A/N: Hello, and welcome to story time. I would like to say that I do not own Merlin nor do I own Marvel. Both belong to their respected owners. My updates will be random and they will be erratic, but I plan to finish this to the end. Well, on with the show.
"Are we sure that those surges of power came from here," Steve Rogers, AKA, Captain America, asked into his comms.
"Positive," Tony Stark, AKA, Iron man responded. "Every time we get near it all of our equipment goes haywire."
"Any idea what's causing it, cause night vision and thermal aren't picking up anything," Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, said as she surveyed the lake.
"I got nothing either. Maybe it's coming from that tower that's in the middle of the lake," Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, said from his perch in a tree.
"Possibly. With our equipment wigging out every time we get close, there's no way of knowing for certain," Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk, said as he tampered with a tablet.
"Our we positive Reindeer Games isn't back, because these reading are similar to his," Tony said.
"I don't think so. Thor would be here if that were the case," Steve said.
Steve, Natasha, and Clint were by the shore of the lake they were currently at while Tony and Bruce stayed in the Quinjet. Whenever Tony got close to the moonlit shore, his miniature Arc Reactor began to short out, making it hard for him to breath and caused him great pain.
"Unless we use a boat to get across this lake, I don't think we will learn what is causing the readings," Natasha said.
"My question is why someone would emit power levels similar to Loki," Bruce said as he studied all of the reading reports.
"Guys, we got another energy pulse coming, and it looks like it is a big one," Tony said as he stared at his monitor.
"Do you guys see anything?" Bruce asked as he looked up at Tony's screen.
"Negative, but we can feel it," Steve said as his skin tingled.
"What is causing this?" Natasha muttered, not liking that she couldn't see what could be a potential threat. Every instinct she had was screaming that something was going to happen soon and she didn't know if it was going to be dangerous or not. The unknowing was making her on edge and an on-edge Natasha was never good.
Tony groaned as his Reactor began flickering even though he was no where near the water. Bruce's eyes widened as he dropped the tablet and rushed over.
"Breathe, Tony. I know it hurts, but you need to breathe," Bruce said as he made Tony lean forward to open his airways more.
"The water is moving," Clint warned.
Bruce looked up to view their body cams. Through the live feed, he watched as the water rippled. Everyone watched as ripples moved out from the middle of the lake. What felt like raw power pulsed out in time with the ripples. Clint readied his bow, Natasha her guns, and Steve his shield for whatever appeared. After what seemed like minutes, the pulsing stopped and Tony could breathe again. No one said anything for a few minutes. Tony focused on breathing before raising up to check the monitors.
"Energy readings are dropping to nothing. Whatever is causing the energy waves is gone," Tony said breathlessly. "You guys see anything?"
"No. The water is still. Like you said, whatever was causing it is gone," Steve said.
"Hang on. I got movement on the west side of me," Clint suddenly whispered. "Looks to be one person. Can anyone confirm?"
"Affirmative. Male, early twenties, heading our way. Stay hidden, he may be the one causing this," Natasha responded as she looked through a pair of binoculars.
"Roger that," he responded.
Soon Steve and Natasha could hear near silent footfalls approaching. Deciding to appear non-threatening, Nat and Steve put away their weapons, but kept ready to get them if the need arose. A man with black hair, a lanky figure, and stunning blue eyes emerged from the trees. While his body looked young, his eyes were haunted. Shadowed. Old. Like Steve's when he thought about what happened before he went into the ice. The strange man paid no attention to Steve and Natasha as he walked by them, his eyes trained on the lake before them.
"Who are you?" Steve demanded. While he may be unarmed, he could still be dangerous.
The man stopped at the edge of the water and was silent. He almost appeared to be thoughtful yet hopeful as he stared out at the still water. Nat and Steve looked at one another before looking back at the young man.
"Tell us who you are," Natasha demanded harshly. With everything going on, she was not in a mood to even try and play nice.
"I've had many names over the years. Which one would you like to hear?" the man asked after a moment of silence.
"How about your birthname," Steve said.
"That is a name I have not used in a long while. My mother, many years ago, named me Merlin," he answered softly.
"Jarvis, run facial recognition," Tony said as he observed everything on the monitor.
"Running it now, Sir," Jarvis, Tony's AI responded.
"Are you the one who is responsible for the power surges?" Steve asked.
"No," Merlin said.
"Do you know who is?" Natasha asked.
"He's coming," Merlin said, hope clear in his voice.
"Who?" Steve asked.
"The Once and Future King," Merlin answered, his voice cracking slightly. He had been waiting for a very long time for this day to come.
"Any idea who that is?" Bruce asked Tony.
"Not a clue," Tony responded. "J, we got a hit on facial recognition yet?"
"Multiple form several time periods," Jarvis responded.
"Come again?" Bruce asked.
"Show me," Tony said.
Instantly, paintings and picture both black and white and in color popped up onto a screen. Sure enough, this Merlin character popped up in almost every time period over the last thousand years.
"My god. How is this possible?" Bruce asked.
"Time machine? Cryohibernation? Reincarnation?" Tony suggested. "Be careful everyone. This guy is wild card."
"We got movement on the water again," Clint announced over the comms.
"Switching over to thermal camera," Tony said.
A lone figure appeared on the lake. He looked like he was walking on water. Tony couldn't make out any distinguishable figures.
"Arthur," Merlin breathed.
"You boys are not going to believe this," Natasha said in slight amusement.
"What is it?" Tony asked.
"We have a male, mid to late twenties, blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a cape and chainmail of all things. Not to mention he is walking on water," Nat said.
"What is he, a Renaissance Jesus?" Tony asked incredulously.
Natasha and Steve in silence as the strange man came closer. The moonlight gleamed against the armor and chainmail he wore. They could barely make out glimpse of a coat of arms on his billowing cape. He looked… regal. The blond stopped in front of Merlin at the edge of the shoreline and stared at him with an unreadable expression. Then he smiled and pulled Merlin into a fierce hug. Merlin seemed sag in relief as he wrapped his arms around his newly returned king.
"It's good to see you, my old friend," the man said as he pulled away from Merlin.
"Not as good as it is to see you," Merlin replied, his voice rough.
Everyone watched the two in silence, both slightly confused and wary at the same time, before they turned back to face the pair and Nat spoke.
"Would one of you like to explain what the hell is going on?" she demanded. "Who are you?"
Merlin and the stranger look at Nat in slight surprise. Merlin, in his excitement, forgot about their audience.
"Who are you?" the blond asked.
"I believe I asked you first?" Nat snarled.
"Arthur! Play nice," Merlin hissed.
"I'm the king, Merlin. You don't tell me what to do," Arthur hissed back.
"I can when you're being a dollaphead," Merlin responded.
"I can still throw you in the stocks," Arthur responded.
"The stocks don't exist anymore," Merlin said, his tone no longer joking. "Before we get into what all has changed, I believe it would be best to introduce yourself."
"I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot," Arthur responded.
"Camelot doesn't exist. Try again," Nat said.
"I assure you it exists," Merlin said. "Most of its history has been lost to time. Geoffry of Monmouth's recounting hasn't always been accurate either."
"They could be telling the truth. Scholars have been debating whether or not Camelot actually existed for years," Bruce said.
"How can you prove it?" Steve asked.
"Simple. I'll take you there," Merlin said.
"Camelot still stands?" Arthur asked, hopeful.
"In a way," Merlin said nervously.
"What do you mean, 'In a way'?" Arthur asked dangerously.
"You'll see. A lot has changed since you've been gone, sire," Merlin said softly.
"Merlin," Arthur began hesitantly as he stepped onto the shore. "How long have I been gone?"
Merlin's face became sorrowful and haunted at the question.
"1,500 years, I'm afraid," Merlin answered sadly.
Arthur paled drastically.
"Have you been alive all this time?" he asked in shock.
Merlin nodded his head as Arthurs face took on a green tint.
"That explains all the hits we got," Tony muttered.
"You must have been so lonely," Arthur said.
"I had my moments," Merlin admitted. "But I got to see what you and Gwen created flourish and I wouldn't have traded that for anything."
"What happened after I died?" Arthur asked.
"Why don't I explain while we walk? And why don't you guy have your friend in the tree and the two in the jet come join us?" Merlin asked.
The Avengers all felt a flash of shock before shaking it off. So far, the men didn't seem too dangerous, but Nat could kill them before they could blink. But just in case, Tony commanded Jarvis to tap into a few satellites to keep track of where they were and to contact Fury if something were to happen.
"Follow me," Merlin said once everyone had gathered.
"How did you know where we were?" Clint asked as they set off into the forest surrounding the lake.
"Magic," Merlin said with a cheeky smile.
"Magic is just science that hasn't been explained yet," Tony said while Clint tensed.
"Whatever floats your boat," Merlin said. "Your grandfather was much more open minded than you seem to be. You must have inherited that from your grandmother. Let me tell you that woman was a huge skeptic to anything that was different."
"You knew my grandparents?" Tony asked, surprised.
"Yes. Not well mind you. I only met them only a handful of times, but they were nice folks," Merlin responded.
"How far away is Camelot?" Steve asked.
"Only a couple of hours walk," Merlin answered.
"Why couldn't we have taken the jet?" Clint asked as he duked under a low hanging branch.
"Because the shield around the castle would cause the jet to crash and there is not a clearing big enough for the jet to land close by," he answered honestly. "There use to be, but once Kilgharrah passed the clearing began to get overgrown with trees and other vegetation.
"Kilgharrah?" Arthur asked.
"Oh…" Merlin said, looking pained. "Promise that you will stay calm, ok?"
"Merlin, who is Kilgharrah?" Arthur asked sternly as he stopped in his tracks.
"Kilgharrah was the dragon who attacked Camelot," Merlin explained softly.
"The dragon I slew?"
"You actually didn't kill him. You were knocked unconscious and I sent him away," Merlin admitted.
"You did what?" Arthur asked in anger.
"We were falling asleep. I knew I needed to break the spell Morgause had cast, so I made a deal with him. He would tell me how to break the curse, and I would set him free from where he was confined," Merlin said sadly.
"Where was he being held?" Arthur asked, his curiosity overpowering his anger.
"Your father imprisoned Kilgharrah in the caves under Camelot during the Purge," Merlin explained.
"If he was so hell-bent on getting revenge for being locked up for so long, how did you send him away?" Arthur asked.
"You remember when we went looking for Balinor?"
"Strange names," Tony muttered to Bruce who in turn shushed him.
"Of course," Arthur answered.
"Turns out he was my father, so when he died…" Merlin trailed off.
"You became the last Dragon Lord," Arthur said. "And I told you no man is worth your tears."
"You didn't know," Merlin said with an old smile.
"What the hell is a Dragon Lord?" Clint asked in slight irritation.
"A Dragon Lord is a man who is able to communicate and command a dragon," Merlin explained.
"Dragons don't exist," Clint argued.
"Neither are Norse gods like Thor and Loki," Merlin deadpanned.
"Touché," Tony replied.
"You will be meeting a dragon when we reach Camelot," Merlin said cheerfully.
"One still lives?" Arthur asked, surprised.
"Yes, although you may not be too happy when you see her," Merlin winced.
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.
"Aithusa was the dragon who bonded with Morgana and helped her in the final battle at Camlann," Merlin said.
Arthur's face darkened at the mention of his estranged half-sister. Merlin looked sad and the Avengers looked confuse. No one said anything for while as they resumed their peaceful walk and enjoyed the scenery. Or in Arthurs case, see what all has changed. It was mid-morning by the time they got close to Camelot. Arthur was getting excited as he began to recognize his surroundings.
"We're here," Merlin said as he broke through the tree line.
"There's nothing here," Nat said with a dangerous look.
Where Camelot once stood was now just a giant clearing. Arthur felt a twinge of anger at being lied to once more by his former manservant. But then he had a thought.
"You hid it, didn't you?" Arthur asked.
"Yes," Merlin said.
"Why? Why would hide a historical city?" Bruce asked.
"One, because I knew Arthur would need a familiar place after being gone for so long. Two, because I could never bare seeing my home being lost to time, so I preserved it. And three, Gwen asked me to," Merlin said.
Sorrow filled Arthur at the thought of his late wife. He pushed those thoughts aside.
"Did she have a god life?" Arthur asked.
"She's still alive," Merlin said.
Arthur whipped around so fast to stare at Merlin that the team wondered if he gave himself whiplash.
"She's alive?! How?" Arthur asked, gripping Merlin's shoulders.
"She and a few others are alive. When Gwen asked me to protect Camelot, she begged me to preserve her and the others," Merlin said with a big smile. "To make sure nothing disturbed my shield, Aithusa stays close by to protect everyone."
"Nothing makes for a better guard dog than a dragon," Steve joked.
"Exactly," Merlin said in agreement. He looked pointedly at Arthurs hands that were still gripping his shoulders in a tight grip. "Arthur, I need my hands to create a door inside the shield."
Arthur quickly let go of Merlin and took a step back. Merlin raised his hand and his eyes turned gold. Arthur felt a flash of fear at the sight but it quickly passed.
A/N: That's it for the first chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please leave a review and let me know how you liked it.