Chapter Two
Lake of Avalon
The sun was high in the sky as Merlin awoke from a long and contented sleep. As he slowly opened his eyes, a smile curved on his face. He took a couple of seconds to look around him. The lake in front of him was still now, calm and serene. As he came properly to he thought back to his time with Freya.
Even now he could hardly believe the time he'd spent with her. He could still sense her perfume in the air. While he would have loved to have stayed here, drinking it all in, he knew now was the time for him to leave. For the first time he actually felt ready for it. He realised that hanging around the lake would not bring Arthur back to him any sooner. Also would Arthur would really want him lying about mourning him endlessly?
Suddenly he was intrigued to venture outside again, to begin to try and live a new life. It may be in Camelot, maybe somewhere else, but he knew he must at least return there and see his friends. He knew it would not be easy for him, despite Freya's words he would always blame himself for Arthur's death. He knew he had made mistakes which had led up to it.
A sudden feel of melancholy took him over as he vaguely remembered Arthur's sad ending. Taking him by surprise, suddenly a burst of positive feelings unleashed inside his mind, it was as if all his blackest thoughts had been blocked out of his vision. He closed his eyes for a second making the most of this happy feeling. When he opened them again his mind was made up.
He went back to pick up the few belongings he still had, and put them into his bag. He decided to have one last look across the lake that had been his home for the last year. To anyone else it would just seem a normal lake with pretty bushes and trees overhanging it. But to Merlin it was his spiritual Mecca, his special home and he made the most of it as the magical vibes from the lake continued to mingle with his own.
Then he turned around and began to walk away. One day he would return when Arthur had risen again and he was needed at this friend's side. But now he knew the time had come for him to embrace his life here and now. Within a few minutes he had left.
Camelot
"Come on Gwaine we are waiting for you." Leon said rolling his eyes.
"Okay I'm coming." Gwaine assured him as he shuffled across the court yard to his waiting horse.
As the other Knights sniggered at their friend's attempt to hurry, as he almost slipped over again, Leon tutted into his cape. Gwaine as ever had been last out of the Tavern and Leon was tired about telling him, that the late nights were not helping his performances next morning.
"I know exactly what you are thinking Leon." Gwaine said turning to him with a grin. "But I will be fine once I get up on this horse."
Leon nodded grinning despite himself, he was anxious to get on with the latest patrol particularly as they were to take a detour and search for Merlin. As he watched Gwaine hurl himself on to his stallion, he checked everyone else was ready, and urged his horse onwards. Before long they had thundered across the drawbridge and out into the countryside.
They rode on eastwards, the sun was high in the sky the ground dry making the horses run faster. Leon hoped that inside a few hours they would be in the area they need to be, so that they could spend the rest of the day searching before leaving on their official patrol.
He was anxious to bring back some good news to Camelot. Everyone was worried about Merlin and where he had disappeared to. It wasn't like him to do something like this, and Leon still struggled to understand. But he also realised that the Merlin they were searching for now, was a very different one to whom they had all known in Camelot. Or thought they'd known.
When Guinevere had told Leon about Merlin's true identity, it had stunned the Knight. Merlin a sorcerer, a man who could control dragons, a mighty warlock. Somehow it different register with the sometimes shy man that he knew when Arthur was with them. Leon knew though that magic was not evil in itself, he after all had benefited from it when the Druids had brought him back from the brink of death. He still could barely believe that the Merlin he knew could be capable of doing anyone any harm.
But it seemed they had all underestimated him, and suddenly Leon was keen to speak to him and understand him fully. He couldn't even begin to understand how lonely it must have been for him, being a sorcerer in the heart of Camelot in Uther's time. Knowing that being discovered would lead to him being burnt on the pyre. Yet all the time as Guinevere had pointed out to him he had been protecting them all, despite the risks to himself.
He had felt a tremendous need to thank him, it was the least he owed him after all. They had all at times taken him for granted, without realising the debt they actually owed to him. That was a wrong that had to be righted in Leon's view. Now that magic flowed inside Camelot Leon was truly coming to realise just how wrong they had been throughout Uther's reign. He felt great shame when he had taken part and killed people whose only crime was to be born with magic. While he knew some had deserved punishment, he also knew that many had lost their lives who should not have.
Realising they had just arrived in the outskirts of Avalon, he put his hand up and suggested that they give the horse a short break, and had something to drink themselves. The hot sunny day, was making him exhausted never mind his faithful old stallion.
Leon told a couple of the junior Knights to take the horses for a drink, and he pointed to Percival and Gwaine to join him in a short rest.
"We are nearby." Leon said looking around.
"It is like looking for a needle in a haystack though." Percival pointed out.
"We have to find him though. He belongs back in Camelot with his friends." Gwaine said a worried frown on his face.
"He was in a really bad state when I saw him that day. I always knew it would take him a while to get over it." Percival mused.
"I can understand that, he has been forced to hide a lot in his years with us. It must seem very strange to him now." Leon pointed out.
"He was a shadow of his former self. He kept blaming himself for what had happened to Arthur. I couldn't get any sense out of him. It was like he had convinced himself he wouldn't be welcome back in Camelot." Percival said sadly.
"Merlin not welcome, he really doesn't know us that well does he?" Gwaine asked.
Percival and Leon just looked at Gwaine, knowing that that was true for them all now. Somehow that had to be put right.
Merlin was already beginning to feel tired. He suddenly realised that having hardly moved in the last year his conditioning was not the best. Already he was starting to feel blisters on his feet, giving him pain and discomfort. He found somewhere to sit down, taking a drink to refresh him.
He slipped his shoes off his feet, as he stared at the ugly blister appearing on the sole of his foot. He closed his eyes trying to remember the healing spell in the old book. At first he struggled too, despairing at how much he'd actually forgotten already. But suddenly it came to him.
"Purhhaele licsar min." he whispered, suddenly the blister had all but disappeared. He smiled at the relief. He repeated the spell on his other foot, pleased at last to be pain free. Frowning he knew he needed to get a horse from somewhere, he still had a long journey ahead.
As he travelled deeper into the forest, he enjoyed listening to the sounds that sang around him. The birds that sang from the trees, the soft humming of the crickets in the bushes. The Dragonflies that flew around his head. In his self-exiled world, he had missed such natural creatures. Suddenly it felt good to be back into the land of the living again.
As he walked the odd memory stalked with him. The path was the one he had taken Arthur down. Yet all of a sudden he didn't feel too bad, it was as if he was at last coming to terms with what had happened to his friend. He was would always blame himself to an extent he realised it was in his nature, as much as his magic was. But now he was reluctantly coming the conclusion that somehow this was how it had to be.
He frowned as he remembered Arthur's last words about him always being himself. For a second the sentence confused him. What was himself he wondered? He had spent so much of his time not being himself, hiding away that suddenly it was hard to remember who he actually was at all. He realised that once he was back in Camelot it would be strange for everyone. The Merlin they thought they had known, was actually someone entirely different, even though to himself he was still the same.
He sighed as he thought of his friends. He was still nervous about how they would react to him coming back suddenly. Guinevere in particular she would be the lone Queen and he had stayed away, when she had probably needed his help. He wondered how she'd react to him suddenly turning up like this? Could he expect her to understand why he had to all intents and purposes deserted her?
As he thought back to the time that they were both servants, both serving the Pendragons he remembered the time when Guinevere had been there for him, he was suddenly nervous that now she was Queen that it would mean that things could no longer be the same between them.
As he walked on, he heard a noise looking ahead he noticed two men. They were on horseback, the second one pulling a brown mare behind him. They all eyed each other suspiciously for a second before Merlin realising that this could be a lucky break for him.
"Excuse me is there something the matter with the horse?" Merlin asked smiling.
"She's useless once we reach our village we will put her down." the first man said.
"What's the matter with her?" Merlin asked curiously.
"She is lame, can't you see?" the second man replied rolling his eyes.
Merlin ignored his sarcasm, and looking at the horse decided to stand his ground.
"I have some coins here, I will pay you for it." he offered holding a couple of coins to the man.
"You are offering to pay for a lame horse?" the first man laughed. "Well who are we to stop you from your own stupidity."
Merlin put the coins in his hand, and took the horse from him.
"Best of luck with the nag, you are going to need it." he laughed as the two men rode away.
Merlin watched until they became dots on the horizon, then he gently led the horse over to a clearing and let her drink from a little stream. While he was no horse expert he suspected that the horse was not lame at all. As she drank he walked around her, feeling her legs softly with his fingers. As he took hold of her left back leg, she gave a snort, and suddenly Merlin saw a deep gash there.
"Easy, easy." he whispered. "It appears that they missed this, now lets see if we can do something about this." As the horse remained drinking Merlin gathered some leaves of comfrey and gently put it around the cut, and closing his eyes whispered a spell. He sat down for a few minutes making sure that any pain the horse felt was being absorbed by the leaves.
Eventually he pulled them away, the wound looked clean now although not entirely cured, he could sense the worst of the pain had now disappeared and the horse wagged its tail as if thanking him. He patted the horse, checking over the old saddle on her back. It seemed relatively solid, and after giving the horse a few more minutes rest, he carefully put his foot in the stirrup and hurled himself onto her.
The horse seemed happy, so he carefully urged her forward. He kept going at an easy pace to start with, checking up on the horses reactions to him. She seemed totally at ease now, so he encouraged her into a little trot. Before long they began to run, Merlin suddenly realising just how long it had been seen he had ridden properly. But after nearly falling, he soon got into a comfortable rhythm.
Then they were galloping through the forest everything suddenly a blur. It felt good to be back riding around, Merlin had forgotten just how good riding could sometimes be. The wind in his hair, feeling as if he had no worries suddenly. It was different to the endless riding around that Arthur insisted on, when going on one of his quests.
As the forest began to come to its natural end, Merlin suddenly he realised he was near to Camelot now. Before long he would see the white towers soon, he wondered suddenly how he would feel after all this time. Yet just as he thought about it, his magical senses suddenly began to react to something. There was something out there that was calling out to his powers.
He jumped from the horse and walked over up the hill, from which he would soon be able to see his former home. Tears formed in his eyes at he saw the majestic towers come into view. Even now the emotion still overcame him whenever he saw them. So many memories suddenly played into his mind now. Each one falling over another one, until they became a mass of images forming in his mind.
He sat down trying to make some sense about what was going on. Where was the magic coming from he wondered, up here it was so strong, calling to him wildly. It was only as he sat there he worked it out, it was coming from Camelot itself. He breathed in suddenly remembering Freya's words. "You will find Camelot a much changed place." she had told him. But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined this.
The world that he and Arthur had dedicated their lives to was now a reality magic was back at the heart of Camelot. Suddenly tears fell down Merlin's face as he took it all in, if only Arthur was here too see it as well. If only he'd had the chance to show him how magic could enrich a communities life.
All of a sudden his fears had left him, he had to get down there and experience it all for himself. He led his horse down the hill and onto the main road leading to the castle. Everywhere was alive, people selling their wears, it reminded him of that first day that he arrived in Camelot. How wondrous the place had seemed to his then young eyes. Yet now too he had the same emotion.
The colour, the life but most of all the magic that flowed around the streets. Ordinary people watching people with magic, without fear in their eyes, accepting them for who they were. He laughed as he took in the scene. As he turned towards the drawbridge he could see a old man holding a group of children spellbound as they watched a couple of puppets, move across the air as if on invisible wings. Like the children, Merlin watched the sight in wonder. It was almost as if he was a child all over again. He applauded with the children, catching a smile from the old man.
Merlin took a deep breath as he looked at the draw bridge up ahead, this was the big moment he realised. He hoped that his courage would not desert him now, as he slowly led his horse down the road and towards the castle. He kept his head down not wanting to cause any unnecessary fuss. He slowly crossed the bridge his eyes looking straight on, taking nervous gulps as he did so.
Suddenly he was back in the court yard. Looking around the place seemed totally unchanged from what he remembered. A shout echoed across the yard and he realised some one was yelling at him.
He waited anxiously as the young Knight came over to him eyeing him suspiciously.
"What is your business here?" the young Knight asked.
For a second Merlin wasn't quite sure how to react.
"Business?" he asked nervously.
"What are you doing here?" the Knight repeated.
As Merlin looked at the Knight he realised he hadn't seen him before. Guinevere had obviously gained new Knights, who probably hadn't a clue about him.
"I'm Merlin." he replied quietly. "I use to live here."
"Merlin?" the man's harsh expression immediately disappeared. "They've been looking for you for ages. Wait till I tell them. My name is Gareth by the way."
"Hello Gareth pleased to meet you. Can you take my horse?" Merlin asked.
Gareth signalled to someone to take Merlin's horse from him.
"I can't believe you are back here Merlin." Gareth said escorting him across the yard.
"There have been many changes I see." Merlin smiled . "I hardly recognised the place."
"Yes I would say most of those changes have happened because of you." Gareth beamed.
"Me?" Merlin asked stunned.
"Yes of course the Queen was most anxious to bring magic back to Camelot once she worked it all out."
Merlin smiled, that was very Guinevere somehow, he had little doubt that she would eventually work it out. What he hadn't taken into account was the fact that she would bring magic back. He suddenly realised just how much had changed in the world that he'd left behind.
All of a sudden though he stopped thinking as he recognised two figures who were running across the court yard towards him. Tears began to prick his eyes but before he had a chance to stop them he was in the middle of a warm embrace. He had no idea how long they had hugged each other there in the public glare.
"Hello Merlin welcome back." Guinevere smiled at him, letting him go eventually.
"It is good to see you again." Merlin smiled through his tears. "Gaius."
"My boy." Gaius said before he threw his arms around his ward's neck weeping into his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, I've left it this long." he apologised to both of them.
"There will be plenty of time to talk in the days ahead. Lets go inside, I imagine you could do with some food." Guinevere smiled.
"Yes I am rather hungary." Merlin admitted his arm linked through Gaius's.
As the three of them climbed the steps up to the citadel a crowd had gathered watching them go. The warlock was back it seemed, suddenly Camelot was in awe.