A Trip through Time
Chapter One
Arthur woke to the sound of ringing in his ears. "GO AWAY AND SHUT UP" he shouted angrily. The alarm clock by his bed stayed still and continued to ring. His arm appeared from under the blanket, blindly feeling and failing to find the off button. Realising that his attempts were futile he threw off the covers and found the offending item. The XL ring alarm clock certainly lived up to its promise of waking even the heaviest sleeper.
After a quick shower Arthur got dressed and styled his hair. He knew some people thought he was vain but he just liked to look his best. After checking his watch he grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and a cold bottle of water from the fridge. He didn't want to be late for his favourite lecture.
Arthur had been at university for almost two years and was popular with males and females alike. His blond hair, blue eyes and athletic, but not overly muscular build meant that nobody could ignore his presence wherever he was. When combined with his polite and generous disposition and great sense of humour it was almost impossible not to like him.
As he pushed open the double doors leading towards his classroom he saw his lecturer talking to a slightly scruffy looking man. He looked a few years younger than a lot of his classmates and his ears seemed to be a little bit large for his head.
"You're just who I was looking for" said Miss Jones "I can't imagine anyone more appropriate."
Arthur looked puzzled. "Appropriate for what?"
"We have a new student and I would like you to help him familiarise himself with the building, students and teachers. He has come from a vey small village so it is all a bit of a shock for him" Miss Jones replied totally oblivious to the blushes on the man's pale face.
"Of course I can help with that though I imagine many others could too. Why do you believe I am the most appropriate?"
"His name is Merlin so it seems fitting that you should show him around."
It was Merlin's turn to look puzzled. His name had never been an issue in his home village but since he moved to the city it seemed to be a constant source of amusement for the people he had been introduced to. After receiving the same reaction countless times he typed 'Merlin' into a search engine and was confronted with thousands of pages of information. There were many variations of the legend but in all of the ones he had read Merlin was a sorcerer and an advisor to the king.
"I'm sorry Merlin, I had forgotten you hadn't been properly introduced" continued Miss Jones "this is Arthur Pendragon."
Chapter Two
Merlin and Arthur were standing in the same corridor exactly one week later waiting for the previous class to vacate the room. The door opened and the bubbly chatter of students leaving met the silence of those waiting to go in.
"Morning everyone, can you please find your seats as we have a lot to get through today" said a stressed looking Miss Jones.
The lecture began and Arthur saw Merlin scribbling furiously, taking pages and pages of notes. Arthur's were short and to the point. He had a good memory and found that a brief summary of each point was enough. Merlin, on the other hand, seemed to be writing down every word as if his life depended on it.
"I think I need to teach you about taking notes Merlin. You will use a notebook a day at this rate."
Merlin wondered how so much arrogance could fit into one man. No matter what they did Arthur believed his way was always right. He belittled the close-knit community he had grown up in and tried to change him into a city boy. Merlin was not going let that happen especially if Arthur was an example of one.
The blond man sighed as he saw the look he had been given. He didn't understand, all he had done was try to make Merlin fit in, to be like everyone else. He wasn't used to glares like that. He loved the adoration he received though it seemed that Merlin was the exception to the rule.
Once the lecture was over Arthur suggested that they had a coffee together hoping to ease the tension that had been building between them.
"I don't really know how to say this Merlin but I get the feeling that you don't like me."
Merlin looked relieved. "Finally you have observed something that isn't about how great you are."
"I don't understand what you mean Merlin."
"I didn't expect anything else from you" Merlin said preparing to unleash the thoughts that had built up over the week. "You can't accept that people are different and you don't listen to anyone unless they are fawning over you. Yes I grew up in a small village but that doesn't mean my opinions are worth less than yours. You want me to do things your way all the time and never even think to try things my way. I really don't know why people like you so much."
Arthur was shocked and looked a bit hurt by the harsh words. Merlin looked panic stricken.
"I shouldn't have said those things, I'm so sorry" Merlin said as he ran off down the path clearly upset at the reaction his words had caused.
"Merlin, come back here" shouted Arthur but it was to no avail. Instinctively he started to run after him. Merlin turned around when he heard footsteps but seeing Arthur made him run faster. He thought Arthur was chasing him because he was angry, it never occurred to him that it could be for any other reason. He spotted an open door and ran towards it thinking it would give him a few minutes to recover. Arthur's feet barely touched the ground and within seconds he had caught up and followed him through the doorway. Neither man was aware that those final steps would change their lives forever.
Chapter Three
The door they had just run through closed behind them and the two men were stunned by what they saw. Arthur turned towards it and reached for the handle but was startled when he heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Don't open that, it's not safe" said the unknown man.
"It only leads to the street" said Arthur, confused about the panicked tone in the stranger's voice.
"Not any more" continued the stranger. "You'd be drifting around for a long time if you went out there but you wouldn't realise because you'd already be dead from lack of oxygen."
"I don't understand" Arthur said watching as various levers were pulled and buttons pressed.
"I can honestly say that in over 900 years I have never seen anyone react like you. They are usually more like your friend over there."
"He's no friend of mine, he's a pompous arrogant prat" said Merlin speaking for the first time since they had arrived in this mystical place that seemed to be bigger on the inside.
"Good, because you do everything wrong and after everyone FINALLY accepted my name, which has caused me years of teasing, the taunts started again. It's 'are you going to ask Mer-lin to help you Arthur, are you going to get Mer-lin to advise you Arthur , has he worked his magic on you Arthur? ' My life has been ruined. Everyone liked me, well not everyone, you never did, but now I am the one everyone laughs at. You have ruined my life Merlin Emrys."
"I think it's time I introduced myself, my name is The Doctor and this is my tardis which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. In answer to the questions I'm sure you want to ask; no I am not human I am a timelord, yes it IS bigger on the inside, no I have no idea what all those levers do either, yes I do think bow ties are cool and I can confirm that this ordinary looking box does travel in time as well as space."
For the first time Merlin and Arthur were united in their shock and disbelief at the strange situation they found themselves in. As they looked at each other The Doctor ran to the strange looking console and pressed even more buttons before looking very pleased as a strange sound emanated from it.
"Here we go then!" and before Arthur or Merlin had chance to speak the timelord (whatever that was) was dragging them up a flight of stairs. "You can't go out in those clothes, you'll look too conspicuous."
Merlin said what they were both thinking. "We have no other clothes. What's wrong with these anyway?"
"We don't have time to stand around chatting, follow me I have wardrobes of clothes you can borrow."
They walked into a room that had more clothes in than either of them had ever seen before in their lives.
"I'm not sure your clothes will fit me" said Arthur "or Merlin for that matter."
"I'm sure we'll find something, I have been all different shapes and sizes over the last 900 years. This is the eleventh version of me. My tenth body was tall and skinny like you Merlin so you will find plenty of clothes over there." He turned and pointed to several rails of clothes that seemed to consist of long coats and striped suits.
"I'm not so sure about you Arthur. I think we should try those wardrobes which contain clothes I wore on my fourth body. Be careful you don't trip on the scarves, I was very fond of them then."
"What do you think?" Merlin had to shout as the room was at least the size of a football pitch.
Arthur and The Doctor turned around. They were confronted with the sight of Merlin wearing not only wearing a shirt and tie but also a brown suit. It looked like it had been made for him as the cut was perfect but Merlin's face showed how uncomfortable he felt.
"That's great Merlin but not right for where we're going" said The Doctor. I'll just help Arthur find something suitable then I'll see what else I can find for you."
Arthur looked down at the clothes he was wearing and then to those worn by the man standing next to him. He really hoped he wasn't going to be made to wear braces or a bow tie and definitely not the fez he saw taking pride of place on one of the many shelves. He was relieved to see that the endless array of tweed jackets had been thrown on the not suitable pile and even more so when he spotted the most bizarre collection of hats he had ever seen next to them.
"At last" said The Doctor as he held up a pair of long leather boots and a pair of brown trousers. "Now I just need to find you a shirt. We can't have you wandering around without one. What do you think of this one Arthur?"
"It's very red and it doesn't have any buttons" Arthur replied. "Are those laces at the top?"
"Yes Arthur they are. Now go and put this on when I help Merlin. You might need this as well" he said throwing Arthur a belt. "We don't want you to look like you're wearing a dress."
Merlin couldn't resist laughing at the thought of Arthur, the person who always had the latest clothes and labels, looking like a girl. His laughter stopped when he saw what The Doctor wanted him to wear.
"Do you think this will be suitable Doctor?" Arthur said strolling into the room wearing the clothes that had been chosen for him moments earlier. "They feel quite comfortable but it may take some time to get used to the boots."
"I'm sure you'll be fine Arthur, nobody will notice you in that" The Doctor said. "Come on then Merlin, you need to get changed, we can't stand around here all day."
"What I don't understand Doctor is that you've told us you are not human, you claim to be over 900 years old and have had eleven bodies but you won't tell us why we have to wear these clothes."
"That, Arthur, is because I wanted to show you. Are you both ready?"
Merlin and Arthur followed The Doctor down the stairs and watched him stroking the console in a very strange way. It sounded like he was calling it 'old girl' and 'sexy thing'. They exchanged bemused looks before heading to the door, curious to find out where they were.