Ellie clutched her stuffed dragon as she climbed into bed, yawning. "Pappy?" she said, as her grandfather tucked her in.
"Yes?"
"Was Daddy like King Arthur? Is that why you gave him the same name?"
Merlin's heart clenched at the mention of his deceased son, Ellie's father. "I named him Arthur to honor King Arthur. When your grandmother and I named him, we didn't know if he would be like the king or not. In some ways, he was a lot like King Arthur. He was brave. He was loyal. He didn't like the idea of magic. And he could be a prat," Merlin finished with a grin.
Ellie grinned in return. She giggled once.
Merlin tapped her nose affectionately and then kissed her forehead. "I love you. Goodnight, Ellie. I'll be right outside the house if you need me."
She yawned, her eyes closing. "Goodnight," she murmured.
Merlin made sure she was fully asleep before getting a bottle of golden rum and going outside. He didn't drink very often. The last time he'd had a drink was at least seven years ago. He sat down near the edge of the lake and took a swig. He wanted to drown out the hope that had been steadily building throughout the day.
Arthur wasn't coming back. Not today. Maybe not ever.
A laugh sounded above him. "Well, seeing as you spend so much time in the tavern, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see you with a drink in your hand."
"I never went to the tavern," Merlin replied automatically, not looking up. "That was the only excuse Gaius could think of."
"I'm not sure I believe that, Merlin."
Merlin's head snapped up. The familiarity of the voice had finally sunk in. There, standing over him, dripping wet, was a knight of Camelot. Not just any knight, but King Arthur.
Merlin rubbed his eyes, then studied his bottle of rum. It was nearly empty. "I'm drunk," he said finally. "I'm drunk and I'm imagining things."
The door of the house opened suddenly. "Did you feel it again? Did you? Did you?" a young voice asked, as a little girl came running toward the two men.
Ellie skidded to a stop next to Merlin, her grey eyes wide. She gasped, staring up at Arthur. "It's him, isn't it?" she asked in a whisper.
Arthur held out his hand. "Hello. I'm Arthur. And who are you?"
She squealed and launched herself at Arthur, hugging him tightly. "I'm Ellie Lauren Emrys!" she announced proudly.
"Emrys?" Arthur asked, looking at Merlin. "That's what Morgana called you."
"Yes. It's the name that the druids knew me by. I use it as my last…My surname now."
"And Ellie is your…daughter?"
Ellie giggled.
Merlin shook his head. "She's my youngest granddaughter. Her father died before she was even a year old and her mother died in childbirth, so I've been raising her."
Arthur's eyes widened. "I've been dead long enough for you to have a granddaughter?"
"Two granddaughters, actually. And two grandsons." Merlin laughed at his friend's shocked face. "It has been a very long time. Come on inside. We can talk, once I get this little one back to bed."
"Pappy," Ellie whined.
"No arguing. You have school tomorrow. Get."
Grumbling, Ellie went inside the house. Merlin and Arthur followed behind her.
Merlin got her back into bed and tucked her in. Then he led Arthur to his kitchen. Arthur stared at the stainless steel appliances, his brow furrowed.
"Just how much time has passed?"
Merlin winced. "Perhaps you should get settled in first."
"Merlin."
"I really think you should get a chance to settle in before I start telling you things like that. It's a lot to handle."
"Merlin."
The warlock sighed. "About fifteen-hundred years."
Arthur's jaw dropped. "And you're still alive? After all this time?"
"Apparently. I'm immortal, it seems."
"Are you going to look that old forever?"
Merlin laughed. "No. I've made myself look this way for now. I stopped aging the day you died. I could look that way now, but I've got an aging spell on me right now. I think the lake of Avalon granted me immortality, so I could be here when you rose again. Kilgharrah told me you would rise again."
"Why?"
"Because Albion needs you again, Arthur. In-"
"No, you idiot. Why would you want to look…old?"
Merlin grinned wryly. "Ellie knows the truth about me…my past, my magic, my immortality. The rest of my children and grandchildren don't. Magic is all but gone from this world now. Jenni, my oldest daughter, might believe it. Maybe. She has always been interested in this sort of thing. But Hanna never would. I don't want to ruin what little relationship I have with her by telling her the truth. It's easier for me to allow my body to look aged than to destroy the fragile relationships with my daughters."
Arthur looked around again. "Fifteen-hundred years," he said slowly.
"Oh, yes. A lot has changed."
"How much?"
Merlin hesitated.
"How much, Merlin?"
"There is no Camelot. Not really. What used to be Camelot is now part of a kingdom known as Great Britain. But a very old term for Great Britain is Albion. Camelot has become part of something even greater than she ever could be on her own. But the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table is just that: a legend. Most people don't think that any of it was real."
The king leaned back in his chair, stunned. "A legend? People don't even believe it?"
"No. I'm sorry."
"Gwen?"
"She reigned over Camelot for many years. The ban on magic was lifted. The five kingdoms were at peace with each other, and eventually all became part of Great Britain. She never married again, though. She never forgot you, Arthur."
"And you? What did you do after my death?" Arthur asked quietly.
Merlin glanced down. "I went home, to Ealdor. I stayed there until my mother died. And then I came here, and built my home. And I've waited, for the day you would return."
"And did you…find someone to love? I see that you have a family now."
"I didn't find someone to love for a long time. I met a girl about six hundred years after your death. We…very nearly got married. It fell through, at the last minute. And then, fifty years ago, I met Katherine." A smile lit up Merlin's wrinkled face at the thought of his wife. "She had noticed that I walked past the lake every day. She wanted to know why, and she wouldn't leave me alone until I told her. And she wouldn't accept anything less the truth. We married four years later, had three children."
"Where is she now?"
"She died twenty-three years ago. She had cancer. It's a disease that's common now," the warlock explained, when he saw his friend's confused expression.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Merlin stood up, clapping Arthur on the shoulder. "That's enough talk for tonight. Get some sleep." And then, with a smile, he added, "Sire."
The blonde man scowled. "Sleep. I feel like that's all I've been doing."
"Yes, but your body still needs the rest, as strange as that may sound. Come, I'll show you to where you can sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."
