition, and he certainly didn't mean to lord it over Arthur; truth be told he had never felt at home in the castle, and he would never have called Uther 'father' if he hadn't insisted on it.

His chambers were dark when he returned, comfortingly empty. He didn't want to see Thomas right now, just wanted to be alone.

He couldn't get those hate filled eyes out of his mind

He slipped under the linen sheets, twisting them between his hands with nervous energy; Arthur would be plotting something; he wouldn't let this lie.

"Magic! In my castle! In my son's chambers!"

"I-I-it-it's no-t-t what i-it look-ks like Sire…"

"Isn't it? So you are a liar as well as a Sorcerer?"

"S-sorcerer? N-no, you must believe me Sire-"

"Dark magic… I have grown lax…"

"N-no Sire, tis a p-poultice Sire-"

"So you admit to using magic!"

"N-no-

"But you admitted it was a poultice-

"It was meant to make him better Sire; I swear it, on my Father's grave"

The look Uther gave him was hard and unblinking

"Take him to the dungeons, he will be executed at first light on the third day; let him think on what he's done."

Arthur watched was the former manservant was dragged off,

He had hand it to Merlin; he really hadn't thought he had had it in him to even attempt to defy Uther.

He had heard Uthers shouting from outside the castle, yet Merlin had stood his ground. Merlin refused to believe that the man… Thomas? Had meant him any harm.

Looking at him now, his mouth set in an unhappy frown, hardly surprising given he was suffering under both the manservants' mothers and Uthers glares.

It was difficult to tell which held more venom.

He didn't envy Merlin this attention, although he was irked that it meant Uther hadn't even listened to how he, the wonderful Arthur, had sent four knights tumbling into the mud.

"Father I-"

"Enough Merlin, unless you want to spend the night in the cells" Uther snapped "I have heard enough from you"

Well that meant he owed Leon a sovereign, he had thought Uther cared more for Merlin than he did for the war on magic, apparently not.

Uther stood in one smooth motion, dismissing the assembled with a wave of the hand, guards showing the lower classes out.

"Mary Collins, may I express my deepest sorrow that your son turned to such dark magic's; death is the only way to save him, I am truly sorry your son chose this path"

Uther turned away, oblivious to the beams of hate that bore into his back, he probably would care anyway; she was just a peasant.

"Merlin, come"

Arthur fought to keep the smile of his face as he followed; Merlin was going to get yelled at again.

They entered Uthers personal chambers, Arthur leaning lazily against a pillar, while Merlin fidgeted under Uthers intense gaze

"Sire I-"

It was, apparently, the wrong thing to say; Uther exploded

"Do you have any idea of the danger you've been in? He very nearly killed you, using dark magic like that!"

"He was trying to hea-"

"Of course he would say that! He was trying to turn you against me! I will not have it, you will obey me! I am your king."

"…Of course Sire"

"I'm trying to protect you" Said Uther in a gentle tone

"…I know… Sire… It's just…" Merlin trailed off leaving Arthur confused as to what he was going to say next

"Magic is never the solution Merlin; I thought you would know that by now. That man must die, if I was to let him live others would follow. I must make an example of him; I take no pleasure from this."

"I-I know Sire…"

"Then why did you challenge me?!"

Arthur's amusement rose with Uthers anger

"He was my servant for so long I didn't think-"

"Magic infects everything Merlin, we must always be vigilant; it is a poison, corrupting anything it touches."

Merlin bowed his head, beaten.

"Return to your chambers, this morning must have been taxing for you and you must be tired. I will summon you later"

"Bu-" At Uther glare "Yes Father."

Arthur watched as Merlin slunk out, not looking at him, the tips of his ears burning.

"Jethan"

"Yes Sire?" the king's manservant stepped out of the shadows, where Arthur presumed he had been the whole time.

"Bring me Sir Roderick"

"Of course Sire"

As the door closed behind him Uther turned to Arthur

"You see now why I do as I must, one day it will fall to you to set the standard. You must be strong; Merlin will never truly understand, but he does not need too; he will never be king."

"Of course Father, I understand."

"Do you? We shall see"

It wasn't intended as an insult, but Arthur winced. He was much relieved when the clang of armour announced the arrival of Sir Roderick.

Arthur used the bustle of his arrival to escape; they were due to leave for the hunting trip that afternoon; having been delayed by the trial.

He leaned against the cool wood of the door; his chambers were once again his prison. The only small comfort was that Arthur would be leaving soon; he wouldn't have to creep down the hallways fearing an ambush every time he stepped outside.

The squires would leave him alone without Arthur there to lead them.

He was looking forward to Morgana's visit, it wasn't that he particularly liked her; in truth he rarely saw her, but it would be nice to have a few weeks of less attention; have the servants running around after someone else for a change.

He wasn't looking forward to meeting Lady Helen, official banquets were so very dull, nobody particularly wanted to talk to him, and there was nobody he particularly wanted to talk too so that often meant sitting in silence.

Sighing he crossed the room to the window, in the courtyard he could see Arthur shouting, servants rushing about, knights laughing.

He sank into the window seat, gazing out over the city, bustling with life.

This window had once been his only connection to the outside world; from here he could not only see most of the city but also all the way to the darkling woods.

This window had been the source of many vivid daydreams; of fighting bandits in the woods; saving travellers, of butchering evil Sorcerers.

Some days those dreams had been just to stand in the city, to feel like he actually existed.

He lost track of time he sat in that window seat, gazing out at the world he hardly knew, but he was there long after Arthur vanished into the woods.

It was the knock on the door that brought him back to himself

"The king requests your presence, my lord" Jethan announced from the doorway.

"Then take me too him"

Dread pooled in his belly, Uther would no doubt still be angry; he didn't like Arthur challenging him, he certainly wouldn't appreciate it from him, Merlin.

To be honest he had been surprised at himself, it wasn't the kind of thing he would normally do, but he had caught himself too late, his traitorous mouth had already done the damage.

He had felt awful standing to the left of the throne, Thomas's mother glaring at him; but what had he been supposed to do? He couldn't overrule the king; he wasn't even a proper prince!

Jethan's polite cough informed him they had arrived; the pointed look said he'd been staring at the door for some time.

"Best to get it over with, my Lord"

Merlin blinked in surprise, but then the door was open; Jethan ushering him into the room.

"Leave us" Uther snapped at the servant, who promptly bowed himself out of the room

Nervously he stepped into the centre of the room, sensing rather than seeing Uther standing with his back to him; facing the window.

"Merlin…" Uther let his voice trail off. "What am I to do with you?"

"My Lord?"

"Is that all I am to you?"

"…No I-"

"Then don't call me it! I might not be your flesh and blood, but I'm the closest damn thing you have to a father"

"I'm Sorry… Father"

"I couldn't stand it; the thought that man might have been trying to cast spells on you. Even if they were benevolent, you can never trust magic.

"I know that Father"

"Then why did you defy me?!"

Uther whirled around, catching him by surprised

"Why do you never listen? All I have ever tried to do is protect you from your- from magic- and you've fought me every step of the way!

"Why can't you understand that I cannot lose you or Arthur!

"I will not let you endanger yourself and this castle by letting this Sorcerer" Uther spat the word out like poison

"Live, he must die. And you must watch. Let that be a lesson to you"

"Bu-

"SILENCE!" Uther roared "Due to the circumstances surrounding his discovery I have relaxed the penalty, he will not face the fire but a quick, clean beheading."

Merlin was silent, not knowing what to say.

Uther pinched his forehead with a gloved hand, as though pained by a headache

"Sit" Uther gestured at a chair, and when Merlin hesitated added "Now."

Merlin sat

Uther did not.

"I'm worried about you Merlin." A pause then "Are you still taking the potion Gaius makes?"

"Yes Father"

It was a conversation they had had many times; mainly because Merlin wasn't sure that the potion was actually helping, seeing as he always felt worse after taking it

"Perhaps we need to increase the dosage…"

"I'm fine Sir-Father" He caught himself just in time

"No, you're not; you look exhausted. I shall talk to Gaius; see if there is anything else he can do for you."

For a long time Merlin just sat there, waiting for Uther to say something

"I have council matters to deal with Merlin; I shall see you at dinner"

"Yes Father"

Uther swept from the room leaving Merlin alone, illuminated by the late afternoon light.

Gaius found him in the Palace gardens, it was a favourite haunt of his; Arthur wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near here so naturally it drew Merlin like a moth to a flame.

He had been sitting on the still damp bench in amongst the hedges, attempting to read yet another of Geoffrey's dust covered tomes.

He hadn't heard Gaius arrive so was startled to hear

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you, Uther was quite worried"

Of course he was thought Merlin darkly

"The king and I have been discussing your treatment, he and I have reached the conclusion that an increased dosage may be in order, given the severity of last week's attack"

Merlin couldn't contain the groan; he hated it when they messed with the potion; it was bad enough normally, he didn't need them fiddling with which bits needed to be increased, which didn't.

The last time they had had been when he was seven, Gaius had accidentally doubled the amount of elderflower in it; he hadn't been able to get out of bed for a week because of the headache.

"Merlin, you know this is for your own good"

"…Of course Gaius, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"True enough, but a moot point nevertheless, now come; I need to test your blood"

Closing the heavy book with a sigh, he rose from the bench following Gaius into the castle.

He hated this, had hated it for as long as he could remember, the feeling as the leech drank from him…

He supressed a shudder.

"The sooner we start, the sooner we finish" said Gaius with false cheeriness, Merlin just stared at him before shrugging off his shirt, presenting an arm.

He knew what to do; this was pretty much a weekly thing, depending on how busy Gaius was. He had no idea what it was for, Gaius had never told him.

Gingerly Gaius placed the first leech on the inside of the elbow.

The strange, tickling, itch began almost as soon as the beast touched his arm; Gaius placed two more next to the first.

He watched in morbid fascination as the leeches gradually swell, the first detached itself after what felt like hours, but in all actuality was probably less than half an hour, the other two took longer.

But eventually it was done, his arm bandaged.

He had thought to escape to his chambers, but Jethan had found him first, reminding him Uther wanted to dine with him.

He felt suffocated by all this attention, by everyone's insatiable need to make sure that he was alright; he just wanted to be normal.

Uther had been furious that morning, Arthur still wasn't back from his hunting trip; and it was now the day of Lord Gorlois and the Lady Morgana' arrival.

Standing there, he hoped he could remain unnoticed for as long as possible, his head felt like it was spinning, he could feel his pulse throbbing at his temples.

He really didn't want to be here, in front of everyone; he wanted to be alone in his room.

He closed his eyes, shutting out the bright sunlight.

Slowly drowning in the steadily approaching hoof beats.

"-lin? Merlin?"

His eyes snapped open at the voice hissing in his ear

He coughed weakly

"Gaius?"

"Did you remember your potion this morning?"

"Yes, Gaius"

He could feel the elderly physician gaze roaming over his pale features, clearly unhappy with what he could see.

Merlin saw him open his mouth to say something but whatever it was, was drowned out by the sound of blaring trumpets.

Merlin dully noted quite a crowed had formed to greet Camelot's greatest General.

He could hear the heralds shouting titles into the crowd; but it seemed to reach him as though from far off.

The throbbing in his head was growing; it was too loud, too bright, too many people. The very air seemed to be pressing down on him.

He could feel his knees sagging, feel Gaius suddenly vicelike grip on his arm, holding him up.

No, please no. Not now, not in front of everyone. Not again. He thought desperately, fighting to regain control over his rebellious body, he could feel his tenuous grip weakening.

He tried to focus on keeping his breathing steady; Gaius had often said it was the best way to remain calm.

Uther was talking but he couldn't understand the words.

Gaius was pulling him away, away from the noise, away from all the watching eyes. A bubble of gratitude bloomed from the swirling chaos in his mind as he staggered after Gaius.

Even the relative gloom of the castle seemed too bright.

His breathing picked up, his panic levels rising.

Gaius let go of his arm, fighting to open a heavy door.

He tried to reach out, to help. But his body wouldn't obey.

It felt as though a great shudder ran through his body as he fell to his knees, eyes rolling up into his head.

He forced the door open in time to hear Merlin's knees hit the floor, he whipped around.

The boy was on his knees, great shudders racking his thin frame, eyes rolled up into his head, a retched gurgling emitting from his mouth, which lolled open.

Even as he moved to help, he watched as Merlin toppled sideways, writhing on the cold stone floor; foam frothing from his open mouth.

A groan tore itself from Merlin throat, his hands tearing at himself, His head slammed into the cold stone floor, making a sickening crunch.

Gaius seized the small vial from within his robes; he carried it with him everywhere.

Kneeling just outside of the boys flailing limbs he waited. For the potion to have effect it had to be administered at just the right time.

As painful as it was, without someone else to assist him, he could do nothing to stop Merlin's spasms.

His trained eye saw the signs.

Striking faster than a man half his age he forced his way past merlin's arms, pressing the tiny bottle between the foamy lips he emptied its contents down the prince's throat.

Now all he could do was wait and hope the youngest prince didn't choke on either it, or his own tongue.

The hunt had been a complete success, true they had been away longer than expected, but they had managed to fell three deer, more rabbits than he cared to count and a boar.

Nobody had even seen a boar in the area for years, and the pleasure of killing it had been his. A single crossbow bolt through the chest and it was down.

Now all they had to do was get back to the castle before nightfall, truth be told he was missing his soft bed.

And, although he would never admit it, he was sick of sitting in the saddle.

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the edge of the darkling woods. If he was lucky he could be back in time for the evening meal, they had only a light lunch; to make better time. But he was starving now.

Spurring his horse into a trot, he led the way down the slope, towards the city glittering in the evening sunlight.

His city.

He felt a pang of pride every time he thought that. Sure he might not be king yet, but he would be one day and that made the city his, more his than Merlin's anyway.

Cantering through the castle gates was always exhilarating, the thundering of hooves on the stone, the gatehouse hurling past.

The large stone statues a silent audience to his impressive horsemanship.

Tossing his reigns to a servant, he headed up into the castle to change. The knights and servants would see to the horses and the hunted.

The general peace and quiet of the meal was disturbed when Arthur arrived, nearly two days late from what Uther had said, but if his friend was angry he couldn't tell.

Uther could be as impassive as a statue when he wanted to be.

It had been a long day; they had had an early start, and had been relieved when rather than the traditional banquet Uther had proposed a quiet meal in his chambers.

Until Arthur's arrival it had just been him, his daughter and Uther.

Gaius had reported that the boy, Merlin, was still too ill to join them.

He would be lying if he had said he wasn't relieved. He still believed Uther had made a mistake sparing the boy.

He couldn't understand why he had done it, he had put loyal friends to death but the not the boy? His friend was a complete mystery to him, even after all these years.

He shook his head, as though to rid it of such thoughts.

It was good to be back, in Camelot. He was relieved that Uther would allow Morgana to stay here in the castle, until this business with Mercia was sorted. It was one less thing to worry about.

Morgana retired not long after Arthur arrived, she had made no secret of her distain for the elder prince, something that both amused and worried him. She would have to learn to be more subtle.

Fortunately for the both of them, Uther and Arthur found it highly amusing, he could only pray that it remained that way, for both their sakes.

He was looking forward to the performance from the Lady Helen, he had heard her sing only once before, but it had been so beautiful it had remained with him to this day.

From what Uther said she was due to arrive sometime in the next few days.

It was odd to think that after these two weeks of frivolities he would be marching to war against Camelot's erstwhile ally, it felt almost like the great purge all over again. Only this time the enemy forces wouldn't have power over nature at their lips.

He had woken several times over the last few hours, each time Gaius had been on him almost instantly forcing yet another potion down his throat, else rubbing a salve of some kind into the back of his head.

As far as he could tell it was night, his room was gently bathed in torch light, the pale hangings streaming in the gentle night air.

For the first time in weeks his head felt clear.

He knew he should try to sleep, but he felt good; surprisingly good, considering.

The stones were cold under his feet as he padded to the window, gazing down at the sleeping castle.

Sitting in the seat he looked down at the palace gardens, still illuminated by torches.

Was it his imagination of was there someone down there?

He couldn't quite see clearly, but on his favourite seat he thought he could just about make out a white sleeve through the twisted branches.

Almost without meaning too he found his feet guiding him towards the gardens, the soft patter of his bare feet and the steady crackle of the torches on the walls, the only sound.

Singing reached his ears as he approached. Oddly he didn't feel suspicious; like whoever this was, was supposed to be here.

"You came" The voice was soft, gently melodious. "I knew you would"

A gentle, happy, smile on her face as she enveloped him in a hug

"Who are you?" He asked

Releasing him, she stepped back, tucking a loose strand of soft brown hair over one ear

"Your mother, silly"

She smiles happily at him, making him feel all warm inside, the gentle light brown eyes sparkle in the firelight.

"But… You're…" he trails off

"Dead" She finishes for him "I know"

"Then how can I see you?"

She just smiles at him, as though waiting for him to work something out.

Then it hits him.

"This is all inside my head isn't it, I'm still dreaming aren't I?"

She beams at him

"But does that mean it's not really happening?" She questions, her form losing its substance, becoming ethereal

"Wait!" He pleads

She inclines her head, inquisitively

"I never knew your name!"

She laughs softly, making him feel all tingly inside

"Nimueh"

"Will I ever see you again?"

She doesn't respond initially, just shrugging her shoulders before adding.

"We'll see"

He was wakes with a jolt; sunlight's streaming through his open window and for the first time in weeks, he smiles.

Authors Note: So here we are again. Long-time no speak! I hope someone made it this far I DON'T WANT TO HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN *sob* (Although I may deserve it)

This is usually when the Author says "I've already started the next chapter!" which we all know is a lie. Especially if that person is… Well me.

In a nutshell I have not started the next chapter, I'm off to thrash out the last few pages (oh alright I'll tell the truth; start writing) the next chapter of Aftershock.

SEE YA!