Merlin wandered for a long time.
It had been a few years since Arthur's d- never mind. Merlin had decided that he couldn't- he couldn't- stay by that infernal lake any longer. It hurt too much. He thought that Arthur would have wanted him to go, too. Arthur was- had been- that kind of person.
So Merlin left the lake, knowing that if- when- Arthur 'returned', Merlin would probably get some magical alert that it happened. No destination in mind, for he had no purpose in life, he wandered.
Merlin wandered for a long way.
He travelled through forests and valleys and glens, avoiding Camelot. In his wanderings, he saw the changes that he and Arthur had made together, the people that were alive and happy thanks to them. That hurt him too. Arthur should have been there with him, seeing the good that they had done.
A/N: This is just a tiny chapter to start off the story. I'll probably update later tonight!
I got the idea for this from a fanart/comic thing from Tumblr. I made it the profile pic, so creds for the idea go to whoever drew it!