The soldier from Barley.
Arthur Pedragon called for a meeting for the whole kingdom; Merlin as always was by him as they stood on the balcony, above the whole kingdom.
"My people of Camelot…" Arthur called.
"As you know…The Barley war has come to an end!" He shouted with glee.
Merlin's heart stopped, his eyes widened.
"The men will arrive here in three days for their wives and family, I have letters that will be posted to you within the day…I give you my best, farewell…" Arthur said and walked to his chambers, Merlin followed his king like a lost child.
He was given chores, as the day past, no letter arrived for him.
At the end of the day he walked into Arthur's chambers, shoulders sunken with exhaustion, eyes red with sadness.
"Oh, Merlin...I've been looking for you everywhere…" Arthur said, from his chair.
"What?" Merlin frowned, not in the mood for Arthur's usual lectures.
"I got a letter addressed to you…is it from your brother, do you even have a sibling, you haven't said that you do…do you?" Arthur asked.
Merlin's head snapped towards Arthur, looking at the letter.
His eyes gazed at the old parchment, it was muddy brown, dots of blood stained around it, ink skated along the front, just spelling out Merlin's name and his home, and it looked as the letter was fouled about a thousand times…so fragile.
Memories flowed in.
"I have to go to war…" Jake said to a teenage Merlin.
"Please…please fight…fight for what is right and…find me…mother said that I might go to Camelot so…send the letter there…"
They were only 19 years old.
"I will…I'll find you, Merlin...I love you…" Jake smiled and kissed Merlin's plum lips and turned around, walking over to his noble steed with a heavy heart.
Will stood by Merlin's side.
Jake climbed on and held tightly onto the black steed reins.
"I WILL FIND YOU MERLIN…IF IT'S THE LAS THING I DO!" he cried and galloped into the forest.
Will grabbed Merlin's arm and pulled him into a tight, tight hug.
Merlin gulped, tears welling up.
Right now at this moment, he didn't see anything but the letter.
Merlin walked over.
He stopped at the desk.
He gently took the letter, it flopped onto his hand, it felt like it could break at any second.
He gently turned it over to the opening; the back of the letter was graced with a sentence that made Merlin blush.
'I found you'
He chuckled lightly and opened it.
'Dear Merlin
I hope this letter will get to you someday.
I'm sitting in the camp, it's midnight here and Benny is snoring his head off.
I'm looking up at the stars, they remind me of us.
Were so close… so, so close but really we are so far away.
But I will find you again…and well get a cottage and finally live our dream, fishing together in the lake just next to the cottage and making a bonfire every night as we look at the stars, as I tell the battle to you.
Some nights I just imagine you walking in the camp, and its midnight so you wake us and we trap you in a net, because that will only happen to Merlin because that's how brilliant you are.
Stay strong and stay safe and I'll try too.
See you soon.
I love you my little forest.'
Merlin didn't even feel the tears fall down his face, or his proud smile or even the fact that he was crying.
Arthur just sat there, not knowing what to do, but really he was doing the right thing. The servant needed time for the words to sink in.
Merlin turned around and left.
He sat in his room, reading the letter over and over again, each time his heart would fill with worry and another it would fill with hope, unbelievable hope that in just two days his love would be standing at the door, at the dead of night and walking in, gently opening the door to Merlin and lovingly waking him up with a long lost kiss.
When Merlin carefully put the letter in a secure place, he closed his eyes, letting his mind fill up with dreams of their reuniting love.
The next two days was buzzing with worry.
The maids were clumsy, their minds in the clouds as they thought of how their father or husband would find them.
Merlin was extra clumsy, he too was dreaming of the next days and the mysteries that would finally be answered.
At the end of the day, all the women and children cheered in the court yard, music played and lights lit.
Merlin was there, celebrating with them.
When the sun set, all sat in silence, watching the sun with hope, some prayed for their lover's safe return.
When darkness took the kingdom, Merlin helped taking the children to their homes, giving hope to the families; one family took him in, inviting him for food as he told of his lover.
The mother gave him a hug.
He looked down at the child that was supposed to be asleep.
"When he finds you…could you bring him here?" She asked.
Merlin smiled and bent down.
"Of course Sarah…" He grinned and put her to bed and left.
That night he just wanted to fall asleep, but he couldn't.
Thank gods Arthur gave the maids and manservant's the day off the next day, so he rested till midday.
He woke to cheering.
Some men in armor arrived, Merlin got dressed and he stuck his head out of the window to see families finally made whole and boyfriend's reunited with their lovers.
He spotted Benny, his and Jacks best friend, he was kissing his new wife Shannon.
During the day he healed the wounded.
At the evening Benny arrived with a gash on his head.
"BEN!" Merlin cried and hugged the man.
"MERLIN! Is that you!" He gasped.
"Yeah!" The man grinned.
"You're so different!" The man smiled as Merlin sat him down.
"Yeah, you are too, you finally grew a beard!" Merlin grinned.
"Oh Merlin…you never changed…" Benny laughed.
Merlin chuckled and helped heal the wound.
As Merlin treated his friend, it was done in silence.
When he was done Benny was still there.
Gwaine was passing the room when he spotted Merlin in the chamber.
He was about to greet his friend when he saw a man with him, the knight just watched.
The man stood up and hugged Merlin.
When they broke Benny spoke.
"I have been told not to say anything about Jake but there are men that will arrive and tell you…I'm sorry, Merlin…" He said and left.
Merlin sat down, staring hard at nothing.
Gwaine walked in and sat next to Merlin, both silent.
"So…who is that man?"
"A friend…" Merlin said, softly.
"Your very chatty today, Merlin…" The knight weakly joked.
"Sorry…he is a friend of Jake and I…" Merlin said.
"Jake?...is he a friend…brother?" Gwaine asked but Merlin didn't answer.
After a while of waiting Gwaine nodded.
His hand held onto Merlin's leg and he stood up.
He turned to Merlin and kneeled in front of him, Merlin was still zoned out.
"Hey…" Gwaine said.
Merlin looked up.
"You will find him…you will…don't give up hope…" Gwaine said, Merlin nodded.
Gwaine sighed and hugged his friend, Merlin hugged tighter.
"Thank you…" Merlin whispered against the knights shoulder.
"No problem, my friend…if anything goes wrong I have a fire in my room…all you need to do is knock…"
"I don't need a fire…I just need a good friend there…"
Gwaine nodded and left.
As night crept up the kingdom Merlin was sitting in his room.
He listened to some families crying, some laughing and some just silent, too silent.
When it was mid night, Arthur, Gwaine, Elyan, Sir Leon, Percival stood near Merlin's room. Waiting for the men to go to his room to tell if this Jake was alive or not.
Soon four men in neat armor arrived with sad faces.
One sighed and knocked.
Gaius opened the door.
"We have come for Merlin…"
"He's asleep…" Gaius whispered.
"Wake him up then!" One snapped.
Gaius nodded and woke Merlin.
Soon Merlin was at the door, he gasped and walked out and closed it, just him and the four men, alone…well so they thought.
All stood in silence.
"Merlin…Jake was never found…" A man said with sorrow.
Merlin nodded, his lips spread in sorrow as he looked down.
"We have his belongings…" Another said, holding out a box, the man took out a hand held clock.
Merlin looked up.
He took it and opened it.
"It's broken…" he said dully.
"It's broken…" He said a bit louder and put it back.
"Take it, Merlin…he wanted you to have it…"
"So he gave up then…"
"…"
Merlin choked on a sob, one man pulled him into a hug.
"It's my fault…I was told to carry him back but then he just had to play the hero and ran back to help another…but when he reached the kid arrows…thousands of arrows flew up in the sky…I was just out of reach…the son of a bitch already had a broken arm…he was defenseless…I could have got him back in time but…I couldn't move…if I had just-" He broke down crying and hugged Merlin.
"He never stopped loving you…" The man said.
"Stop Sam…just stop…" Merlin wept.
"No…you need to hear this…" Sam said strongly, Merlin was quiet so Sam continued.
"Every night we sat around the fire for the past 6 years he told us about you…every moment you two had he would tell it with every detail…he did that every night…Merlin…your love kept us going…for six years…your love was our hope for six years…on that last battle where he died…we were standing on that hill…he was the first to run down and do you know what he shouted out…he shouted out 'I will find you Merlin'…"
The warlock sobbed.
"-And we did the same…" Sam whispered.
They stood there for a moment, hugging.
"One day, Merlin…he will find you…you will find one another Merlin…" He said and left.
Merlin looked down to see the box.
He sat down, looking at the box.
Arthur and the knights felt tears falling down their cheeks.
Merlin gave a sad smile as he pulled out a scarf.
"I gave this to him when he left…" Merlin said to himself.
He then looked down and saw a ring.
He looked at it for a while.
He slowly took it out, looking at it.
"I will find you…" Merlin said and put it on.
"Fits perfectly…" Merlin smiled to himself.
He looked down and picked up the box, he stood up and held it close.
Merlin closed his eyes and bowed his head, his hand covered his eyes.
He broke down, crying quietly to himself, after while he took a deep breath.
"I love you…" He brokenly whispered and turned to the door and opened it.
Arthur and the knights were quiet, they just walked away, awed by what they saw.
That night Merlin cried on his bed, tightly holding onto the box.
The next day Merlin walked down the kingdom, Sarah looked at him.
She pouted and looked up at her mother.
"They didn't find each other…" She cried and hugged her mother's leg.
The next day Merlin arrived at work, broken.
The king and knights all tried to make him happy but nothing worked.
Merlin was broken, he lost the one person he loved and he would never be the same.
Merlin was moving on, but left his heart and spirit behind.
They were at the trailing ground, Merlin was taking in every punch and kick Arthur threw at him.
Luckily Arthur was much gentler, not wanting to hurt Merlin as he was hurting the worst way possible.
Many people were around the trialing fields and court yard, filled with happy and complete families.
Voices and songs floated around the kingdom.
All solders had arrived, all the expected arrived and the lost were still lost.
Somehow the songs and voices grew softer.
When it was dead quiet, Arthur stopped trailing and looked o his side.
Merlin huffed with annoyance and picked up the shield and followed the gaze, all families parted so there was an empty trail.
One solder walked along that trail.
When the man stood at the end of the trail, it disappeared, families floated in.
One young girl cried out.
"HE FOUND HIM!"
Merlin frowned as he looked at his man that stood ran away from him.
Suddenly their eyes met and Merlin's eyes widened and he dropped his shield.
He took in a sharp breath, shaking slightly.
He then took a step forward, walked to the man, the solder followed suit.
When they stood in front of each other, Merlin gave him a watery smile and wrapped his arms around the man.
With one good arm, the solder hugged him on his back; he buried his face into Merlin's neck.
"Jake…" Merlin sobbed.
"I found you" Jake breathed.
"No…we found each other" Merlin cried.
They broke apart and Merlin grinned, eyes bright.
His hands held onto Jakes' cheeks.
"I love you..." he said, thick with emotion and leaned in.
They kissed.