Merlin slept. Merlin remembered.
He couldn't complain, really. He was young again - that was a definite plus. Being clean-shaven was almost a relief. On the downside, he was stuck in the middle of that irritating teenage stage of magic where his power was increasing but his knowledge of how to use it wasn't. And that dratted dragon was still there - goodness knew where the other one had gone.
Then there was Arthur. He couldn't quite remember Arthur being like this in the past, but then, his memory wasn't what it should have been. When he thought back, Arthur seemed to skip straight from small, gangly boy to confident king at the height of his powers. This new Arthur was ... well, he supposed stuck-up would be a good word. Emotionally stunted. Came with the upbringing, no doubt. His job was still the same in his time, it seemed; keeping the royal's feet firmly on the ground and his head an acceptable size while subtly convincing his subconscious that he wasn't alone.
All the same. It was nice, this new dynamic. Socially lower than Arthur but mentally more equal than ever before. It was nice to tease and joke, to live in a world where fatal dangers were separated by the normality of living and friendship. Arthur didn't (couldn't) respect him for his magic in this life. Did Merlin respect him for his royalty?
Well, he tried.
Merlin awoke and deduced awkwardly that he had been dreaming about Arthur.
Why did the stupid prince have to invade his dreams too?
First Merlin fic! 0.0 This was inspired by all the AU oneshots around, coupled with people bitching about Merlin being historically inaccurate. I see Merlin as sort of the BBC's own AU fanficcy type thing, so I wondered what Merlin thought of his new self.
It's not what I wanted it to be, but never mind. Slash hints if you really really squint.
All opinions welcome!
xMazx