Okay, now this one.
Disclaimer: Who owns Merlin?
Prompt: From MythologyStar: *bites tongue* Well, the prompt came from a PM.
Rating: T
Genre: Angst
Characters: Merlin
Time Frame: Back at the beginning of the Burning franchise
Summary: Two words... Burning Series
Let's Go On An Adventure
"I forgive you."
Merlin's last words resonated through his head. Poor Arthur, it wasn't fair to deceive him like this, but it had to be done.
Merlin whispered, "Dunne." He turned invisible.
Merlin used more magic to unlock the door, and he exited. Merlin peered inside the empty cell.
"Geanbéc."
Merlin's form appeared inside of the cell, "sleeping." But it was only a clone.
No one can know. Not Gaius, not Morgana, not Gwen, not even Arthur.
"Forgive me," he whispered to the empty air.
Then Merlin left the city, promising that one day, he will return.
*everyone stares in disbelief*
Surprised?
Okay, now a proper description of the prompt. Back in mid-December (the 16th?), I was responding to one of MythologyStar's reviews, and it was after one of the chapters in the Burning series, and at the time, there were two more drabbles in the AU, then I said, "Unless if I go Plot!Twist! Merlin's been alive the whole time!" Then she suggested a teleportation spell, kind of like in the stories by wryter501. Then we agreed that I should write this. So, for almost a full month, we've been plotting this. And I made a few hints here and there.
Examples include the following:
In "Turn a Blind Eye," I said that "we might be missing a warlock," not that a warlock was dead. This was in the top author's note.
In the second author's note for "Uther's Bad Time," I did say that I was done with the Burning series "for now," implying that I had more.
In the PM responses to "There and Back Again," I can recall at least two instances where I "teased" this. One review, from goodgirl275, talked about how Arthur was all alone but doing good. My response was, "For now."
And the other one, to Seedsiz, involved me saying, "I'm sure that Merlin's proud of him too... " Present tense. Not "Merlin would be proud."
*readers come forth brandishing pitchforks* Come on, you can't stay mad. I just decided that Merlin's been alive this whole time.
Thank you Geccarenee13, MythologyStar, Rose PenGibbAck DragoSHaddo, ScruffydaDruid, TheDarkestDreams, bonecrusher1st, goodgirl275, hollyhobbit101, lexi1220, roseannacharlotte, and sarahmaria98 for favoriting.
Thank you A minor government official, AnimeFreak132002, Childatheart28, Geccarenee13, Linorien, MythologyStar, Rose PenGibbAck DragoSHaddo, ScruffydaDruid, TheDarkestDreams, WEast, bonecrusher1st, goodgirl275, hollyhobbit101, lexi1220, mersan123, morningstar115, and roseannacharlotte for following.
Thank you MythologyStar, goodgirl275, and morningstar115 for reviewing.
Tomorrow, I will be posting a double-drabble where Arthur FINALLY learns the truth. Originally, it would have been paired with this, but then it got too long.
~Lya200~