*Disclaimer, I do not own the characters, they are the property of BBC, well ok, I did sorta make a new character but still* :P
First ever Merlin HC/Fanfic. I did this for a page I admin (His Name, Merlin on fb as -Mara). I just thought Merlin needed to smile again. I thought it would be a while before he did, and it might not be on his own :/ Anyways hope you enjoy it!
Merlin sat on the shores of Lake Avalon, the soothing waters gently lapped at his feet. The young warlock's arms were wrapped around his knees as he stared out to the distant island in the middle. He had done this for several years now. At any opportunity he could get, he would journey to the Lake and sit at its shores, thinking quietly of his best friend.
Merlin sighed and flicked a stone into the water. Ripples spread out, receding into the distance. How he wished for Arthur to be there, to laugh with him again, to have his advice…just for him to be there.
At least things in Camelot were going well. Whilst Gwen had not decreed magic to be good and harmless (obvious exceptions to such a decree being Morgana and Mordred, to name a few), it was no longer a 'crime' to have magic and be punished by death. Quite a number of people in Camelot who had magic had breathed a sigh of relief. A lot of them, Merlin had never realised they'd even had magic! Camelot was definitely a different place. Merlin slowly nodded his head. He also firmly believed that if Arthur -he swallowed hard- that if Arthur had lived, magic would have been accepted too under his reign.
Sometimes Merlin would talk to Freya as he sat on the shores. About anything and everything. He wasn't sure if she could hear him from the depths of Lake Avalon, and if she could was she listening? But he didn't care. He needed someone to talk to that wasn't Gwen, Leon, Gaius or Percival.
"I don't know how I can keep coping, Frey. It hurts…it hurts so much! I miss him! No words, whether in this language or the Old Religion's can describe the pain that I constantly feel," he choked on the last word as he whispered to the blue moving surface. It had been several years and the pain had not subsided. 'Time healed all' was a lie, Merlin thought bitterly. Nothing would heal this pain. One side of the coin had gone.
And you didn't get one sided coins.
A rustle disturbed his grave thoughts. Wiping the tears he hadn't noticed were falling, he stood and turned to the bushes and trees that were behind him. He readied himself for something bad. It was usually something bad. Trees and bushes didn't rustle and turn out to be a cute little duck! It was always something bad.
A girl with chestnut colour hair and worried green eyes stepped out, and stopped dead in her tracks.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Are…are you okay? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you…oh!" she noticed who was standing in front of her. It was Merlin, the most powerful sorcerer in Albion. Merlin, the Queen's best friend and most trusted advisor! Merlin, standing in front of her, with tear-tracks on his face. Evidently she'd disturbed something she really oughtn't.
"Sorry!" she whispered before turning to leave.
"Wait!" Merlin's voice came. It sounded strained, like he'd been choked up over something. This was Lake Avalon, after all, where the King had been laid to rest by his best friend and servant. The very man who was calling out for her to wait. Stupid stupid stupid! She chastised herself! Why had she even come here in the first place? Oh yes. Gaius had sent her for some medicinal plants.
"I'm sorry!" she said again. "I only came for some rue and milfoil for Gaius. Ah here's some!" she garbled, plucking some plants at random, hoping he'd let her go and wouldn't be too angry with her.
"Well Gaius won't be pleased. That's dandelion. There isn't any rue or milfoil around here, they grow in the forest, usually near to running streams." Merlin smiled, the sadness seeming to leave him momentarily. She blinked.
"Er…ok…um…thank-you…Mer-…um" she didn't know what to call him. He wasn't a knight, he'd refused that honour, that much she knew, so she couldn't call him 'Sir Merlin'. He wasn't a Lord or anything and certainly not royalty.
"Merlin. Just call me Merlin…or clotpole…or dollophead…all three are fine…" he gazed back at the lake with a quiet chuckle.
"I'm Clarine," she replied, unsure of what to say next. Clotpole? Dollophead?
"What do they mean? Those other words?" she blurted out! She clapped a hand to her mouth. Clarine had a habit of saying whatever came into her head, without thinking! She could've kicked herself, you didn't pester the Queen's advisor and Albions most powerful sorcerer!
He turned back, a real smile spreading across his face.
"What does dollophead mean? In two words, King Arthur!"
She frowned in confusion. And Merlin laughed. A full proper laugh. She had never seen him so much as smile before today, let alone laugh!
"Don't worry Clarine, I'll explain later. Now shouldn't we be finding those rue and milfoil flowers for Gaius?"
She smiled back and they set off into the forest, Merlin turning back just once to wave goodbye to the lake. Clarine turned too as Merlin carried on ahead. She blinked and saw another figure, on the island. Distant, and practically transparent, in fact it was probably a trick of the eye, but she thought she had seen something, someone. A man, who looked like he was laughing and waving back. She was about to call out to Merlin, but decided that he was better off not knowing. It would only bring back the sadness to his face. And it wasn't as if it was King Arthur!