Merlin awoke in sweat. His heart beat frantically and he sat up in his bed. He turned on the lights with his command. Something had happened,
something had changed. He struggled down the staircase to the living room. His house was reamarkably empty. He lived far from others, isolated from the rest of the world. He had watched it change dramatically. He had watched old traditions be abandoned, new wars and conflict come and go and technology arise that interested him little. He missed the old world. But more than that he missed his old life. He had also,sadly, watched his friends grow old and die. He had seen himself sink from his fame into the shadows, into legend. The truth of his life had been twisted and changed over time. His story and the story
of his friends were but fiction now. Merlin threw on a coat and treaded into the cold night. The bright street lamps stung his eyes. He concentrated on the electricity sending: the entire street dark. He hurried down the road to the lake. He didn't know what had disturbed him, but a spark of hope simmered deep within.
"Arthur." he prayed. He quickened his pace, his knees aching after only a few minutes. He could feel a power growing, As if time were under
threat. He sensed it coming from what was left of the forests he had once rode and hunted in. Determined, he reached his destination in
minutes. He approached a clearing with a cluttered and abandoned campsite. "Teenagers." he muttered bitterly. "From beneath the Earth a
light shown. In an instant, it shot up into the sky. Merlin covered his face. The light twisted, turned and transformed. Merlin opened his
eyes. The light faded. A body lay a few feet ahead of him. Merlin carefully approached. He gasped aloud. "Morgana." He breathed.
Morgana came to quickly. But Merlin had the drop on her. He sent her flying backwards as soon as she stood up.
"Did you miss me Emrys?" Morgana cackled. Her hair was a mess and her dress was torn and stained with blood. She pulled herself up
laughing madly. She smelled the air and looked up into the trees. "It worked." She looked back at Merlin. "And you Merlin, you are still
alive." she smiled.
"How are you alive?" Merlin requested. Morgana brushed back her hair
from her face. "Magic." she sneered.
"Forbearnan Firgenhalt." Merlin's hand lit with fire. Morgana had her own spell ready. She blocked his magic and swiftly transformed into a raven. Her magic was advanced but so was Merlin's. His power had grown for hundreds of years and he had become the most powerful wizard to
ever live. He knocked her out of the sky and she returned to her human
form before hitting the ground. She retaliated and spit a curse at
him. Merlin pulled out a magical sword from thin air and struck her
hard. Spell after spell, trick after trick they fought back and forth.
Morgana let out another laugh. "It's too bad we never fought like this
before." She looked down at her healed stomach. She could still feel the blade Merlin had used. She looked back up at him. "Arthur is dead?"
Merlin panted, relieved they were taking a break, but didn't take his
eyes off her. "Yes." he answered solomly. She laughed. "And what be
the fate of Camelot?"
Merlin looked up. "Camelot lived on for years after."
Morgana frowned. "No. How- how did it fall?"
Merlin knew the answer she was searching for. She wanted to hear it fell in flames. She wanted its knights and subjects to have suffered
and died painfully. The truth would not satisfy her. "It didn't fall.
It simply disappeared over time." Merlin looked down. It had been so long since he had spoken of Camelot aloud. It had remained buried in
his thoughts and dreams. It seemed it had now resurfaced and Merlin took great comfort in speaking of it to someone of his past: someone who remembered and understood. Even if that someone was Morgana.
"Guienivere had no heir. Families left to other kingdoms and soon
there was nothing left of Camelot."
Morgana breathed heavily, clutching something in her hand. "Morgana." Merlin took a step forward. "Camelot is gone. All that we knew, is gone.
But you have the chance to make things right. Make up for past
mistakes-"
"Mistakes?!" Morgana challenged. "My only mistake was ever trusting
and caring for the lot of you! For Uthur. For Arthur." She paused.
"For you."
For a brief moment, Merlin caught a glimpse of the old Morgana. Could that caring young women still be in there? She looked at him
squarely and her voice came out soft. "I was afraid Merlin. I had magic I didn't understand. Urthur would have..." She looked sad. Merlin felt a sting of guilt.
"You lied to me. Made me believe I was on my own." Merlin wanted to plead for forgiveness, he wanted to make everything
better but it was too late for his old friend. She suddenly screamed like a banshee. Merlin worried if it would attract the police.
Wouldn't that be a twist? He thought comically. Morgana pulled out a stone from her pocket. She lifted her head up, returned her sorrowful face to a wicked smile and laughed manically. "It was good seeing you Emrys. I will enjoy killing you." Before he could blink,
Morgana yelled out a spell and disappeared.