Arthur's Note

Welcome my fellow writers, interested readers, and faithful followers! Thank you for reading this story, and I am pleased to announce the newest chapter of TFR. I had a lot of questions from the last chapter as well as many comments on what to do with the future of this story! I answered everything to the best of the ability and I really enjoyed the ideas you guys sent. I don't think many will be happy with the way this chapter ended, but once I introduce the main characters, we can concentrate on the good stuff! One of the main concerns people had last time was with Hunith. I know some were mad she was so OOC, and I tried to explain that as much as possible. You see, she was just trying to protect her son this time because she thinks he suffered too much last time because of his destiny. I promise to elaborate about this subject in the coming chapters!

In this chapter, remember. Bradley is Arthur. Tony is Uther. Katie is Morgana, and Angel is Guinevere.

Spoilers for Season 5 in this chapter.

Enjoy the chapter, and please review. All reviewers get a cookie, and I try to reply to everyone of you :) I like to hear what you thought of the chapter, what you didn't like, any questions or concerns, your favorite parts, and any suggestions/comments about my writing in general. Also, I'll give the reviewers a shout out next chapter and perhaps some shameless promotion as well because you're all so wonderful. Alright, I've kept you long enough, and if you bothered to read this, thank you.

Onto the chapter,

Erin

Chapter Two
"You and me, face to face,
And there's so much I could say.
Who needs words when forever seen the silence."
- "Laserlight" by Jessie J

When Bradley was twelve years old, his father told him the truth.

It wasn't a heart-stopping, gut-twisting revelation because the only thing which changed was that he grew closer to her, more than ever before. Honestly, even that wasn't a profound impact on the boy since she had been a part of his life for the past few years, so he already considered her a sister.

After her own father's death, Katie Fay had been taken under Tony's wing, the lawyer adopting the young girl when she was seven, three years prior. As she grew, only two years his junior, it became common to find similarities between her and his father. Bradley always assumed it was habits Katie had caught onto, even though some of her behaviors were too uncanny to believe – such as the same stubborn streak that led her and his father into many battles. However, when it came to physical features, it was even more unbelievable. He never could explain why she had the same dark features Tony did while both her parents were fair-haired and bright-eyed. Whenever the unusual observations hit, he always tried to find a logical explanation, most of the time chalking it up to the mystery of human genetics.

Even when Tony came forward, though, Bradley had a hard time believing it.

For someone who was merely twelve years of age, on the borderline of childhood innocence and reality's dreamers, he could not grasp the idea of his father ever loving someone else who wasn't his mother. Tony constantly assured him that he would always love Alice, that he never stopped, but Bradley was always quick to retort that one could not have kids if they weren't in love, hence Katie's existence.

Of course, this prompted an hour-long conversation regarding the birds and the bees.

Seven years later, Bradley had accepted Katie as his half-sister. Though he couldn't imagine how she dealt with the situation, with her guardian turning out to be a liar as well as her biological father, she appeared to have accepted him in her life as well after some time. However, that did not stop her from leaving home the first chance she got, hopping onto a plane and headed to Cambrige, nearly two hundred miles away (later, she transferred to Columbia in New York). Whatever made her leave in the first place, she at least returned, and Bradley knew he had a tight-knit family, with his sister and his father who he trusted wholeheartedly.

Bradley had a close relationship with Tony, especially after he was told the truth about Katie, and that was why Bradley kept lying to him.

You see, when Bradley was nineteen years old, his life was changed forever.

As cliché as that one statement may sound, it was that one statement which shaped his life from then on. Whenever he uttered that statement, all looked at him with an apprehensive gaze, trying to fathom what tragedy or miracle happened back then. Though he seldom breathes a word unless there's a chance they're dealing from it too, he always believed that nothing really changed; merely that he just accepted what and who he was.

It all began the morning after an argument with Tony when he awoke in a vacant hotel room. The stench of alcohol clung to his breath, and his clothes smelled of tobacco and cigarette smoke. A bag of cocaine had been setting beside him as well as a woman he had no memory of. His head throbbed to the speed of a hummingbird's heartbeat, and he stumbled around the room in a daze. He had no recollection of the night before, of what happened, or how far he went. All he knew was that days like these would eventually ruin his life.

The vague images that struck him were the piercing yells that echoed off of the walls, Katie defending him, his words of defiance. Tony had seen his acceptance letter, and Bradley blatantly told him that he was reconsidering law school to pursue an acting career. It was a stupid move, but, if there was one thing he looked up to his father for, it was for standing up for yourself. Katie jumped to her brother's defense, bellowing how it was his life and that Tony couldn't pressure him into doing something he wasn't happy with. It ended with Bradley storming from the house, unable to avoid further confrontation.

Lately, it seemed as if Tony had been pressuring his son more and more each day, reminding him that he had to be strong, be a leader. He said that people wouldn't respect you if you didn't have the strength to stand tall. Bradley honestly had no idea where the speech had come from, but, the moment he came of age, it had been constantly preached in the household that the words were forever etched in his mind. Nonetheless, Bradley took it all in, following it to the par, because this was his father and he always sought the elder's approval. Which was why he and his father never had any confrontations growing up, until the day he received his acceptance letter – they never stopped arguing since then. Bradley wished to find a common ground, but it was hard when Tony was constantly denying any sort of compromise he attempted.

The atypical predicament and constant caused Bradley to turn to his friends at the local club, drowning his sorrows in rounds of drinks and eventually falling into the god-awful drugs he had always been against. However, after that one last fight, Bradley headed to the club and fell deeper than ever before. In the morning, his beer-stained shirt clung to his torso as he stepped into the bathroom, heading straight for the toilet, succumbing himself to the hangover. Each wave of nausea that rolled over him seemed to be the final nails in the coffin, reiterating the fact that there was no going back from this.

He had finally hit his lowest point.

Admitting such a feat opened up an entire new world for Bradley, molding him into a completely different person because it opened up his memories.

As he sat, hunched over the toilet, propped on trembling hands, his body shaky from an internal earthquake, his vision began to darken, like a rush of blackness over his eyes, a blindfold – quick and fast. Hazy images danced at the forefront of his mind's eye, like a long-forgotten picture, but it seemed like he had always been able to remember. For as long as he was able to recall, the wide grin and crystal eyes, fading from the molten gold, was just part of a person he couldn't name. He didn't know who they were or where, only that in this moment in time, Bradley needed them so very desperately.

Unbeknownst to him, he had just unlocked a story of two boys that fathered a legend which was still told and honored today. It was the story of a blooming friendship that shouldn't have existed because of society's standards. It was the story of a painful past, the wounded present, and the promise of a healing future. It was a story that many had heard but only a few knew in truth. It was a story the world took as common knowledge but shattered others. This story – this legend – had been fathered long ago by an arrogant prince and a young warlock.

It just felt like he was trying to break through a wall shrouded in shadows. The memories may have faded deeply into his subconscious, but he knew they were still there, waiting to be triggered. They seemed dim and unrecognizable as he became accustomed to them all, but it only proved they were still there, always had been. If he closed his eyes and concentrated hard enough, the sound of swords clanging against one another on the training ground would echo through his head. The feel of calloused fingers putting his armor in place, adjusting the straps and handing him Excalibur. The addictive laugh that would have anyone smiling for days. The fondness he felt when the bright, blue eyes flashed with approval. These memories were him. They were of home. How ever could he forget them in the first place?

How could he forget Merlin?

Bradley needed him. Arthur needed him. He wanted Merlin. Where was he?

Then and there, Arthur wanted to set out into the world, eager to find his lost friend. Perhaps Merlin already remembered the past and was looking for him as well. The thought forced a lump to form in his throat, and he struggled to swallow it. He reluctantly dragged up that final memory, and he knew that Merlin couldn't function well without his presence. Arthur wondered how long he could last without Merlin by his side as well. He needed to find Merlin…

But what if Merlin had changed?

Uther certainly had, and perhaps Merlin had as well. The thought scared him. He never wanted Merlin to be someone else.

"I don't want you to change. I want you to always be you."

His dying wish still echoed through his head at random intervals, but it just pushed him farther to find his old friend. In the search for the warlock, Arthur often found himself wondering if Merlin's memories had come through yet. If his loyalty and kindness still existed. If a friendship was still possible if the memories hadn't been retrieved. Throughout the journey, he faced a mixture of loss but also love. Everyone knows love and loss are the exact opposites, but Arthur was proving that they could not exist without one another. Love was the feeling of benevolent concern, and loss was shameful heartbreak. In Arthur's story, the pain of loss was leading to the close healing future filled with love. He knew that since Morgana, Uther, and him were here that Merlin and Gwen and his knights would be here somewhere. His story wasn't ever meant to show the causes of his loss but rather the scars of love.

Whether the past still existed - whether the Merlin as he remembered him to be still existed - was a question yet to be answered. However, Arthur knew, that wherever the others rested, he knew he'd be right next to them soon enough. For long ago, he made Merlin a promise, and Arthur, even now, hoped that Merlin, in the deepest depths of his mind's shadow, would someday recognize he kept it.

With his memories back, Arthur tried to set his life on track. He so desperately wanted to drop everything and seek out Merlin, but something was holding him back. He couldn't leave the life he had with Uther and Morgana. His father and he had never been as close as they were now, and Morgana and him were bona-fide siblings, banters and support included. For the first time since Camelot, he didn't want things to change. Instead of rebelling against Uther, he agreed to go to Harvard and pursue a degree in law and avoided any confrontation with his father, embracing their relationship as a new beginning. He chose to obey Uther's wishes rather than add coal to the flames.

At Harvard, he met the beautiful Angel Leodegrance who worked as a waitress on the corner coffee ship he frequently vacated. When Arthur came face-to-face with the doe-brown eyes, melted chocolate plastered across her soul, the world seized to exist. It was his beloved Guinevere. He quickly became aware that she had no memory of Camelot – or of him. He longed to continue his search for Merlin, but this obstacle too precedence. Arthur, upon discovering her, took it upon himself to memorize her work schedule and set out to meet her on a regular basis. After the tenth or so meeting, he asked her out for dinner, and when she agreed, he could feel some semblance of his old life return. Having Guinevere offer her unwavering support kept his head barely above the dark waves of addiction, but to fully overcome them, he knew he needed Merlin on his side. Since he couldn't go after his old friend, though, he made it his primary mission to help her regain her memories. He assumed it would be quiet difficult.

However, much like Arthur's memories came when he was at his lowest point, hers came at her highest.

It was their tenth or so date when it happened. By then, the young couple were familiar with one another, and the initial awkwardness (on Angel's side) had vanished a while before. Arthur had been strolling along the busy metropolitan area, Angel at his side, her silver-bell chime of laughter echoing through his head and his heart. Suddenly, she took off, out of her grasp, and whirled around, eyes glinting madly. Arthur was reminded of how Guinevere used to do this in the market place, trying to force him to catch her. It was something her mother used to do to her father, and she kept the romantic gesture in the deepest crevice of her heart to forever hold. He followed along with the game, even if he was King and she was Queen, because nothing meant more to him than to make her happy.

Angel took off down the street, giggling as Arthur followed at her heels. At long last, he engulfed her and twirled her around in the middle of the sidewalk, passersby chuckling at the young couple's antics. Angel held herself with an air of self-confidence, as if she didn't care who saw her in the compromising predicament. Arthur swung her effortlessly over his shoulder, hoisting her into a position, and headed for a bench next to a bus-stop where the two could seat themselves with what they thought was privacy.

"Bradley!" she screeched in her trilling, soprano voice, flipping her head around as best she could, her dark ringlets falling into her eyes, dark lashs framing the almond-shaped orbs. "Put me down! People are staring!" The plea was drowned out by his baritone laughter.

"I thought you liked to play games," he teased, leaning back on the bench as she scampered off his shoulder and perched herself in his lap.

"You are horrible! You know I hate it when you do that," she joked, rolling her eyes in amusement.

Arthur cast an incredulous stare. "You love it when I chase you!"

She smiled. "I like it when you can't catch me. Remind me again why I put up with you."

The words rolled off his tongue before he could stop them. "Because you love me."

Both froze, and Arthur sighed to himself. He had been waiting for a while to admit that, constantly biting back his feelings since he couldn't bear to scare her away. Arthur knew quite a few things about love. He knew that somewhere in every life, there was someone from the past that one could never forget, a piece of their history which defined them and made them who they were. He knew that somewhere in every heart, there was always a way to come back to the present, an action that took over and led one home. He knew that somewhere in every word, there was a meaning that brought one to the future, a phrase which allowed them to believe in whatever they wished for. He knew that all this was true, but it also left him with many unknowns, many questions.

For example, how long would one search for that person? How long would they keep that heart? How long would they hear that word?

Or better yet, how long would one wait?

When you love someone, Arthur thought, you might as well wait forever until the questioned are answered because, in every person, heart, and word, love existed. Love was unexplainable, unpredictable, untamable, and untouchable. It had no beginning nor did it have an end. It was only living, thriving off of the person, world, and heart one harnessed. It forced them to wait for the answer.

If it was someone that you truly loved, how long would you wait?

Arthur knew that it was now or never, because, he loved her too much to wait. He had to know. He needed Guinevere. He pulled Angel down to eye level so that he could press his forehead against her own. "You know you do, Angel, don't deny it."

Angel pressed her lips together and situated herself in a proper position. She inhaled deeply before nodding her head. "Do you know what happened when I first saw you?" When Arthur made no response, she lowered gaze so that her brown eyes met his oceanic ones, sparkling with adoration. "When I first saw you, I was afraid to meet you. When I first met you, I was afraid to kiss you. When I first kissed you, I was afraid to love you. But now that I love you… I'm afraid to lose you."

Arthur captured her lips with his as the two cocooned in one another's embrace. "I promise, you will never, ever lose me."

At those words, something seemed to click for the both of them. In the next instant, Angel froze above him and the two broke away in a heartbeat. Arthur could feel it deep within himself, the change, molding and jarring of his damp, cold bones. It was like a moth to a flame as his hands grasped her wrists, holding her steady as she swayed in his lap. Yes, he was in love with her, and she was in love with him – that wasn't the life-altering revelation. What she meant to him was stronger than just lovers – Angel was his other half, his soul mate, his heart. She had sensed it too – for the first time in a millennium. It bewildered him that there was just not a word for love to fit them accurately, describing their bond that had survived a thousand years. There was no framework etched in a simple or intricate pattern for them to follow.

More than anything in the world, Arthur wanted her to remember, and in that moment, he knew she had. Now, he wanted to have her laugh again, wanted to spend every waking moment with her, wanted to love her more than ever before, wanted to make up for leaving her for Avalon, wanted to make up for the broken promises and hopeless dreams, wanted to keep her in his arms. He knew he would be strong and happier with her in his life as they both moved on from the way things ended back in Camelot. His heart felt what it wanted, and whatever he tried to do, his heart was finally complete.

He had found his Queen.

Angel raised her gaze to meet his own, eyes glazed over with so many emotions it was a wonder she could even see. A sheen of tears peered at him as she opened her mouth and spoke the first words as Guinevere of Camelot, the Once and Future Queen. "Arthur…" She was overcome with sobs, and she ducked her head from view, burying his face into his shoulder. "You… I love you. I've missed you."

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I won't leave this time, I promise."

"You left me!" she said, her cries catching the attention of some walkers. Arthur hushed her and pulled her close, but she continued her rant. "You died! And Merlin… Oh,Merlin! Everyone I loved died!"

"I'm so sorry."

Arthur kept up the constant reassurances, telling her that he was here. She was his. Eventually, Gwen's tears seized, and she resigned herself to merely sit there, absorbing Arthur's presence. The two headed back to her flat downtown and spent the rest of the weekend there, immersing themselves in what they thought they had lost long before. Their relationship continued, and it grew stronger with each passing day. Never once did the two stray away from one another, they stayed close and offered everything they could. Arthur gave his strength, and Gwen gave her heart. Months passed, and the memories intermingled with their current lives, shaping them to the best of their ability.

The two were together all of the fall term, and in early December, Arthur proposed. To everyone else, it was quick and they assumed it wouldn't last, but anyone who saw the look in Arthur's eyes when he gazed upon Gwen, knew that it would continue forever. Honestly, having Guinevere in his life again occupied his thoughts, keeping Merlin away until his life was sorted out, but in the end, he still needed to find his old friend to be complete.

At the end of first term, Arthur took Gwen home to meet his father. He was hesitant because he remembered Uther's reaction to their relationship back in Camelot. However, when Arthur walked her through those maple doors at the mansion, Uther stepped forward and embraced his son's fiancée, supportive of the entire ordeal. Later on, while Gwen slumbered on in the guest bedroom, Arthur approached his father with his insecurities and sought his approval to the engagement. Uther answered honestly, that he would stand by his son with this decision because it was "clear how much Arthur loved the girl." Arthur was taken back, but he accepted the answer, taking it in full stride.

He would never know that Uther just didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

Life couldn't be better, Arthur thought. The only thing missing was Merlin himself and his knights. With that said, the nineteen-year-old knew he could have perfection with this second chance. However, all good things must come to an end, unfortunately.

Over the Christmas holiday, Arthur managed to pull away from his father and visit Katie in New York City where she was staying with a few friends. Some thought of sneaking out and taking a tour of the city, seeing if Merlin was wandering about, struck him since it was the first break he had received in months, but he was halted in his plans due to the conniving sister of his who just broke the most horrid news Arthur could have been given.

She remembered. All these months. Longer than he had.

At first, he was hurt and betrayed. Arthur's life had been perfect and effortless for most of the time he had been in New York. He took the time to confess everything to her, though, exclaiming how much pain she caused him when he was the King and she was the Lady. He took the moment to cut her down, watch her break, then slowly pick up the pieces. He offered her forgiveness, and she accepted without hesitation. At least now, Arthur mused, he had a confident other than Gwen. The two bonded quickly, though, Gwen would take a while to fully forgive Morgana. Things were looking up once more, until Morgana dropped another bombshell.

She had been having visions of Merlin, and she was almost certain she had seen him in the streets of New York some days before. Suddenly, Arthur knew he couldn't go back to Harvard. He was closer than ever before to finding his old life, and it was too much of a hassle to wake up everyday and pretend to be who he wasn't. When he left New York for home, he knew he would be coming back. He needed to find Merlin, his father be damned. Merlin was his rock, his guide, his friend, and his ally, and above all, Arthur knew he was his brother – his other half. When he arrived back in Maryland, he dropped out of Harvard and transferred to the University of Columbia, beginning his second term there, sharing an apartment with Morgana and Gwen.

He never breathed a word to Uther until the final forms had been signed and he was already enrolled.

To say his father was angry was an understatement. The older man boarded the first plane to New York City that day, storming into the apartment with wild eyes, curiosity flashing across his face. Guinevere was out and about, exploring the city while Morgana and Arthur lounged around the living room, formulating a plan in order to begin the hunt for Merlin. When Morgana answered the door to find their fuming father, she immediately plastered a smile on her face, welcoming in, but he paused, turning to face her with an eerie stare.

"Bradley, may I have a word with you?" he asked sternly, his voice portraying no emotion. He cast a long look in Morgana's direction, adding, "Alone."

A sense of familiarity overcame Arthur as he watched his sister disappear into her bedroom, sending him a sympathetic smile. He sighed deeply, knowing that this was going to end in flames. When she was gone from view, he faced Uther. "You should have called, told me you were coming."

"Have I taught you nothing?" Uther said, his words whipping across the room. "What made you think that you could pull a stunt like this?"

"There is nothing wrong with doing what I want," Arthur defended, crossing his arms in defiance. He wouldn't back down from this confrontation. He wished to stay close to his father – but on his own terms this time. "You said I knew what was best for me when-"

"There are times when you play childish games that convince me otherwise," he responded, striding forward until he was towering over his son. The man was seething through gritted teeth as he advanced. "We had a plan, Bradley! You would go to school, get your law degree-"

"-And take over the firm, I realize that," Arthur said, stepping towards his father, leveling his gaze to meet the blazing, grey eyes.

"We had this same talk before you left for school," Uther continued, "I thought you understand what I wanted-"

"But it's not always up to you. It's my life, and I decide how I get to live it."

"Have you no conscious?" Uther bellowed. "Think of what people will say. Respect must be earned, Bradley, and for you to run off to New York just to become a writer certainly does not help you in the scale of things!"

"I'm sorry for any humiliation I may have caused you, but you've…" Arthur swallowed a lump in his throat, the memories of a troll and his father, the legend long forgotten, living strong in his mind. "You've always taught me to be true to my heart, and that's all I've ever tried to do, to be the man you'd want me to be, someone to be proud of."

If the situation was familiar to Uther then he didn't show it. "This is not the way to go about doing it."

"Then you'd better back off because I'm not leaving. I'm not going back. You don't get to dictate my every move!" He tried to leave the room and his father behind, storming to meet Morgana in her bedroom.

Uther reached out and grasped his son's shirt in his fist. "I am your father! You don't get to speak with me like that!"

"You're not the King anymore!" Arthur roared, turning on his heel, eyes flashing wildly.

The effect was instantaneous as both froze in their motions, actions and worlds sinking into a void of nothingness, of black oblivion. Reality had become slippery, avoiding any true cement that once joined their concrete relationship. They were like robots, programmed to go through life's movements without any thought. Both stood there: one coming to grips with the memories, the other wishing they'd disappear.

"King..." his father's voice trailed off as he sought the wall for support, his knees threatening to crumble beneath him. He gazed up at Arthur who had resigned himself to sit in the chair, head in his hands. "You remember?"

All Arthur could do was nod. They had a lot to talk about.