Disclaimer: Not for profit. I do not own Merlin or any of its characters.
Shake the Cloud From Off Your Brow
By
BlueCanto
He was there when the tower fell over. The crash had broken the silence. The fog had obstructed the view before it dissipated and revealed the ruin beneath the light of a superior moon. At the time, he had thought sorrowfully about the beginning and end of ages, about how he bore the weight of time, about his destiny and about his regrets. He was forlorn; his troubled heart knew no peace. At that moment he dearly wished that he could shed tears, but he knew that he couldn't. All his tears were lost somewhere in the distant past. He hadn't wanted to cry for a very long time, until now.
Merlin slowly and carefully knelt onto the sandy shoreline of the lake before the body. He ignored the bitter sting of the water against the flesh of his hands. He even ignored the rapid spread of icy water into fabric of his trousers and the sleeves of his overcoat. Anticipation and the force of his magic fueled his every move.
He looked toward the sky, closed his eyes and sighed heavily. When Merlin dared to cast his gaze towards the body once again, he thoroughly scrutinized it. The unclothed body was sprawled out on its belly before him. It inhaled and exhaled in smooth shallow breaths. He saw that it was wide shouldered and muscular; although, the taut skin was eerily pale. The hands had long finger nails, many of which were broken and jagged. Its long blond hair masked its face, clung to the length of the body, and extended far into the depths of the murky water.
Merlin felt light headed. He caught himself before he could fall over from his knelt position. He stared wide eyed and shook his head in disbelief. He was too excited and he couldn't concentrate. Merlin felt the aging spell swiftly recede from his body like the tide. He tried not to remind himself that he had found bodies at the lake before—some wretched souls that had implored the lake to claim them. Merlin blinked. Oh, but this was no wretched soul. He knew this figure well. He knew the curve of those shoulders, the girth of that waist, and the length of those arms and legs. Memories flooded his mind and a myriad of unfettered emotions came forth. Tears finally spilled freely from his eyes.
Merlin's hands shook as he smoothed the long damp mess of hair away from the face. Yes, he knew that face. A strange guttural burst of sound erupted from his throat and ended softly from his lips.
There, stretched out on the shore of the lake that was once called Avalon, with all the speed of sleep upon his brow, was his king. Merlin wiped the tears from his face and smiled. His hands no longer shook. He was confident. He was ready. Merlin extended his hand and stroked the king's head. With a cracked a strangled voice whispered, "Let's have you, lazy daisy."