"We gotta make ends meet before we get much older"
Arthur smiled softly. The wound in his side had faded to a dull throb. He knew he wouldn't have much time left. Arthur gazed up, trapping himself in the depths of Merlin's eyes. Depth's he knew he wouldn't have enough time to understand. His vision was starting to blur and his breaths more choppy.
"I wanted to say something I've never said to you before."
Arthur reached up, grasping the back of Merlin's neck like it was his lifeline. Merlin's lips parted, his face devastated. He never broke eye contact. Arthur opened his mouth, his lips already forming the words when it dawned on him. He was going to leave Merlin. And though he ached to let Merlin know how he truly felt, he knew in the end, all it would cause is damage. Arthur took a breath— his last one.
"Thank you."
And as his hand started to go limp and his eyes rolled up into his head, Arthur's last wish was pleading with Merlin to understand its true meaning.
I love you.
"Arthur." Merlin's voice was unbearably soft. "No. Arthur. Arthur."
His voice rose to a yell, shaking Arthur's face like it could bring him from the dead. Then softened to a breath, pleading, "Stay with me."
Neither man got what they wished for. And as Arthur slipped from Merlin's grasp, Merlin never once knew the meaning behind Arthur's last words. And as far as they knew, he never would.
No young man, no matter how great, can know his destiny
-0-o-0-
"This time, we know we all can stand together
With the power to be powerful
Believing we can make it better"
When Arthur woke up, it took him a good thirty seconds to realize he was drowning. His armor was still wrapped around him, weighing him down and the water was murky enough that he couldn't see a single thing. Arthur kicked his feet to the surface and broke it in time to take a full gulp of air before he was pulled back under. For all he knew as the King of Camelot, he could not swim. Suddenly, something was grasping at the back of his armor and hauling him up. He broke into coughs, tumbling over himself when he reached the shore. After getting his breath under control he risked a glance up. Pale blue water shone under the morning sun, glinting off a broken tower that rose on a single green isle.
Thank you.
Arthur whirled around, realized with a start that he wasn't alone. All the knights of the round table plus Gwen and Morgana were spread out at the shore. Arthur reached under his armor and pulled it off, prodding at the skin where he was stabbed.
Stay with me.
There was nothing but smooth, pale skin in its place. The last thing Arthur remembered was Merlin's screams. "You going to stand all day, Princess? I thought I would at least get a thank you for saving your life. Who would've thought? The King of Camelot can't swim."
Arthur's head snapped to Gwaine, who was lounging with his feet in the water like nothing was out of the ordinary. "What the hell is going on? Where are we? Is Morgana still dead?"
Morgana, unlike the rest of them, hadn't woken up. She lay on her back, strangely peaceful. Her face still sent shudders down his spine.
"Arthur!"
Before he could figure out who he called his name, he was tackled by a swath of skirts and dark hair. Gwen launched herself at him with enough force to send them both tumbling to the ground.
"Guinevere. Wha- how—?" Arthur sputtered.
Gwen pulled back, her face stretched into a smile. "It's time. You were prophesied to rise again when Albion's need was greatest. I'm not sure how long it's been but there is so much I have to tell you about. Once you died, I legalized magic and Merlin was my court sorcerer and I died when I was in my eighties and produced an heir with Sir Leon and- wait. Where's Merlin?"
Arthur struggled to follow Gwen's onslaught of words, but his mind caught on Merlin's name. He pulled himself to his feet, carefully setting Gwen back down. He whirled back towards the lake, a scream tearing through his throat before he could stop it. "Merlin. Merlin! Where are you? Don't be a dollophead, come on!"
Arthur moved forward, ready to launch himself back into the water, when a hand wrapped around his bicep, stilling him.
"He's not there, Arthur." Lancelot's voice was soft but all Arthur could see was him and Guinevere and—
"Get off me, Lancelot. I don't even know if the idiot knows how to swim. He should be here." Arthur pulled away, ready to dive in when Lancelot spoke again.
"Arthur, Merlin never died."
Arthur froze. His blood turned to ice. "What do you mean 'he never died'? He's only human. It's not like he's immortal or something."
The moment the words left his mouth, Arthur couldn't help but realize how wrong he was. His mind flashed back to the Dochra and Gauis' words about how no mortal could survive their touch. He thought about Lancelot's words and Merlin's almost innocent smile. Bad news. He survived. How much of a fool was Arthur that he never once questioned how Merlin survived. How somehow he always managed to come out of every battle unscathed and smiling and alive.
Arthur whirled on Lancelot. "You knew. You knew about Merlin's magic."
His mind was spinning too fast, suddenly everything making too much sense. With Merlin and Lancelot and their quiet talks and knowing looks and how the warning bells were never turned off and the immortal army had simply disappeared.
Arthur's hands clutched his own hair almost painfully. "As if kissing my wife wasn't bad enough, Merlin trusted you first. You sacrificed yourself at the Dochra for Merlin. Because you knew that Merlin was going to try and go in my place and you knew that Merlin couldn't sacrifice his life because he's immortal so he can't die and—"
Lancelot's hands were back on him in an instant. "Woah. Slow down. What the hell do you mean I kissed your wife?"
Arthur could only blink at the anger in Lancelot's tone. "You- you came back from the dead remember? And seduced my wife and kissed her and then killed yourself."
"Arthur. What are you talking about? I never came back from the dead. I-" Lancelot froze. He remembered a wooden boat and a hand on his forehand and thank you. Lancelot stumbled back from Arthur, breathing heavily. His hand pushed back his hair and he raked through it. His mind shattering and piecing itself back together and—
"Morgana. She raised me from the dead."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Morgana did a lot of things but you don't get to blame her for this."
Lancelot rushed to speak. "She wanted to break you and Gwen apart so Gwen wouldn't be queen. When Gwen wouldn't betray you, she gave me an enchanted bracelet that made Gwen fall for me. It wasn't her fault. Morgana enchanted me and Gwen. Arthur, you must know that I would never hurt you or Gwen intentionally. I didn't know what I was doing."
Arthur gaped at Lancelot. He looked over at Gwen, you seemed to be just as shocked.
"Are you serious? Are you telling me I didn't do anything wrong and it was Morgana's fault I had to live in Ealdor for years?" Gwen said.
"Ealdor? Why were you in Ealdor?"
"Because Morgana's plan worked! Arthur banished me and had he not forgiven me, I never would've become queen."
Lancelot turned on Arthur. "You banished her?"
"Ok. I think everyone needs to calm down. We need to figure out where we are and how to find Merlin. I'm sure you three will have a very riveting conversation later." Leon interrupted, stepping between Arthur and Lancelot.
"And we should probably talk about what to do with Morgana." Elyan knelt down beside her, poking her cheek. "She's breathing so she's probably going to wake up soon."
"I say we toss her back into the lake," Gwaine announced and strode over, ready to pick her up.
Gwen got there faster. "We are not tossing her back into the lake. Who knows how long it's been. We all have to work together if we want to find Merlin. He has to be here somewhere. Percival, pick her up."
Percival scooped her up without hesitation but obviously wasn't happy about it. "Gwen, she murdered Gwaine. I don't care how long it's been but—"
"I get it. I do. She's tried to kill me multiple times as well. But there's a reason she was brought back. We need her. And if we find Merlin, maybe we can come to an understanding. You cannot kill everyone you hate. That's exactly what Morgana did and look where it got her." Gwen leveled a stare at the knights. Elyan couldn't help but find it amusing how such a small woman could easily control six knights.
Without another word, Gwen marched off, clearly expecting everyone to follow her. Gwaine sighed and glanced back at Morgana. "You're so lucky that I'm more terrified of Gwen than I am of you."
A snort escaped Lancelot before he could stop it. "Ok. Let's go find Merlin."
-0-o-0-
