The battle raged on. He could smell the copper of blood that had spilled over the sacred ground of Camlann. If he closed his eyes, he could still see the image of his friend, his king, falling to the ground at the hand of someone they all once called friend. Everyone except him. And he wondered still if this was his fault. After all this time.
Merlin closed his eyes and sighed before slamming the book in front of him closed. He was sitting in the darkest corner of the library but he still felt like he was back on that field. It was a thousand years ago, maybe more. The day Albion died. And all that was left of that golden age was sitting in front of him. A book of legends. A story that has been handed down from generation to generation. No one knew how real the stories were. No one but him.
He put the book back where he got it from and draped his messenger bag over his shoulder before stepping out of the university's library, smiling at the elderly librarian as he left. Geoffrey never smiled back then. In fact, he still didn't smile. The old man was a bitter as an old hag and Merlin wouldn't have it any other way.
The truck sped past him as he walked toward his loft. He passed by a newsstand, a routine he'd found himself having in this lifetime, and purchased the paper immediately flipping to the Finance section. Merlin didn't particularly enjoy reading about finance, it was as boring as polishing armor, but it was the only way to make sure that it wasn't all for nothing. That even though Albion now went by a different name; it still lived on. That he was still alive. That he was still thriving.
And he was.
Merlin smiled as he stared at the picture of the young man grinning with his arms crossed standing in front of a grand glass building that was his legacy now. He'd just inherited the company his father left him and the world was anxiously waiting to see what he would do with it. Would he run it into the ground or will he have as a successful reign as his father before him and his grandfather before that? Would he be even more successful?
It didn't matter. Merlin was just happy that the spell worked. The Once and Future King lived and that was all that mattered. Even if he didn't remember his past, Merlin did. Even if he didn't know who he was once upon a time, Merlin does. And even if they never met and they lived their lives as apart from each other as possible, it wouldn't matter. Because it would mean that he would live.
It took a long time for the young warlock to understand the lesson that the Great Dragon once tried to teach him. He thought it was his destiny to save Arthur. He truly believed that it was. He just didn't understand how that would come to pass. He had to live through many lifetimes alone before he could see the fruit of his spell. The last spell he ever cast. The only spell that ever mattered. Arthur never knew what his protection spell meant when he went into battle that day. And to an extent neither did Merlin. He knew he wouldn't be able to save him from Mordred's sword. He wasn't trying to save him at that point. But yet, somehow, he did.
And the proof of that was staring back at him. Merlin looked into the sky and smiled brightly. He turned back toward the newsstand and a magazine cover captured his attention with the latest celebrity gossip. He stepped closer to read the headline.
England's Most Eligible Bachelor to Wed
If anyone was ever meant to find each other in every lifetime; it was them. He shook his head and purchased the magazine with a smile. He didn't bother reading the article. He knew what it would say. That his King and his Queen would live happily ever after without him. And that was okay. Because for the first time, things were how they were always meant to be.