Water gurgled and frothed as it churned in the aged Lake of Avalon one summer's day in the year 2018. Whole empires had risen and subsequently collapsed, following the demise of Arthur Pendragon, former King of Camelot. Entire family lines had become nothing but dust in the wind, in the time that had elapsed since the monarch had taken his last breath. Unbeknownst to him, of course, as he had been in a deep sleep beneath the water which he happened to be surfacing from.

On the marshy bank, a portion of an enormous shoreline that had remained throughout the ages, a lone figure stood. His face was clean, with an almost imp-like quality. However, it held no whimsy, but rather a face of indifference on his countenance as he waited for the water to cease sluicing down the chainmail clad around Arthur Pendragon's re-awakened form.

The former made his way to the shore at an increasingly steadier pace. As much of the water had disappeared in centuries' past, it took him almost no time at all to reach the embankment upon which the shorter man stood.

In the time that Arthur Pendragon had used to reach the land which had once been much smaller, or at least he could've sworn it had, he had wiped away the liquid which had clouded up his vision, until it had all disappeared. With clear eyesight, Arthur spied a man clothed in a fashion he had never encountered before. Of course, he felt deep within his bones, that was probably the least of his concerns.

"Arthur Pendragon?" the man intoned.

The voice made it seem more of a formality to Arthur. He hoped it was, at least. How many other dead kings appeared from the watery depths of Lake Avalon then, if he was far from the first? A question for another time, he supposed.

"Yes, it is I, Arthur Pendragon, King of," Arthur paused, "Former King of Camelot."

"Indeed. Follow me, please."

Well, Arthur thought, at least the fellow had been taught manners, whoever he was.

While Arthur was not frequently in the habit of following complete strangers at their behest, he also hadn't expected to return from the dead, so he figured what did he have to lose.

Treading after the man clothed in foreign garb, Arthur moved in his chainmail as best he could. His body had been suspended in water for so long, it seemed to have forgotten how to move fluidly with the metal that he had donned at an earlier point in time. No matter, he knew that he couldn't stay in it forever. Once he found a safe place to rest, and had assessed that there would be no danger, he would shirk it, and find something less weighted.

After what was probably no more than a few minutes' walk, the man who was a good deal shorter than Arthur, halted in front of a tree. Its trunk was thicker than a horse's middle, by a great deal, and its leaves were a bit wilted, but otherwise hanging onto the branches for what must have been dear life in the sweltering heat that was hung rent through the air.

Pivoting about, the man looked up into Arthur's eyes, searching him for what seemed to be any hint of unworthiness. He would have scoffed, but hours and moments before death, he had been humbled to the fact that perhaps, his pride had done more harm than good. Whatever the man had been searching for, he must have found it, because he stepped aside and allowed Arthur to go before him. Of course, Arthur had no clue as to what he was meant to do, so he glanced over at the man beside him.

"For a supposed military man of old, you are rather inobservant," the man stated, a hint of humor in his eyes.

A blush of embarrassment warmed Arthur's cheeks. Instead of responding, he surveyed the area, and noticed that directly in front of him there was what appeared to be just another part of the trunk. Upon further inspection, it was a door. Feeling foolish, he reached forward, and pressed against it. Immediately, it sprung open.

On instinct, his sword arm went straight for his weapon.

"This is a sacred place, Arthur Pendragon. Do not sully these hallowed halls with your use of brute strength. Be safe in the knowledge that none will harm you here."

Within seconds, Arthur reluctantly removed his grasp on the hilt of his sword.

Despite the reassurance, he couldn't help but feel a bit less whole, when not walking into an unknown place without it in his hand. Remembering back to the night in the Druid camp, when he broke down though, he knew that this was his only option if he wished to proceed further.

In silence, he stepped forward. The stranger moved around him and took the lead before him.

Just as in the citadel that had once been his home, there were torches of flames that burned, lighting the path down a seemingly endless hallway. Together, the two made their way down the single lit corridor, with the stranger at the front and Arthur directly behind him.

With no way to keep time, the walk took an inordinate amount of it. At least, Arthur thought so. After being sunk in a lake for goodness knew how long, each new step that he took seemed to take longer than it had before, as if everything were moving in slow motion, and he were viewing the world with new eyes.

At some point, however, the other man came to a stop, once again. As Arthur was trailing close in proximity, this made his abrupt halt that much more important, so as to avoid collision with the fellow in front of him. It took great effort, but he narrowly escaped the whole disaster by mere seconds.

Once Arthur regained his balance, he stepped back from the man, and waited to see what their next move would be. At this point, his companion was engrossed with a second door, which unlike the first, was most certainly a door. For a moment, Arthur had absolutely no clue what he was doing, until a picture was traced into it, and the whole door lit up in red and orange hues. This, he became aware, was magic.

This made him wonder if this man knew Merlin. If so, would he be able to tell him where to find the sorcerer, if he were still alive. Although Arthur was unsure of how long he had been submerged, he felt that judging by the shift in the land, and the strange attire of his newest companion, it had been a great deal of time. Merlin, although a sorcerer, also had only been one man. He couldn't have survived that long, could he?

Regardless, magic is what had brought him back to the land of the living, this he was certain of. No mortal man on his own could perish and then return a whole person of their accord without some outside force to aid him. Who's magic, he was unsure of, but he felt that Merlin might have been the culprit. Why, of course, was the next question on the tip of his tongue. If he were no longer alive, what purpose would Arthur's return serve? He hoped that one day, he would have his answers.

As the door slid aside, and the stranger turned back to gauge his reaction, Arthur wondered yet again where Merlin was, if he was still around, and if he would ever see him again.

"I suppose you have many questions, Arthur Pendragon."

Arthur swallowed, and then nodded.

"Past this barrier, there lies the answers you seek. But be forewarned, you, and only you, have been designated to gain access to this place. Should you prove yourself unworthy, you will die a mortal man's death. Complete the quest you are given, and you will retain your immortality."

"Quest? Is that why I have been called upon from the lake?"

The man in front of him smirked

"For all your arrogance in your previous life, there is a chance, nay an absolute fact, that you are the only one who can complete this quest. Others have tried and failed. In our hour of need, it seems that the Triple Goddess has deigned it necessary to request your services, after our other botched attempts."

"What exactly, am I looking for, if I may ask?"

"Not a what, but a whom. A man who cared more for your life than his own. A sorcerer who could raze mountains and solve world hunger, but instead gave his life in service to you for the duration of your reign."

"Merlin."

"Yes, Merlin. Emrys. The greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth has gone missing. He willingly hid himself centuries ago. We've been looking for him ever since."

At this point, the man turned to continue, knowing now that he had Arthur's full attention.