Author's Note: Hi. The usual: please review and let me know if it's good or bad. I hope you like it!

Merlin rounded the corner, readjusting his customary neckerchief before going any further. In the past twenty five thousand years or so, Merlin's outfits really hadn't changed that much. He had his neckerchiefs, he wore denim jeans and a soft brown leather jacket, and he had on either a blue or a red t-shirt. Same old, same old. His brown messenger bag rested across his chest and he spared a moment to look down at it. Wrong move.

As he was looking down, he was also continuing to walk forward. However, someone coming the opposite direction down the street was also walking forward. And talking to their friends. And not paying attention. They smashed into each other and Merlin fell back onto the sidewalk. The blond sneered down at him, "Watch where you're going." Merlin didn't care. He was too busy staring at the retreating group of friends. He was too busy staring at the blond who sounded and acted and looked exactly like him. Like King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot. And the people who were with him. Who looked exactly like the knights of the round table.

Merlin's mind was whirling as he got back up, absentmindedly readjusting his neckerchief, and walked to his normal café. He wasn't sure if he was just hallucinating, or if he really just accidently ran into the reincarnation of Arthur. The warlock pulled out his laptop, the waitress already getting Merlin his usual without needing to ask. He opened a search engine and typed in 'Arthur Pendragon 2015'. He came up with nothing. He then searched 'Uther Pendragon', but still: nada.

The waitress slid Merlin's tea to him and he deftly stopped it and started drinking immediately. She raised an eyebrow, "You seem awfully busy today, Merlin. By the way, cook's orders: you never have to pay for your tea again. Something about coming here for a year straight and getting the exact same thing. Are you even processing my words?" Merlin blinked at her, "Um. Yeah. I think so. I don't have to pay for my tea and I seem busy. Right?" She smiled fondly and ruffled his hair. "See you tomorrow, Merlin." "You too, Finna!" Merlin called out cheerfully before continuing his search.

For fifteen minutes, he couldn't find anything. He was starting to get frustrated when it hit him that Arthur should be around the right age that he should be going to school. Well, school started in about a week. Merlin tried to find a way to look at the roster, but then realized that it was impossible. Finding no other way, he went onto the school website and after hovering over it for a while, he clicked 'Enroll'.

Arthur was still indignant about being plowed into by that gangly kid on his way to Gwen's house. He was saying, "I mean, who does he think he is to just run into me like that? Doesn't he know who I am?" Gwaine rolled his eyes, "Not everyone can recognize a princess on sight my lady." Lance chimed in, "And I'm pretty sure that you ran into him."Arthur huffed before waltzing into Gwen's house like he owned the place. Well, his father technically owned the place, being the realtor that sold almost every house in the city. That wasn't important though. Gwen wrapped her mocha colored arms around him the moment he stepped into the house. She was smiling brightly. Leon had been assaulted by Morgana running to jump into his arms and kiss him full on.

Gwaine was staring at Leon and Morgana with a tad bit too much interest for Arthur's taste, "Gwaine, you really should get your own girlfriend instead of staring at my sister and her boyfriend." Gwaine grinned sheepishly at him and plopped into a sofa. Gwen and Arthur squeezed into one side of a love seat with Leon and Morgana on the other. Percival and Elyan sat on either side of Gwaine and Lance took one of the other chairs. Mordred just leaned against the wall. He would sit down when he wanted to, not when everyone else did.

Mordred snickered, "Arthur plowed some poor kid to the ground today." He knew what the immediate reaction would be. Gwen leaned away from Arthur and gave him an eyebrow worthy of her and her brother, Elyan's, adopted father, Gaius. He insisted that they all call him by his first name. Gwen's father had been killed in a drunken driving accident. He, Gwen's mother, Arthur's mother, and Arthur's father had all been in the car. Only Arthur's dad survived. It was a sore spot for the whole group who had known each other practically since they were kids. Everyone's parents were everyone else's parents. Gwen started her lecture with a shrill, "What did you do?"

Arthur scowled at Mordred who only grinned broader, "It wasn't my fault. He wasn't looking where he was going. He was messing with his man purse." Arthur sniffed daintily. Percival frowned, "I think it's called a messenger bag." Arthur glared at him, "Same difference." Percival shrugged and let Gwen continue to berate Arthur for not paying attention and for being rude.

Gaius finally walked in and rescued him, "I don't feel like cooking tonight, so I am going to order pizza. Shall I get the usual?" Everyone nodded solemnly. Conversation picked up again when he left. Eventually it turned to the conversation of school. Elyan sighed, "Ugh. I don't want to go to school next week." Morgana flopped back onto Leon dramatically, "Don't remind me! I don't want summer to end!" The group nodded their whole-hearted agreement. Gwen turned to Arthur, "If that kid that you ran into is at school, I want you to apologize to him." "But why? I didn't do anything! He ran into me!" Gwen raised that eyebrow again and Arthur wilted beneath her, "Yes ma'am."

Gwaine started laughing hysterically and everyone looked at him, "You were cowed by a girl, like, half your size. I'm sorry. That's just hilarious." Gwen stalked from Arthur's lap to stand in front of Gwaine. His laughter died out immediately. Arthur spoke up behind them, "That, my friend, is because she is terrifying in her eternal beauty." Gwen's face lit up and she all but ran to Arthur, "That was so romantic!" Arthur laughed, delighted that he was off the hook. Gwen was spending too much time with Morgana. She was starting to become independent. Just then, Gaius came in with the pizza and they fell to.

Merlin wound his way back around corners and up streets to his apartment. He threw his keys into the key dish and plopped down at his desk. "You seem tired Merlin. Have you been getting enough sleep?" Merlin jumped at the voice that sounded like a creek bubbling. "Jeez Freya, you gave me a heart attack. And yes, I've been getting enough sleep." Her laugh sounded crystal clear from the bowl that her face appeared in. Merlin had realized that if he took some water from the Lake of Avalon and put it in a bowl, he would be able to talk to Freya all the time. She had loved the idea and soon they talked every single night. They would catch each other up on the events of the day and then they would just talk about anything and everything. Sometimes Merlin would even angle the bowl so Freya could see the TV and they would watch movies together.

"Oh Merlin, you are so sweet. But you do seem upset. What's troubling you?" Freya continued. Merlin smiled, it was so full of hope and yet still so guarded because he really couldn't afford hope, "I could have sworn that I saw Arthur and the knights today. I was walking and not really paying attention to where I was going-," Freya cut him off, "As per usual." Merlin cut her a quick grin before continuing, "and then all of a sudden I ran into someone. They use this pompous tone so much like Arthur's and say, 'Watch where you're going.' And then they and the people who looked like the knights, were gone. They walked away."

Freya tilted her head contemplatively, "Did you look them up?" He nodded distractedly, "Yeah. I couldn't find any mention of them or their parents. So I thought that maybe they would be going to school and there's only one high school in this whole town, so I tried to find a roster for that. I couldn't get a roster so I did the only thing I could. I enrolled in high school." Freya's face lit up, "That is so cool! I can't believe you actually did that! You have to get school supplies you know. And you should definitely get some new outfits. People with not a lot of outfits get picked on because people think that they're poor."

She said it so innocently, but Merlin knew better. She had been trying to get him to change his outfit for centuries. Merlin gave her a playful glare, "I actually don't know what I'm supposed to have for school now that I think about it. It's been, what, two hundred years since I went to school last? I doubt I need the same things." Freya frowned, worrying her lip in that adorable habit that Merlin had picked up, "They might have a list on the website?" She offered.

"Mm! Good idea! Let me go get some food real quick and then I'll look it up." He went to the kitchen and grabbed some left over Chinese food. He heated it up with a whispered word and then sat back down in his chair. "What's the school called?" Freya asked. Merlin gave her a droll stare, "You wouldn't believe it." She smiled in anticipation. "It's called Camelot High. The irony in that. That's also why I think that maybe, just maybe, this is what we've been waiting for." Freya puffed up at the 'we'. She loved it when he automatically included her in his plans. It made her feel so loved.

"I think the whole thing is quite ironic. I mean, you've been waiting for, like, twenty five thousand years now and you find him by running into him. What are the odds of that?" He laughed. She loved the sound of his laugh. He was so beautiful and she was so lucky that she had him. "I love you Merlin." He turned his suddenly serious sea blue eyes on her, "I love you too Freya. I love you more than anything." Her eyes misted up and then the moment was broken by a ping on the computer.

Merlin half jumped out of his seat, "Jeez! Everyone is trying to kill me today!" Freya laughed and he pulled up the list of items he needed. He angled her bowl so she could see. Merlin ate his food while conjuring up various school supplies with suggestions from Freya to make things look hip or smart. They spent the rest of the night laughing and talking.

It was a week later and Arthur and his friends piled into homeroom together. He had gotten his dad to get the group together in a homeroom class by themselves. Arthur sat in the middle of the room, with Gwen on his right and Leon on his left. Elyan sat on Gwen's other side and Morgana on Leon's. Gwaine, Percival, and Mordred sat behind them.

About thirty seconds after the bell rang, Merlin came practically running in. He was wearing his red shirt and his blue neckerchief. He plopped unceremoniously in front of Arthur.

Arthur was shocked. For one, that was the kid that he had run into (a fact that Elyan was gleefully sharing with Gwen), and for another, his dad had said that they would be in this homeroom alone. Why was this kid here?

Merlin was slightly out of breath. Schools were a lot smaller two hundred years ago. And by smaller he meant they were one room. Sometimes they weren't even one room. They just had school outside. Or at home. Now, schools were bigger than castles. It was ridiculous! The teacher, a strict looking women with her blond hair hanging in waves down her back and her brown eyes that told you that yes, she was serious, raised an eyebrow at Merlin. She started to speak and Merlin gave a start as he realized that, holy cow, this woman was Morgause, "Young man, what is your name?"

He scoffed in his mind, Young indeed, before answering, "My name is Merlin Emrys, ma'am." With Morgause, he figured that he would be better off being polite. "Well Mr. Emrys, you were late. I will not let that go without punishment. I expect a paper written by tomorrow about the historical value of being on time. Is that understood?" Merlin nodded distractedly, "Yes ma'am." He was writing the assignment down in his assignment journal.

Gwen smiled into her hand, whispering to Arthur, "Poor kid. I think your cousin Morgause doesn't like him." Arthur snickered and passed the message on. Morgause turned around and said, "On a more pleasant note, my name is Ms. Gorlois. Most of you know me by Morgause, but I'm afraid that you can't call me that at school, alright? Good. Now, I'm going to call roll. Say here. If you say anything else, I will count you as absent and woe be it to any of you whose parents get a 'your child skipped school' message."

She went down the list and everyone called out 'here' like she asked them to, "Percival Armstrong, Leon Boleyn, Mordred Clarent, Lancelot du Lac, Merlin Emrys, Gwaine Noble, Arthur Pendragon, Morgana Pendragon, Elyan Smith, and Gweneviere Smith. Good, everyone's here." Luckily no one had noticed Merlin jerk with every name that was called as if someone had stabbed him each time. Morgause continued, "Unfortunately, all we have to do today is go over the syllabus and get to know one another. Take one and pass it back if you please. You are a small homeroom class, which is good because it means that there will be more time for doing nothing, or homework, but for most of you, I doubt that."

Merlin smiled, then frowned as he realized that if these reincarnations led a life that was at all similar to that of before, he would probably end up doing their homework for them. Great. They read through the syllabus and were about to start talking amongst themselves when Morgause spoke up, "Not quite yet. In a moment you guys can talk, but for now, let's get to know Merlin. You all know each other and he knows no one." That wasn't quite true, but Merlin let it slide, opting instead to say, "Oh, really, it's no issue. I'm fine. I'm really not that interesting anyways."

Ms. Gorlois raised both eyebrows and said, "I don't think I gave you a choice." Merlin gulped and walked to the front of the class. Morgause said, "Every person will ask one question. We will go in alphabetical order. Percival, go."

Percival sighed before thinking for a moment and finally deciding on, "How old are you?" Merlin lied and said that he was 15, because that's how old the rest of them were.

Next it was Leon's turn, "What classes are you taking?" He listed off the classes he was taking. Evidently he had at least one class with all of them.

Then Mordred went. The sound of his voice made Merlin shiver with hatred, "Do you have any siblings?" Merlin answered no.

Lance asked, "Who do you live with then?" Merlin deflated a little at that question. It had hurt when his dad had died in that forest, but it was worse when he saw his mother waste away from a plague that he couldn't cure. He said that he didn't live with anyone. He had been given the go ahead to live on his own.

Gwaine asked who his best mate was and Merlin answered that he didn't have a best friend. What he didn't say was that all his best friends were dead or reborn with no memory of him.

Arthur, looking bored, asked, "What's your favorite color?" Merlin immediately answered red. He really wanted to say Camelot red, but they would think that he meant the school. They had more of a burgundy red where the real Camelot's red color was bright and vibrant.

Morgana, whose voice also sent pieces of glass crawling down his spine, asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?" His ears turned slightly pink as he answered that yes, he did have a girlfriend.

Elyan rolled his eyes at Morgana's antics and asked, "What's your favorite movie?" Merlin's favorite movie was definitely the whole Harry Potter series, mainly because Freya loved it.

Gwen, who was last, asked, "So who is this girlfriend?" Merlin smiled at her; he just couldn't help it, "Her name is Freya, but she lives in a different part of England. We have a long distance relationship." Morgana perked up, "You know, long distance relationships are very hard to keep up. You should probably have a number two waiting at the ready for the inevitable breakup." Merlin's face closed off when she spoke, a fact missed by none of them. His voice was cold when he answered, "They are not hard to maintain when it is true love. We have been keeping up with this long distance relationship for years now. I'm pretty sure that I'm fine." He sat back down in his chair and pulled out a book.

He could sense Arthur leaning over his shoulder to see what he was reading. He felt his disappointment when Arthur realized that it was in a language that he didn't speak. Of course, the only language Arthur is likely to know is English, knowing him. Inside, Merlin's mind was in tumult. They really had been reincarnated. That meant something bad was going to happen, but what? And when? And what could he do to stop it?

He almost missed it was Gwen called his name. "Hm? Yeah?" Merlin turned around, a patience grown from thousands of years of waiting the only thing that kept him from throwing his arms around Arthur and crying. Gwen smiled at him a bit nervously, "Um, well, have you heard of the Pencil Shaker? The café?" He nodded hesitantly. "Oh, good. Well, um, I- or we- have been wondering if perhaps you would like to join us at the Pencil Shaker tonight. We were going to celebrate the beginning of the school year. Thought you might want to meet us there. It's at five." Merlin smiled, "I'd love to. I think it's cool that you celebrate the beginning of school. Most people don't do that."

Mordred attempted to pull a Gwaine and dramatically flip his hair while saying, "Well, we aren't most people." The group laughed, but then they noticed that Merlin's face had hardened and he had turned away when Mordred started to talk. Morgana and Mordred exchanged startled looks. What had they done to get his hatred?

Merlin didn't want to hate Mordred and Morgana. It was just that it was so hard to see these teenagers and not see who they were. He could never forgive Mordred for betraying his identity and for killing Arthur. He could never forgive Morgana for killing Gwaine, Lance, Elyan, and so many more. And yet, those same people were boring holes into the back of his head right that instant. It was confusing to say the least. He would talk to Freya about it when he got home.

The rest of the day had passed without incident. Arthur was in at least five classes with Merlin and he was quite impressed with how smart he was. He seemed really shy though. Arthur was slightly glad that Gwen had invited him to their little meeting, but he was a little apprehensive as well. They were a group who had been together since birth and now some new guy is waltzing it. It was disconcerting.

Then there was the fact that the kid seemed to hate Mordred and Morgana, even though he's never met them before. It was weird and he was determined to remedy it as fast as he could.

He was sitting with the guys and Gwen and Morgana in a corner at the front of the restaurant, waiting for Merlin. It wasn't quite five yet – they had all arrived early – but he still felt like Merlin was late. Eventually, he bumbled in and sat down at the table, grinning shyly. Gwaine knuckled his head and said, "Finally! I thought you'd never show up! I hope you don't mind that we already ordered our stuff. We got here a little early." Merlin mumbled that it was fine. Arthur was surprised. Normally, people were very weirded out when Gwaine did that.

Gwaine was determined that he would be able to tell who he would like by how they reacted to his knuckle to head regime. Just then the waitress came over and smiled like Merlin had made her day, "Well, it's good to see you again. You'll have your usual, Merlin?" He smiled at her and said, "Yes, please. Oh, and Finna, I heard through the grape vine that you were sighted at the ring store. Finally planning on proposing to Alator?" She laughed, "Nope. He proposed to me!" Merlin's grin somehow managed to get even bigger as he got up to give her a hug, "Congratulations, Finna!" She smiled and laughed again, "Alright now, I'll be right out with your meal. Oh, and the cook says that your free food applies to any food at any time of the day. We wouldn't want our most valued customer to think he was being slighted." She winked at him before sauntering away.

When Merlin turned back to look at the group, they were looking at him in awe. "What?" He asked defensively. Elyan leaned across the table and shook Merlin's hand, deadpanning, "You are my hero." Merlin's eyebrows squished together, "For what?" Gwen laughed and Morgana answered, "That lady is the meanest person to ever live. At least she is to kids and teenagers. You, however, actually know her and know her well. I mean, she hugged you. That task is tantamount to the Herculean tasks." Merlin scowled at her, "She's a nice person and she deserves some friends in her life. She's had a tough time and you really can't blame her for how she acts."

Arthur had had enough, "Alright Merlin, maybe you thought it was okay the first time, but this is too far. What do you have against Mordred and Morgana? Why do you hate them so much?" Merlin's lips tightened into a thin white line and he shrugged noncommittally. He was saved from further questioning by Finna returning with his meal. Gwaine had already moved the conversation in a different direction and for that Merlin was grateful.

After about an hour and a half of talking and laughing, Merlin stood up, "Thank you all for inviting me, but I have to go. I do have an essay to right for tomorrow. I'll see you then." He walked out the door, waving to Finna as he left. He was about halfway home when the creature detached itself from the shadows and attacked.