So, hi guys, sorry for the long hiatus! I know it's been a long time since a wrote anything but hopefully will be able to start writing again. Bear with me though, there will be mistakes and bits of bad writing but constructive criticism is always appreciated. And now, on with the show!

His is just a Merlin one-shot that has been bouncing around in my end for a while. It isn't long or a great narrative, it's just a quick warm up before I start writing properly again.

Disclaimer, I own nothing, literally nothing.

The lake was still, Merlin noticed as he stood at its edge on the day after Arthur's death. Everything was still. Like the world had stopped for a moment to mourn his passing. Merlin had been stood by the lake all night, watching as the light from the burning boat grew smaller and more distant until it disappeared entirely. And still he stood, maintaining his vigil over the lake. He could not leave, could not leave his King. And so, he stayed. He guarded the lake and the hidden tomb within. He watched as the queen and her knights were brought one by one to join their king. He watched as the world changed around him and the lake, as cities grew, as roads were built and as people changed. He saw the human race change as he stood and carried on his vigil for more than 1000 years. He never left his King for long, only to venture into the local town for food and other necessities.

It was during one of these ventures that he noticed how troubled the world had become. Nations had turned against each other, brother against brother. 100s died every day, innocents perished under the leadership of the weak. The world needed a leader; strong, brave and selfless, willing to protect his people for any cost. It was on this day that Arthur and his knights returned to the land of the living, from Avalon they came, bringing hope and the promise of peace. Merlin had only been in the town for an hour or so when he felt a ripple travel through the air. Subtle and yet it was as if Merlin's very soul was pulling him back to the lake. Leaving his shopping for now, he left the city and returned to the lake as fast as he could. When he reached the edge of the lake he said what had the caused the ripple.

A portal from Avalon to Earth is a rip in the fabric of the cosmos. It is an unnatural event and so takes a huge amount of energy to create and sustain. The Lady of the lake had felt the suffering of those on Earth, the death and pain caused by war and famine and disease. She felt magic dwindle as it was slowly forgotten and placed among children's stories. She had watched Merlin guard the tomb of his king for many years and had felt his sadness too, his longing for his former friends. She had decided that this could go on no longer, the Earth needed a saviour to help bring peace and prosperity again. So, she had summoned her power and that of the Earth around her to create this portal. She held the portal open until Arthur, his queen and the knights had travelled from the land of dead to a small island at the centre of her lake. Once they had all made it through, she closed the portal and immediately fell into a deep sleep, her strength sapped from holding the portal open.

Merlin watched as the portal rippled and shifted at the centre of the lake, an expanse of black and blue and purple, a hole to another dimension. As he stood there, the portal suddenly expanded and then burst, like the fireworks he often saw on the city's horizon. The portal disappeared, the air electric in its absence. Merlin peered across the lake, watching for any danger when he spotted figures and the centre of the lake, moving about of the small island at the lakes centre. Merlin realised that something, or someone had come through the portal and had access to Earth. This was a danger, both to the lake and the bones it kept and the Earth as a whole. So, Merlin took the small boat the lakes edge and sailed to onwards the centre.

Meanwhile on the island, Arthur and his round table took their first breathes as reborn citizens of Earth. They had been watching the Earth for Avalon and had seen the horrible things that had happened. They had wept as the suffering of innocents grew. When the Lady had contacted them to ask for their help in restoring the Earth, they all jumped at the chance to return. They wanted to help and so walked through the portal from Avalon to the centre of the lake. As they breathed the polluted air and subsequently coughed because of it, they notice how dull the world had become. It seemed as if the colour and life had been slowly bled away leaving only grey. Even the lake, the portal to Avalon, was polluted from the air, its once crystal-clear water, muddied and grey. The Earth was also suffering, the suffering of humanity bleeding into the ground, right to core.

Arthur and his men spread out over the small island, hoping to find a boat so they could get to mainland and begin the quest given to them by the Lady of the Lake. They quickly discovered that there was no boat or way to travel across the lake, which struck them all as odd. Why would the Lady return them to this place with no way to get to mainland other than swimming, which seemed a little impractical as they were all in full armour. It was as they pondered this conundrum, the Sir Gwaine spotted something moving through the mist of the lake. Arthur and his knights gathered at the end of the island, drawing their swords in preparation for any danger. The shape on the mist slowly formed into a small boat, moving steadily towards the knights. The knights backed up, waiting to ambush the owner pf the boat to get them to sail the knights to the mainland.

Merlin watched the small island as he approached in the boat, noting the figures that were gathering on the shore. He could not see their faces due the mist but he could see swords which seems strange to Merlin. He had seen the weapons of the present and he knew that guns were definitely preferred over swords. Still he sailed on, watching the figures move back, obviously planning an attack for when he reached the island. Merlin shook his head wearily, he had tried so hard to stay peaceful these last few years, to try and stay under the radar. Still, he prepared himself for the upcoming fight as his boat was pushed up onto the shore by the lake. He jumped out of the boat into the shallow water and walked ashore, straining his eyes to find the intruders to his Kings sacred resting place. However, as the figures made themselves known and moved from their hiding places, Merlin saw the emblems emblazed on their armour. He saw the Camelot emblem. This made Merlin pause, how was this possible? And then he saw their faces! Merlin let out an anguished cry and fell his knees in front of the attackers, was this a cruel trick by the Lady of the Lake to give shades his friend faces and parade them in front of him?! Merlin's head fell forward, silent tears ran down his faces, he knew his King couldn't come back and Merlin would be forever separated from him by eternal life. It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder that he looked up into the face of shades expecting ghostly faces but instead he stared into the face of his king, his friend. Arthur smiled down at him and pulled him up into an embrace. Merlin was in shock as his old friends greeted him, he could not believe that this was real, that this was not a dream that would fade and disappear if he woke. Finally, he facing Arthur again and this is when his king spoke.

"We have been sent by the Lady of the Lake, Merlin, to help bring the world back peace and ease the suffering that has been building up in these lands. We seek to bring back magic and store the balance however we can't do this without you. Will you stand with us and assist us in our quest?"

Merlin smiled through his tears and replied,

"Arthur, my king and my friend, didn't you already know? I would follow you anywhere"

The end

Thank you for reading, bit of a cheesy ending I know but please leave a review if you liked it and any suggestions of what you may or may not want me to write on the future.

Again, thank you for your patience!