"I know my destiny." The hooded figure looked away.
"You're supposed to save him." It said without missing a beat.
"Isn't that what I'm doing?" I looked at him in a daze. The hooded figure made a shadow figure of a young man.
It was Arthur. "Why are you showing me this?" I looked at him, afraid.
"Look closer, look at his back." I squinted to look closer and realized he was carrying something. Not something, it was a human.
It was me.
"He has saved your life more than you will know."
"More than I have saved his?" The figure waved his hand and Arthur was gone, which made me a little sad, then he hesitated.
"Well, no, but, he's not here to save you."
"I know. I can't help it if I can't fight. He can't know about my true form, and I get weak being old all the time." The hooded man looked at me.
"Where is your hat?"
"My hat?" I looked at him, hoping he would show his face.
"The one your brother gave you, for your birthday."
"Oh, that old thing." I replied. I took it out of my pocket and handed it to him.
"I'm going to give this more magic." He said as the hat lifted up into the air. He used his hidden hands and swirled his magic around my ragged hat. A blue sparkly swirl of magic spun around the hat, which mesmerized me. When the hooded figure was finished, it had a new blue look to it. It floated back to me and looked like it was woven with the night sky.
"It's beautiful." I told him, not looking from the hat.
"The love you have for your brother makes the hat easier for your magic to be used with it." The man said. "You shall be able to save Arthur now, in your old form, without passing out again." He said to me, which even though his face was covered with darkness, I could feel from his voice he had a mocking smirk on his face, just like my father's.
"Yes, sir." I nodded.
"Very well." He said, and with that, he faded.
"Merlin." Arthur shook me. "Merlin!" He shouted then rolled his eyes. "Merlin!" He shouted again and tugged on my white beard, then I finally woke up.
I groaned groggily. "Wha? Who's there?" I looked around, but as an old man, everything hurt. I tried getting up, but my back wouldn't allow that.
"You took a big blow back there." Arthur informed me. "You better rest a while." He got up and walked over to the fire, putting more twigs in.
"So, what happened?" I asked, laying back down on the tree log.
"Oh, you know, the usual. I won the day, I saved your happy butt. The usual." Arthur looked at me with a big grin on his face.
"I taught you well." I said with a smile, even though I taught him little to nothing.
"You know, Merlin, you seem to be getting weaker and weaker since we went on this journey. I don't think you should continue with this anymore."
"No. I'm feeling better now, honestly. Thank you, Arthur." I flashed him another smile, then reached into my pocket for my hat. I took it out and a glow of blue with white stars woven in shined the sky.
"What's that?" Arthur asked, staring at the hat.
"It's my hat." Merlin said looking at it, smiling. "My sorcerer's hat."