AN: This is the third and final story that I wrote for the weekly prompt offered by Camelot_Drabble on LJ. The prompt for last week was: His. As with the story with Gaius, this little story has inspired a much longer story that will be coming soon.
When he discovered just what his destiny was, Merlin came to a much better understanding as to why he had to keep Arthur safe until his dying day and while that was only half of what he had to do, he preferred that then the rest of his destiny.
Nothing could bring back Arthur, nothing in his power anyway. Merlin knew that the king of Camelot would return when Albion was in great need and even though he knew deep down that it would be a long time until then, he secretly wished that the kingdoms would start fighting amongst themselves so Arthur would return soon.
Before the Great Dragon left, Merlin asked him one last thing: When was Arthur returning.
"Only when the Seven Kingdoms are pitted against each other in a war that will cause the earth to shake and the land to burn, when men from all over the seven kingdoms and from abroad will point their weapons at Albion and will cause the five plagues to sweep through the land, will Arthur return."
Merlin found that throughout the centuries that passed, Albion was constantly put to the test. Amongst the countless wars waged both by the country's own men and by others abroad in distant lands and the plagues that swept through the entire kingdom of Albion, Merlin could feel Arthur's discomfort, his happiness, his sadness and in some cases, anger.
Nothing however, was as big as what the Great Dragon had told him all those centuries before. Not the Anglo takeover, the Norman Conquest, the separation of Albion into three countries, the Hundred Years' War and all the other wars that took place either on Albion's soil or off of it. Arthur did not return when the Black death swept through the country and nor did he return when England was pitted against France during the Thirty Years' War and the countless wars waged through Louis XIV's time when Albion seemed to have reached a breaking point.
Arthur did not come during the Napoléonic wars and nor did he come in the Great Wars fought in the twentieth century. Though Merlin suspected that this was most likely caused by the fact that Albion fought together during this time. Still though, he had felt the king's restlessness through it all.
When Arthur did come back, Merlin was waiting for him. The king had been restless for quite sometime, especially since the entire world was watching as the former seven kingdoms waged such a bloody civil war against each other, that it reminded Merlin of old times. The land shook with battle and the land burned with the hatred that each of the kingdoms felt for each other. Plagues swept through the land and fell upon the people with a vengeance and on the day that Arthur returned, it was the highest death count seen in centuries.
And when Arthur approached him with Excalibur in his hand, the king smiled and his eyes were shining.
"I knew you would be here," said Arthur as he pulled Merlin into a one armed hug.
"It was my destiny to wait for you," Merlin answered him as the tears began to fall.
At long last, he had fulfilled his destiny.