Prologue
Chapter Text
1500 years. That's how long he had been alive. In all this while he had been a lot of things. A doctor, an engineer, a scientist, a MI6 agent and even a tree- among many other things.
His magic was just as strong now as it had ever been, if not stronger. Merlin had come to the conclusion centuries ago that he was some kind of a vessel for magic.
As magic continuously waned from the world, it all just seemed to pour into Merlin. Just like it had during the Great Purge, all the magic that Uther destroyed had to go somewhere- That was where 'Emrys' came into the picture. The misplaced magic from the dragons and the sorcerers had created Emrys. The balance had been restored.
This past year, since a particular dream Merlin had, he's been giving his destiny quite a bit of thought. He wonders if he would do a better job of it now than he had the last time- because Dear Reader, if there is one thing on which we can all agree on is that what Merlin did the last time, was a complete clusterfuck.
The first century or two he kept beating himself over what ifs- what if he had confided in Morgana about being Magic or given Mordred the benefit of the doubt, what if he had confided in Arthur sooner about his magic- Arthur would have been angry- yes or ballistic- definitely, but at least he wouldn't have died before his time.
(In part) It was not Mordred that killed him, it was Merlin's lies, his deceit and selfishness.
The first step Merlin had taken into tackling this long life was- acceptance. Accepting that Arthur was gone.
And that he probably wasn't coming back regardless of the Dragon's words. Merlin just couldn't see Arthur in the 21st century.
Arthur was the born King not the born Prime Minister or President. A king. A legendary hero. The world in the 21st century though often loses its way and has in the past had brutal wars and conflicts, it needs a democratic leader… not a King.
Next step to mental stability was self-confidence. Merlin had never felt that he could be something other than a servant, a shadow or an invisible shield. As Emrys, he had felt liberated, free of self-doubts, knowing his own worth and living life as it came.
Not worrying who is going to enchant the prince next, just…. living. Only after multiple careers, many lovers and many victories that Merlin had achieved without the help of his magic- these things had played a part in being self-confident.
He was now more decisive than ever. He didn't need help making his decisions, he didn't follow blindly like he had with Kilgharrah and Gaius. He was still open to opinions but his decisions were his own.
Merlin, currently was making his name in the singing business. He sang everything he felt and had felt over the centuries, everything he went through or regretted. It was much like writing a book, but in rhyme. Today, was his last performance.
As far as the whole world knew, Merlin was retiring to spend a few years searching for inspiration and getting to know himself better in India. He will also need to break up with his girlfriend tonight. Not looking forward to that, Merlin thinks. She will probably hate him, but if all these years of unfinished romances had taught him something, it was that it's better for them to hate you and think that you were a massive c*nt than them waiting their whole lives for someone who was never going to stay. In his immortal opinion- Anger is always better than agony.
For now, he goes out to greet his fans. It was going to be a long night, but it was also going to be worth it.
Notes:
Imagining Merlin as Justin Timberlake, performing at the Pepsi Super Bowl. Lol, JT is also wearing a neckerchief in it.