Hey y'all! this is my first Merlin fic, so I hope it doesn't suck too much! I've been wanting to write this for a while now, but i never got around to it. Story takes place after the series ends in modern day. So far nothing too inappropriate planned, but that may change ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the show Merlin.
Arthur was standing on a beach. He didn't know where he was or how he got there. He tried to remember what had happened, but his memory way foggy and fragmented. Pieces floated around in his head, a battle, Mordrid's face, and pain, the worst pain he had ever felt. Something was missing, though, something lurking in the shadows of his mind, just out of reach. He tried to remember what caused the pain. He had felt the pain of a sword before, but this, this was different.
A seagull screeched on a nearby rock, startling him out of his thoughts. He would remember in time. Right now, the important thing was to figure out where he was. The beach stretched as far as the eye could see on either side or him and a tall cliff rose up at his back. His only option was to walk along the shore until he found someone or something that would tell him where he was. What he would do after that was yet to be seen, but at least he had a goal.
As he walked, Arthur stared at the water. He had always been fascinated by the sea, it's mystery and enormity. The last time he had seen the ocean was when he was eight. His father had taken him along on a trip. Arthur could no longer remember what the trip was for, only his excitement. They had prepared a lunch and ridden off to a secluded cove. It was the first time the King had let Arthur ride along, and he was determined to show his father that he was a man. He remembered telling his father that he could swim all the way to the end of the earth and back before the king could finish his lunch, and his father had just laughed and said "I bet you could" He knew his father was lying, but he had full confidence in himself. He was a great swimmer. He would spend hours in the lake, going from one shore to the other. He could beat any of his friends in a race( except Leon, but he was twice his size, so he didn't count.)
Head held high, Arthur marched in to the freezing water. He kicked as hard as he could, but the waves crashed down on him and the water pushed and pulled him in so many directions he could hardly tell where the shore was. He swam for what seemed like an eternity, but he had gone only a few yards. His lungs stung with salt water and his muscled burned, but he kept going. A wave crashed over him and he was under water. Panic rushed in him along with a lung-full of water. He was going to die here. He knew it. This endless monster was going to swallow him up and he would be lost forever. Just then, two strong arms grabbed him tight and pulled him to shore. The last thing Arthur remembered was his father's face as he stared down at his son.
Arthur was staring at this ocean, wondering if it was the same one that had almost taken him all those years ago, when he heard a strange noise coming from the cliffs above him. It sounded like a man whimpering. Arthur looked up. It was, in fact, a man, standing on the edge of one of the cliffs, about a hundred feet above him. Arthur couldn't believe his luck! Where there is a man, there most likely is a city nearby. And where there is a city, there is a map. Arthur couldn't make out the man's face, but his gut told him this man was not a threat. He cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled as loud as he could.
"HELLO!" The man didn't react to Arthur's cry, but after a few moments sat down with his legs dangling off the edge. Arthur yelled again, a hint of desperation in his voice, and again, there was no reaction. Why was this man ignoring him? He didn't know why, but he felt like he had to get this strangers attention. He could have sworn that he knew him, but from where, he didn't know. The man rose to his feet. Where was he going? He was disappearing. Arthur could not let that happen! He screamed and waved his arms in the air, trying to get the man to turn around, but the he continued to ignore him. Arthur reached down and grabbed a stone. This was his last chance. He threw the stone as hard as he could. It sailed through the air and hit the edge of the cliff, knocking loose a few rocks. They fell and were swallowed by the sea. The noise stopped the stranger in his tracks.
"Yes!" Arthur screamed! He couldn't believe that had actually worked! The man turned around and started to run back, but as he approached the edge of the cliff, instead of slowing down, he sped up. Arthur wanted to yell at the stranger to stop, but before the words could escape his lips, the man was falling. Arthur's eyes were fixed to the figure, arms outstretched, brown hair pulled back from the wind, blue eyes open to face his destiny.
The fall seemed to last forever. Arthur was terrified. This man was going to die right in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could do to save him. Pain filled his chest. The same pain from his memories, this horrible, agonizing pain- and just before the man hit the ground, Arthur remembered everything. He knew who this man was. His name came easily this time.
"MERLIN!"