Of course it was in November when the frost settled over the leaves, of course it was in the night when he twisted his damn ankle and of course it was on a Monday when he had been stuck in a forest looking for the damned thing.

The accident wasn't his fault, it was that damned tree bark. Despite the pain bothering him at every step Merlin couldn't help ducking his head and smiling while shaking his head. Honestly even though it had been over 1000 years he could still hear that's prat's voice calling him a clumsy oaf.

The leaves were crunching as he walked around the forest, he tucked his beard in to his tweed coat, and although it prickled his chest it was better than it being a nuisance by stepping on it,

'Must make a mental note to trim it, honestly I can see why Arthur needed a manservant now'

From afar he looked as though he were homeless, what with his khaki trousers, torn and patched up and his dark green tweed coat hat was too big for him, yet he'd had it for 50 years and it seemed a shame to throw away. In his left hand he was holding his threadbare shoulder bag to his side and in his right hand it was a staff, an old staff that was falling apart. If someone far away were to glance his way, he would look as though he were a walking fossil hiking and reminiscing of his childhood days. Despite not having much money to his is name, well his name in this current time, he had old money. Every 70 years or so he would mysteriously disappear and his wayward 'son' would come take his place in the mansion and look after the money. Yet in this generation he had caught wind of something that could potentially enable him to talk to his love.

But if someone were to take a closer look at the crippled man they would see not only an old staff but a staff twisted at the top, encasing a curious blue gem that would slightly glow when the old man stopped.

Merlin walked for a few metres before settling down on a log his weary bones aching after walking for 4 hours. A day ago he overheard from a group that they had left behind a certain object that would help you to view your loved ones. He had coughed into his drink, wasting a good few knuckles. Of course the group then turned around and cast a few suspicious glances at him, especially the bespeccled one. They turned back to each other and whispered in hushed tones the location of it. After chugging down his butterbeer he lifted himself off the dirtied bench and tried to inconspicuously leave the Three Broomsticks.

In the forest however, after lowering himself on the log, he felt his breath shortening, and coming out in short gasps. Bollocks, he could never hold his 'dragoon' disguise for longer than a week. Glancing to his left and his right he checked for any passer-by's. Seeing none he drank the cordial and felt his body changing. His spine straightened out, the hairs on his beard dropped off hair by hair and disintegrated halfway to the ground, the hair on his head receded back in and turned to its usual brown, his clothes transformed to a more modern style consisting of a grey jumper and a casual black coat.

Oh all the happiness he had in this young body, all the hugs, the smiles and the declarations of devotion but yet in this young body he had experienced all the tears, the tragedy, the deaths and the betrayals. Trying to get through the years and trying to survive alone, keeping his family in Camelot on his mind and hoping against hope that one day he would see them again. In the last 1000 years he had loved many times, both Men and Woman, blessed any children he had with magic yet at the same time cursing them with the power to choose between good or evil. But actually fallen in love? No, nothing could compare to the person he had left behind, the person who had died in his arms after loving him for all he was, magic and all.

He shook his head slowly, trying to bring himself out of the useless self-pitying that he was doing. What did the children at the inn say?

'I told you Ron! It was right in the middle, at least that's where I left it before I, you-know. Anyway I can get it and quickly come back '

'Yes harry we do know and that is exactly why we are not going back for it, you two heard about the effects of it, it would be best to just leave it where it is, right Ron?'

'Yeah mate, why would you go back there? 'Mione's right! Leave the dead, dead. Bringing them back 'alf alive won't do anyone good. Especially you'

Merlin gave a soft smile at the loyalty of Harry's friends. Just like the knights of Camelot. It would do harry good to stick with them.

Theoretically, it should be around here, he gently closed his eyes causing them to flutter every 5 seconds or so and reached out a hand in front of him and whispered 'andslyht' causing all the leaves to twirl upwards leaving a bare ground, and right in the middle of it Merlin saw it, the thing he searched for since he had heard of it 100 years ago..

Picking up the dirtied stone in his calloused fingers he lifted it up with shaking hands.

He knew what the stone was, he knew its properties and its dangers, but he also knew what it would allow him to do. On his knees he knew all he could do was praises the goddess that he had been blessed with finding this.

'The resurrection stone' he breathed.

He closed his eyes and turned the stone slowly in between his fingers

FLASH he say a blond man twisting his arm behind his back before announcing himself as the prince, he saw the man face, crushed, desperate as Merlin caused a rock fall, allowing the other to escape. He saw the same man in his arms as he used his last breath to mutter 'thank you', tears causing a hazy film over Merlin's eyes.

He turned the stone once again

FLASH He saw himself glancing upwards at a royal beauty, shaken and disgusted by the execution of his own people occurring in front of him. He saw himself blinking back tears as the woman turned betrayed eyes to his once she realised the drink was in fact poison. He saw himself thrust his sword into her and her accusing him with her eyes of him siding with the magic haters, with the same killers who caused their own people to die mercilessly and with pain.

With shaking hands he turned the stone for a final time

FLASH He saw himself in the stocks, smiling and grinning without a care in the world shaking hands with his soon to be best friend, He saw himself staring at her out of the window as she gulped back her sobs while trailing after her father's dead body in the wagon. He saw himself looking down at her with a smile as she treated wounded soldiers in Camlann.

He slowly opened his eyes and tried to feel any hope that this might actually work, after all one doesn't live for a few thousand years without learning to keep their emotions in and feeling nothing.

After a few moments there was no one there. He let out a shaky breath and was about to stand when he felt someone watching him

A/N So...This is my first ever fanfic. What did you think?

(Din, you better be happy, I stayed up all night doing this)

Also for the modern merlin clothing I got the inspiration from what he looked like and what he was wearing in the Fall