It's a bit later that expected, but it's here. I don't own Merlin

The morning dawned clear and warm. A slight wind started blowing as Merlin and Arthur ate and packed up camp. As they started to walk, Merlin could hear a rustle in the ground cover around them. They were both quiet. Merlin had started talking, haltingly, the night before. Telling Arthur about his life in broad terms. There was a lot to cover and Merlin suspected he'd be skipping a lot if he kept going. But he'd started after Arthur's death, and made it as far as his final departure from Camelot during the reign of Constantine's son. He'd tried his best to soften Gwen's grief when he mentioned it, but he knew Arthur was still affected by his description. Because of this, he'd also glossed over Gwen's death. That morning, he wasn't sure whether Arthur wanted him to continue or if simply explaining how he had lived after the deaths his friends, and their children (for some of the knights did marry), was enough to get Merlin's point across. Unsure of whether or not to speak, Merlin stayed silent, and Arthur seemed unlikely to say anything.

While they walked, Merlin thought over some of the parts he'd left out. Kilgharrah had died some time during Gwen's rule, though Merlin wasn't sure quite when because he hadn't needed the Great Dragon's help as much as he got older and more experienced. All he knew was that one day when he went to call him, there was silence for a long time and finally Aithusa had landed before him. Merlin hadn't called again for a long time.

Arthur stopped and glanced sideways at Merlin. "Which way?"

"Right." Merlin pointed through the trees along a thinly defined footpath.

Arthur opened his mouth, but caught himself.

"Don't worry, I've checked it."

Arthur nodded then, after a pause, said, "Will we be near soldiers any time soon?"

"I doubt it. We'll really have to be cautious in a few ki- in a bit when we reach the edge of the forest."

"Then what happened next?"

Merlin licked his lips. "Spent a few years as a hedge wizard. Then a few centuries wandering around." Merlin almost continued in the same easy tone, but he remembered that Arthur hadn't asked for his fate either. "Honestly, it was hard. It took me...well, quite a long time to find a reason to... keep trying."

A shadow moved across them and Merlin looked up, a warm feeling passing through him. He almost stopped, as he had the first day, but a prompt from Arthur distracted him.

"You seemed like you were trying when I got here."

Merlin looked away from the cloudless sky and down at his feet. "I can't say for sure. Part of it was when I started to go into towns again and I saw what life was like. The social system was even less fair than the one you knew. But mostly it was the legends that started to go around." Merlin's brow furrowed, "Stories started to be told about you, and everyone thought they were just legends."

"People thought I was made up?"

"I can see why, it's hard to believe someone so thick-headed would exist."

"But how could they forget I really existed?"

"Camelot was gone, and there weren't historical records."

Arthur looked grave.

Merlin hurried on, "But it gave them hope! They wanted a hero and they chose you."

"Hm." Arthur adjusted the straps of his bag.

In the silence that followed, Merlin became increasingly aware of the noise of the woods around them. The tree branches were still dancing in the wind, from somewhere behind them came an incessant whispering hiss, and off in the distance he could hear a flock of birds. From under their feet as they walked there were still the crunches and cracks of the forest floor, causing Arthur to cringe whenever Merlin forgot to watch his footing and made an especially loud noise. Merlin tried to be more careful. After a while, once he'd checked they were still in a rather empty area, Merlin cleared his throat.

"More happened. I've still got another nine hundred, thousand years or so to cover. If you want...Of course, it's longer with details about the other four centuries."

"Merlin, not right now."

"It could be worse, a lot of kings were totally forgotten..."

"Merlin..."

"But there are stories about you still around now. Not all true, of course..."

"Merlin."

"But what can you hope for, really? After all this-"

"MERLIN!"

Merlin stopped blathering.

"Not. Right. Now."

"Right. Sorry."

But after a few minutes of walking in silence he pursed his lips and asked, "How'd I turn out then, in these stories?"

"Oh you know- valiant...brave...noble. Not a bit accurate."

Arthur smacked the back of his head. "I don't suppose they included you, did they?"

Melin grinned. "I'm an old man. The trusted and valued Court Magician."

"Well now I know they're inaccurate. Not the old bit, you've always been a bit..."

"Wise?"

"Out of touch. But no, anyone who could think that you are responsible enough to be trusted needs to get their facts straight."

Merlin shook his head. "They don't include that you put on some weight over time, either."

"Well, good to know your stupid lies didn't spread then."

Merlin smiled broadly. They kept talking as they walked through the forest, and around noon they stopped as they reached the edge of the trees. Merlin dug some dried fruit out of his rucksack while they both drank some water. Before them was an emptier stretch of land covered in uneven grass. To the right, some distance off, there was the town, and ahead, passing perilously close to the edge of the town, was a rocky outcrop which, according to Merlin, housed the entry way to the caves that would lead them near to where Camelot used to stand.

Thanks for reading, and for reviewing (if you do...).