Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed favorite and followed this so far, it means a lot. Now onto the second chapter.

Guest: Yes, I do, I think it was a huge missed opportunity in the show. Although I'm not sure I'll do it in the story.

New York

Mid-morning

Merlin was trying to avoid staring at Morgana as he paid his bill. He wasn't sure what to think or what this meant. But he doubted Morgana's return happening at the same time as his dreams and the Ancient One's feelings was a coincidence. He just wasn't sure whether it was good or bad. But she didn't seem to remember anything of her previous life. Was this the universe giving him a second chance to fix his mistake, to take Morgana under his wing as he should have all those years ago?

"And that'll do it," Morgana said, breaking Merlin out of his thoughts. "Thanks for the tip."

"You're welcome," Merlin said, wondering just how much he had tipped while he was caught up in his thoughts. "Morgana. Like the sorceress?"

"Yeah. My mom was always kind of fascinated by King Arthur. When I was born, she said she felt Morgana suited me," she shrugged. "Weird huh?"

"Weird," Merlin said lowly, wondering if this was some force playing with their lives.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Morgana said.

"Merlin," he said simply and she smiled in amusement.

"Merlin and Morgana. There's a joke in there somewhere," she laughed.

"Yes, there is," Merlin said softly as he stared at her, wondering if this was all some kind of cruel trick.

Arthur walked down the street, looking around in bewilderment. As he passed, people shot him odd looks but he ignored them. The buildings here weren't made out of stone and were unlike anything he had ever seen. Where was Merlin? The last thing he remembered had been seeing Merlin kill Morgana. Then he remembered flashes of movement, then darkness. What had happened? Where was Camelot? More importantly, where in the name of Albion was he?

As he passed a street, he saw a man snatch a woman's purse and run off.

"Help! He has my purse!" she cried out.

Almost instantly, Arthur was on pursuit of the man. He chased the man through the street before catching up to him. Arthur tackled the man to the ground, the purse going flying. The two battled on the ground, Arthur wishing he had his sword. Distantly, he heard a sound like a whistle being blown. Then, he felt himself being pulled off the man. Looking around, he realized two men in blue uniforms holding him by his arms.

"Unhand me! I am the king of Camelot!" Arthur declared.

"Yeah and I'm Thor. Relax Goldilocks, we'll sort it all out at the station," one of them sarcastically.

After getting her classic coffee with whisky, Jessica Jones was on her way back to her apartment/office when she heard footsteps behind her. She didn't bother resisting the urge to roll her eyes. These assholes weren't even trying anymore, she thought irritably.

"You should tell your boss if he wants to talk to me, that he should just come see me himself instead of sending you assholes," Jessica said as she turned around to see two men in casual clothes. "The deal was I sign your shitty Accords and Ross leaves me alone. You're not exactly holding up your part of the deal."

"Have you heard from Luke Cage lately Ms. Jones?" one of them asked.

"Luke and I haven't exactly kept in touch. Why? Is he okay?" Jessica asked, worried Ross may have done something to Luke.

"He's wanted for assault. He refused to sign The Accords. Secretary Ross sent a team to apprehend him," the other said and Jessica laughed as she saw where this was going.

"Let me guess, he kicked their asses and went on the run," Jessica said amused and they didn't deny it. "Hate to break it to you, but Luke won't reach out to me."

"We know of your history. Why wouldn't he go to you for help?" one asked suspiciously.

"Because he knows I signed and he won't want to drag me into his shit," Jessica said bluntly. "Whoever Luke reached out to, it's not me."

Hell's Kitchen

Same time

"Yeah, I won't be able to make it into work today Foggy. An old friend popped by for a visit, I'll explain later," Matt Murdock said before hanging up and turning to his guest. "Sorry about that."

"I think I'm the one who should be telling you that," Luke said dryly from where he sat on Matt's couch. "Thanks for letting me in."

"I know what it's like to on the other end of this type of thing. Although I'm not sure why you came to me for help. Danny would probably be better suited to help you with this," Matt pointed out.

"Danny left town a few months back," Luke said and it was silent between them for a few moments. "You're a lawyer, why aren't you trying to do anything about the Accords?"

"There isn't a whole lot I can do when the UN decides to make them law. And I'm just one lawyer Luke. Foggy and I may have brought down Fisk, but we can't go up against someone like Ross," Matt pointed out. "Where's Claire?"

"I told her to get out of town when I realized they were coming for me. She's safe," Luke promised and Matt nodded, relieved.

"Okay, that's good. But Luke, the best thing for her and you is for you to do the same. If half the things I have heard about Ross are true, he won't stop until he has you in custody. The longer you're in New York, the more you put yourself and those you care about in danger," Matt told him.

"I guess that's why you have a secret identity, huh? Protects the people close to you," Luke said after a few moments.

"Sometimes, not always," Matt admitted. "In this case though, yeah. It's a lot harder to go after Daredevil than it is Matt Murdock."

Police Station

Late morning

Merlin walked into the police station where he worked as a detective, his mind still on Morgana. He was startled out of his thoughts when a friend of his walked up to him.

"I need your help with an interrogation," his friend said.

"What happened?" Merlin asked curiously.

"Some guy. He was causing a disturbance and when we picked him up, he claimed to be royalty. This way," his friend said.

He led Merlin to an interrogation room. When he opened the door, Merlin felt his breath leave him.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked as he saw Merlin from where he sat, cuffed to the table. "Is that really you? Is this a prank by you? Where are we?"

"Why do you think you're the King of England?" The officer asked him.

"Not England! Camelot!" Arthur bellowed.

"As you can see, he is clearly drunk," the officer said to Merlin.

Gaining some control over his emotions, Merlin turned to the officer. "He's not drunk. Let him go. I'll pay the fines."

"Why would you do that?" The officer asked confused.

"He's a friend of mine from high school who's an actor. Doesn't like to break character. Guess he got a part in a play about King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table", Merlin said to him. "Please."

The officer rolled his eyes but walked over and started to uncuff Arthur. Merlin gave Arthur a look that said 'play along, I'll explain later'. Arthur seemed to get the hint, allowing the officer to lead him and Merlin out of the room. This was going to be a long conversation, Merlin knew.

After Merlin filled out the necessary paperwork, he led Arthur out of the station.

"Are we in the land of sorcery or something? These carriages are being drawn without horses. And that-"

Arthur was cut off when Merlin wrapped him in a loving, brotherly hug, clearly catching him off guard as he looked at Merlin in some shock, before he gave in to the hug and returned it.

Merlin gave a sound that sounded like a mix of a laugh and a sob as he hugged Arthur even tighter. "I missed you, a lot!"

"You missed me?" Arthur asked as they parted. "I thought you couldn't stand me. Why the sudden change in heart? Are you falling for me?"

The two were silent for a few seconds, looking at each other, and then they burst out laughing. Some things never changed.

"Well, I need to bring you up to speed," Merlin said as they walked, while Arthur still looked around in confusion. "For one, it has been centuries-"

"What?" Arthur asked as he turned to Merlin. "Look, Merlin! If I hadn't just woken up after years of sleeping, I would like these pranks more bu-"

"It's no prank," Merlin said, knowing how hard this would be for Arthur to accept. "It's a long story but…Gwen is waiting for you."

"Gwen? Guinevere?" Arthur asked shocked.

"Yes," Merlin nodded and he could see Arthur's eyes softening as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Come with me."

Arthur nodded, still clearly absorbing all this, as Merlin led him away, struggling to control his happy emotions. He could only wonder how Gwen would react now.

Avengers Tower

Same time

Tony Stark was working on his latest set of armor when his friend and bodyguard Happy Hogan walked into the room.

"Tony, we need to talk," Happy said.

"Little busy right now," Tony said not even looking from what he was doing.

"It's about the kid," Happy said.

Tony still didn't look at him, but he finally stopped working, so Happy knew he was paying attention now.

"The kid keeps sending me phone calls, asking about you and when you're gonna give him a new mission," Happy said.

"Does Ross know about him?" Tony asked.

"No," Happy admitted.

"And as long as the kid does what I told him to and keeps his head down, that's how it'll stay," Tony said as he got back to work.

"Tony, he's a teenager who has superpowers. He's not gonna sit around, waiting for you to decide to stop ignoring him. Honestly, what were you thinking involving him?" Happy demanded.

"I was desperate and made a mistake. I'm trying to make up for it by protecting him from Ross," Tony said and Happy stared at him sadly for a moment.

"I'm not sure you can Tony," Happy said before he walked out, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts.

New York

Afternoon

In her and Merlin's house, Gwen was reading a book, taking advantage of her day off when the front door opened. She looked up as Merlin walked in, to her surprise. She'd have thought he'd be at work by now. She opened her mouth to inquire about that when a blond haired, blue eyed man wearing armor followed Merlin in. The book slipped from Gwen's hands as she stared at her husband, returned to life.

"Guinevere," Arthur said as he stared at her in reverence.

"Arthur," she breathed.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Then, Gwen jumped to her feet and she and Arthur rushed towards each other, meeting halfway, their lips meeting in a kiss not unlike the one they had shared many centuries ago when Uther had sentenced Gwen to death.

Merlin watched them for a moment, happy for his friends before he began making his way upstairs to his room. He would let them have today, but they needed to talk. Arthur returning on the same day he ran into Morgana, it couldn't be a coincidence. Something was coming, and they needed to be ready for it.

Yes, I am going to be including the Defenders in this. So you kind of understand where the timeline is at when this story takes place, its post Daredevil season 3 and Iron Fist season 2 but pre Jessica Jones and Luke Cage's second seasons. I also feel obligated to confess that I have never seen Iron Fist or Luke Cage, most of what will be said here about them is what I have heard from friends.

Anyway, bringing characters like Matt and Jessica allows me to explore the effects of the Accords on street level heroes, who are mostly just people trying to live their lives and protect their homes. And expect some interaction between them and Spider-Man real soon.

Merlin and Arthur have reunited, so now we'll start getting into the plot. The scene where they reunite is mostly taken from Aragorn II Elessar's story 'Heroes, Magicians, and Luthors'. Thank you to him for letting me use it.