A lot can happen in ten years. Ten years can be the difference between beauty and respect. Ten years can be the difference between the young and the wise. Ten years can be the difference between the new and the old. The weak and the strong. The living and the dead. It was ten years since King Arthur's death. Ten years since the promise of his return, and yet, there still was no sign of him. Not the slightest evidence of his coming again. Camelot was still under the reign of Queen Guinevere. She was a fine queen; she earned the respect of all her people, and that of other kingdoms, which put her in a powerful position. However, with power like that, hatred is demanded. It was not seldom that Camelot was threatened by enemies and foes. But Camelot was safe. Despite the constant hatred coming toward Camelot, there was one thing that kept enemies arrest. Something that kept them lurking in the shadows rather than attacking in the night. Camelot was defended.
It was no noble knight, nor any savage beast that was given the name of "The Defender of Camelot." No, it was a young man. A young man with a great power. This man was a sorcerer, but not just any sorcerer, mind you; this man was believed to be the greatest sorcerer to walk this earth. He was known by many as Emrys, but his real name was known mostly to those who knew him best: Merlin.
After Arthur's death, it wasn't long before Gwen proposed that Merlin become the Defender of Camelot. Merlin was quick to accept, and they'd been working together to protect the city for ten years.
Gwen wasn't surprised when she found out about her pregnancy a couple months after Arthur's passing. Conflicted, she was unsure as to whether the boy – for so it was to be – would haunt her or bless her. Merlin was always there to counsel her and saw the good in the situation, suggesting that the boy would help as a distraction. He would help take her mind off of things. But Gwen was not fully convinced. Merlin, although mourning the loss of his master, king, and friend, was always quick to serve. Perhaps it was just of habit, after living as a faithful servant all those years, but he almost always cared for Gwen's every need. He would, however, often find solitude to recover and find ways to fill the empty gaps that Arthur had left when he died.
It was about this time that Gwen appointed Merlin to be the godfather of the child. Readily, he agreed. The boy was born and named Anir.
Raising the child was a challenge for Merlin, but he enjoyed it. As the boy grew older, he looked more and more like his father. Merlin grew close to the boy, and he was a distraction, but ultimately, nothing could keep Merlin straying from the question for long. The question that had haunted him all these years. When would Arthur return?
This question wandered in and out of Merlin's mind for ten years. He watched Anir grow up, and still he could not find answers. He was losing hope, and he was wondering if ever he would find an answer to this fateful question.
"Ready... set... Go!" Merlin darted across the field, the wind on his face watering his eyes. Anir ran beside him, working every muscle in his body trying to keep up. When he was with Anir, Merlin tended to forget all about everything else in the world. The troubles of Camelot, the enemies of the queen, everything. Anir was kind of like Merlin's getaway. His chance to slip out of the castle and just be free from his troubles. Anir was still only a kid, but Merlin loved him. He often times reminded him of Arthur. Independent, quick-learning, brave...arrogant.
Merlin was the first to hit the finish-line. He was not the type to take it easy on kids just because they're kids. Especially not this little whippersnapper. Nah, he could handle defeat.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Anir said.
"What's not fair?" Merlin retorted.
"How do I know you didn't use magic?"
"Why would I use magic?" said Merlin.
"Because you're magical and you don't like me," said Anir.
Merlin chuckled. "I don't not like you; I just like to beat you!" At this Anir lunged towards Merlin playfully and Merlin quickly dodged him, but Anir moved quickly and swept Merlin's feet out from under him. This resulted in them both lying on the ground laughing.
Anir was the first to take action. He got up and demanded, "Okay, are you ready?"
Merlin sighed. "Alright, what's next?"
Anir thought for a moment. "Hmm, how about... chess!"
Merlin's face grew grim. He didn't like playing chess. Playing chess required protecting your king. As he was a terrible chess player, he often failed at this job. This usually brought back memories of how he had failed to save Arthur when he had the power to stop his death. If only he had let Morgana die when he had the chance. If only he had killed Mordred when he was able. Thinking about these things would then make him angry; when Merlin got angry, he went mad; and this was not a pretty sight. Oftentimes, Anir was the only thing that could calm him down. Looking at him made Merlin feel like he hadn't completely failed. There was still hope left.
Merlin looked up at Anir. He was so innocent. So young. Merlin smiled.
"Please, please, please!" demanded Anir. "You promised!"
"Okay, okay!" Merlin gave in. They went inside to play.
