The two of them soared high in the sky, above the clouds. The wind blew through Merlin's hair and, for the first time in a long while, Merlin felt free, and more importantly, happy. The sun was high in the sky behind the two of them, and it gave off a wonderful warmth on the back of Merlin's neck. Merlin raised his arms and shouted at the top of his lugs "Wahhoo!" He laughed. I wonderful long laugh that rang through the clouds. He hadn't enjoyed flying this much since the first time he tried it. "I'm coming Arthur!" he shouted. Aithusa landed on the shore of the lake and Merlin climbed off excitedly. He could barely take his eyes off the island which lay across the water in front of him. "The last time I was here" he said, turning his head towards the ground, almost as if he were talking to himself. He turned to Aithusa once more. "The last time I was here, I had to watch while my best friend lay dead in my arms" That moment flashed in front of Merlin again, as it did every day, but Merlin was able to wave it away now. He turned away and looked over the water to the Isle ahead of him.

"Merlin" Aithusa thought, "I know you have a plan somewhere in that glorious mind of yours, but would you please explain to me what you are going to do?" Merlin ignored her and focused his mind. He raised his hand out in front of him, closed his eyes, and repeated a spell in his head, a skill he had been working hard to develop. Merlin opened his eyes and they glowed the usual shimmering gold that they always did when he performed magic. Suddenly, a small boat and two oars appeared on the shore in front of him. "Merlin!" Aithusa repeated, now becoming frustrated. "What are you going to do? Do you honestly expect Arthur to just be waiting on the shore, completely fine, just waiting for a ride over the water?"

"No" said Merlin, refocusing on Aithusa once more. "That's not what I expect to happen."

"Then what do you plan on doing?" Aithusa thought, more irritated than before.

"Oh Aithusa, you know me so well, you know exactly what I'm going to do."

She sighed with irritation using one of the few sounds she could actually make aloud. "Merlin" she thought once more "You have tried that spell countless times on him before."

"Yes, I know" He interrupted, as he began to climb into the boat he had created. "And the spell works perfectly"

"Yes it works, just not on him. That was a magic blade Merlin, which I do regret forging entirely. And believe me Merlin, if I could undo the past, I would-"

"Aithusa, it is not your fault as I have told you a hundred times before. You knew not what the blade was to be used for."

"My point is" she thought to him once more "I don't understand what makes you think it will work now, when it never worked on him before!"

"Because" he said, now seated comfortably. "This is when we need him most." Merlin pushed off shore with the oars and rowed toward the Isle that lay ahead of him. He paddled as hard as he could while Aithusa waited on shore, where Kilgharrah had left him so long ago. She lay down in the tall grass while Merlin paddled. Suddenly it began to rain. Nothing serious, just a sprinkle. Merlin was glad actually, it hadn't rained in over a week. Merlin rowed more, but his arms grew weaker. He stopped for a moment. "Can't wait long" he panted "Have to hurry." He set off again, slower this time, so he could give himself a rest.

"Merlin!" Aithusa called out. "Merlin wait!"

Merlin stopped once more. He looked around, then back at Aithusa. Nothing looked array, so why did she now so full of terror? He was about to call back to her, but then he noticed it as well. All of a sudden the sky was grey, and dark clouds swirled in and filled the sky with a sense of dread. Merlin looked at his hands, then at his clothes, and the boat below him. Everything looked normal, except for the sky overhead. Then, the rain poured, and oh how it came! It down poured unlike any other time in history. It seemed to downpour forever, and Merlin had to decide what to do next. "No" he said to himself. "I am through waiting"

Through the rain Merlin rowed, harder than before, because the rain only made matters worse. He kept going until he hit the Isle. His boat bumped up on shore and he sat there for a moment, and smiled. He got up and ran out of the little boat. Once he was on shore, he looked around, but there was nothing. He took a few steps forward, "He must be around here somewhere" he thought to himself. He stopped, and then decided to save time and just use magic. He concentrated, closed his eyes, and searched the path ahead until he saw him. He opened his eyes and smiled. "There you are." He ran once more through the rain, to where he had seen him. He was just behind a large wall of rocks. He reached the point where he knew he was close, and looked around once more, and there he was. "Arthur!" he exclaimed, with such happiness as he had never let out before. He ran towards the boat on which he had laid Arthurs body so long ago. Arthur lay cold and motionless still, no traces of life, still unmoved, but perfectly preserved due to both Merlin's, and the Isle's combined magic. "Arthur." he repeated once more, kneeling beside the boat.

He sat there for a moment looking down at Arthur's body, and then looked down again at his hands. Something was happening, something new. His hands were doing something he had never seen before. They had a golden glow, like sunshine, coming from them. Both of them, just his hands, had begun to shine. It had started softly but as Merlin continued to look at them they grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly, he knew what to do. As the glow in his hands began to fade, he lifted Arthur gently out of the boat, and lay him on a patch of grass. He looked at his hands once more and they shone brighter once more. The rain poured down on Merlin's face, but he did not care. He lifted his hands and placed them over Arthur's heart and tried to begin.

Merlin didn't know how he learned the spell, it had come to him one night in a dream, a dream he had been having a lot over the past year. His father, Balinor, would repeat the spell to him, and then Morgana would appear, and laugh. The first time Merlin had dreamt this, he bolted out of bed and called Aithusa to bring him to the isle. He would do this every time the dream came to him, which was at least once a month, but it never had any effect on anything. But this time was different, he could just feel it. It would work this time. He closed his eyes once more, and a sense of nostalgia filled him. He remembered all the times he had saved Arthur, and how many time Arthur had saved him. How much they had been through together. What if Arthur wasn't happy to see him? What if he was still angry at him for being magic? What if he never wanted to speak to Merlin again? "No. He's Arthur. He's my friend." He said to himself. "Everything will be fine."

As the rain poured down Merlin's face, he silently began the spell. Once, twice, three times. "Arthur," he ended aloud. He opened his eyes and took his hands off of Arthur's chest. The rain came to a sudden stop as everything around him seemed to freeze. No wind howling, no birds chirping, no rain pouring down on the surrounding landscape. Merlin looked down at Arthur, then all around, and nothing happened. "Arthur" said Merlin finally. He leaned down next to Arthur and whispered in his ear, "It's time."

All of a sudden, the waves began to beat down on the shore. Merlin looked back to the shore where Aithusa sat. She looked back at him and it sounded as if she were trying to say something to him, but the sound of the water drowned her out. "I can't hear what you're saying!" he cried out. She tried once more.

"I said be careful Merlin!" Merlin heard her this time, faintly.

"I will!" He shouted back aloud. He turned back to Arthur, who had still not moved. "Maybe I just have to try again." He said, becoming slightly worried. He placed his hands on Arthur's chest once more. Just as he was about to begin his spell again, a crack of lightning hit the lake. Thunder roared throughout the sky, and Merlin's eyes jolted open. Merlin looked around. The waves had died down again, and the clouds had disappeared, but other than that nothing had changed. He was confused, this had never happened before… Was this a sign of good fortune, or a bad omen?

"Merlin" said Arthur's voice, as clear and familiar as ever. "Why on Earth, have you got your hands on my chest?"