Merlin woke to the feeling of thousands of hammers pounding into his head.
He moaned. "I just had the strangest... It wasn't a dream. I'm in the future. I'm married to Morgana."
He heard a laugh from the other side of the room. "Trust you to focus on the fact you married my sister instead of the fact you just saw yourself screaming and covered on scars he got from a notorious torturer or that you are court sorcerer."
Merlin sat up and looked around. King Arthur was leaning on a table, obviously trying, and failing, to hold in laughter.
Next to him was the Merlin who had screamed.
"Prat."
Merlin gave the future him a stare down. His hair was slightly longer, covering his ears. He was wearing what looked to be his normal outfit, but upon second glance, it was obviously not. The cloth of his shirt was softer and of better quality, reminding him of some of the shirts of Arthur's he washed. The neckerchief was less ragged as his own was, and the only other accessory he wore was a simple golden band on his right ring finger. That surprised Merlin. Peasants had bronze, or no bands at all. Gold was reserved for ones born of noble blood.
The future Morgana was standing beside him. She looked different than she looked now. Sadder. But less angry.
"So. Future. Why?" King Arthur said, turning to his Merlin. That's when Merlin realized the people from his time were not in the room.
"Where is Arthur?" Merlin said, cutting off whatever his future self was going to say.
King Arthur smiled and gave Merlin a small grin before turning to his Merlin. "Ha! You have to go on my next hunting trip with me!"
Future Merlin grinned. "I always come on hunting trips with you. Why do you think I agreed to the bet, even though I knew you would win?"
King Arthur opened and closed his mouth a couple of times and Morgana sighed and turned to Merlin.
"Arthur is safe. They were given quarters to stay in until you woke. I-she-Morgana woke an hour before you did. Uther was not pleased about us not answering questions without you though. I do not believe he is convinced he has traveled to the future, and Arthur may be the same, but he seems to be playing along with it for now."
King Arthur nodded and grabbed his Merlin's sleeve and Merlin's own rough jacket, dragging them out of the room. He called back over his shoulders, "Call for a meeting of the Round Table. Bring the visitors and arm them. I want them to feel confidant going into this meeting."
Lady Morgana smiled sadly and began walking the opposite direction of the King and the two Warlocks.
The next hour was a blur to Merlin. He was pulled about by a joking King Arthur and old Merlin, and he supposed the others were not getting the same treatment as him. What with the King trying to pick out a suitable outfit and his future self intervening with a couple 'Absolutely not.' And 'If you think I'm going to let you make a fool out of the past me, you've got another thing coming.' Eventually they decided to leave Merlin as he was and drug him to the room where they first appeared.
The Morganas, Uther, Merlin's Arthur, and the Queen were standing there, waiting for them.
"Where have you been! The meeting is going to start soon!" The Queen scolded, dragging the older men by the collars of their shirt and bringing them to their place at the round table.
People began filing into the room and they were all staring at the older Merlin with worry, not even noticing the newcomers.
"Friends, I have called this meeting for a very important reason. As I'm sure you all remember from the feast last night," I was unconscious for a whole night? Merlin thought. "Merlin had a spell. Most of you know, that because he is Emrys, He can feel magic. It was cause for many of his collapses when he was my servant. Glad to make him Court Sorcerer, though. He was a lousy manservant." A chuckle came from the side of the room, and everyone looked to see the visitors, Merlin trying to hold back a snort. A gasp echoed through the council, and Merlin blushed from the attention.
King Arthur rolled his eyes and continued. "However, that was not what happened last night. Last night was the result of a terrible curse Merlin must bear. He has more information than I, though. Merlin, the table is yours."
The King sat as the soccer stood, causing Uther's eyes to narrow dangerously and his hand the itch toward his sword.
"Two years ago, you know that Arthur and I were kidnapped, but we came back after a week, and appeared unscathed. That is not the truth. Only a select few know what happened there and even then, they do not know all. Bandits did not kidnap Arthur and I. Morgana kidnapped us while she was still under Morgouse's control."
Lady Morgana winced and the young Morgana looked shocked. Morgana was her sister. She would never control her.
"Morgana had at that time learned of my magic, so I had no way to get us out quickly, as I normally do. She had bound me with magical shackles, ones that would take me a while to release. I-I was not able t-to concentrate o-on t-that for long h-however, because Morgana had h-hired a man n-named A-Alen- "Merlin stopped. He was shaking, rubbing his chest.
The room was silent except for Merlin's struggled breathing.
King Arthur grabbed Merlin's shoulders and gently pushed him back into his seat. The King's eyes were sad and shiny with tears.
"I can do it." The older warlock said, pushing against Arthur.
"Al- The torturer did not want anything from me. He had simply been hired to make me suffer. So be assured, Arthur nor I came back in full health. It had been almost the full week, and although we did not know that, my magic had become unstable. I must use my magic to live, so it would not allow itself to be chained forever. That was how Arthur learned of my magic.
"On our way, out of Morgana's reach, she cast the darkest spell known to any priestesses of the Old Religion. It, bound, me and that week of torment. The effects of the curse are that whatever pain is bound to the victim, they will have phases where all they can experience is all that pain at once, at all moments. What you, witnessed, was one such flashback. Even after I broke the spell holding Morgana in the dark, the curse was still in effect. It will never be lifted. Not even the Triple Goddess herself could change such a curse."
Lady Morgana was shaking in Gwen's arms, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. No one could hide the sadness in their gaze and the fear in their posture.
"No. No no no no no." Young Merlin muttered, backing slowly into the wall behind him.
Prince Arthur was looking at his manservant with curious eyes. He obviously still did not believe in the time travel situation, so he thought whatever they were speaking of was just hogwash.
"You can't really believe this, Merlin. It's idiotic. No man could ever survive a week with Alenzar."
But Merlin was shaking now, hiding his face in his knees as to not show the tears spilling from his eyes.
"Merlin, idiot, come on. Don't believe what these bogous sorcerers are saying. I mean, they even said you have magic!"
Merlin lost it. He let out a small chuckle, lifting his head from his knees. "Well they got that part right. I have no magic."
"Oh no." King Arthur said, sharing a glance with his friend. This is almost exactly how Arthur found out in the dungeons. Morgana had been teasing him for not using his magic, and that's when Merlin said the almost exact same thing.
"See Merlin! Now let's just-"
"Why are you so blind! You couldn't even see it when I told you. And now we've been sent to what is most definitely the future, and you laugh! You find that you are the Once and Future King, the greatest king who is to unite and rule Albion, and you believe it is hogwash! You want to know how I know that what they say is true? Because you knew. About my magic, about everything! You knew I was royalty, and even I did not know this until recently! You knew about my magic. The other half of the coin as Kilgarrah puts it. And no I don't have magic. I am magic."
The silence was eerie and the Future Merlin watched the scene unfold with an odd glint to his eye.
"Are you sure you're royalty?"
Merlin was shocked. He had expected Arthur to kill him on the spot, and he would not fight him. He knew he would be getting what he deserved, but for that question to fall from Arthur's lips almost knocked him off his feet.
"Gosh Arthur. Your almost as bad as I am." Future Merlin said with a smirk. "My past self wakes and all he can think about is I marry Morgana? And then you learn of my magic about three years before scheduled and ask if I am sure I am a king."
"Yeah yeah. But really, are you sure? I've known for years and you never acted like a king. Do you even have a castle?"
Future Merlin sighed before turning to the past guests. Merlin's and Uther's jaws looked like they were about to hit the floor, and Morgana had this wild look in her eye, as if she were searching for an escape. Arthur was the only one who looked relatively normal, with his confused face.
"SORCERY!" Uther yelled before taking his sword out from his hilt, swinging it straight for Merlin.
Arthur was about to draw his sword when Uther was met with steel.
"Try to hurt my friend again, and I promise, father or not, I will kill you without a second thought."
King Arthur then hit his deceased father with the hilt of his sword, knocking him out.
King Arthur turned back to the Round Table. "As you can see, there is another very important matter we need discuss. When Merlin goes into these flashbacks, his magic can't be 'reigned in' as he so nicely put it. This time, it seemed to grab some people from our past and bring them here. Uther, me as a Prince and before I found out about Merlin's magic, Merlin, and Morgana when she was still under Morgous's control. We have not entirely found when exactly they are fro-"
"They're from when I looked into the crystals at the crystal cave and found that Morgana would try to kill the king."
Past Morgana seemed to choke on her spit. "You looked into the crystals where magic began and survived? How?"
Future Merlin grinned at his wife, almost as if telling her to answer.
Lady Morgana smiled and said, "He's the most powerful sorcerer to ever live or ever will live. He wasn't lying when he said he is magic. He and magic are one in the same."
Morgana turned to her brother's servant. "I TRUSTED you. I turned to you and told you of my magic, and you denied it. Denied that I had magic and your help along with it. I believed you were a good friend, and you poisoned me! And I have no Idea why!" She was screaming by the end, and Merlin was looking down in shame.
"Wait. Does everyone have magic now? Are you going to tell me that you are also of royal blood?" Prince Arthur said, drawing a hearty laugh from his future self.
"She is of royal blood. Uther is her father."
Arthur groaned and sat down while Morgana went rigid. "That's why you said Lady Morgana Pendragon. Because that is your name."
Lady Morgana nodded and leaned into her husband's chest.
The rest of the afternoon meeting passed quickly, and the meeting was soon dismissed with a warning not to tell anyone of the time travelers' presence.