This chapter is long and it took me long to proofread it, but I can't be sure if there are still some typos hidden somewhere, so sorry if they are. Also, don't get fooled by the first boring part of the chapter, the end is very interesting I'm sure you'll like it a lot *wink wink*

CHAPTER 7
The Words of Your Heart and the Storm

It's been about an hour since Agatha walked out the door and left him alone in his house. It still felt as if he was in a house that belonged to a stranger. To a man that might have used to be him, but he wasn't him now.

Merlin was restless. At first he went back to the living room, trying not to think about his dreams and about that strange room, but that was exactly what he was thinking of. He couldn't put his mind at rest, everything he felt and saw kept replaying in his head, right before his eyes and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Arghh," Merlin groaned and threw his head back, resting it against the edge of the couch. He closed his eyes briefly and then raised his head and looked at a clock on the wall.

Not even a minute has passed since Agatha left.

How was that possible? It felt like hours already and he had no idea what to do, since everything he could think of was still that damn room. He just had to think about how awfully familiar it felt to him. Definitely more familiar than his own house.

The reason? Still unknown.

Merlin's eyes wandered around the room until they landed on the shelf full of books. He tried to concentrate for a second, but he didn't even have to – the book was already flying over to him.

"So handy," he smiled as he looked down at the beautiful cover of one of the Game of Thrones books. "Shame I don't remember reading you," he added. "Although I do remember most of the plot... and now I'm just talking to myself."

He sighed and stood up to put the book back on its place the natural way. He glanced at the clock – barely two minutes have passed.

"Come on," he groaned. "If I really was this great sorcerer, I really don't get how come I was able to wait for a thousand years, I can scarcely wait two minutes now."

And then he left the living room and went back up into his own room. He paused in front of his door though, and turned around to enter the empty room instead. It really made sense now – this room was supposedly for Arthur, once he returned.

Merlin looked out of the window and saw Glastonbury. Not quite that far away as he'd imagined. He still didn't understand why his old self didn't go into town. Or why didn't he at least talk to people.

His old self was weird and lonely. He really hoped he wouldn't turn back into that person once he remembered. But when would that be? The doctor said he might remember if he saw or talked to someone he used to know, but now they know everyone like that is long dead.

He might not ever remember. Not even why he had so many emotions about the ring on the desk in the empty room, or why the mysterious room seemed so familiar. And that might drive him crazy, and then he'd be even a worse person than his old self.

The wind wildly played with his hair, so he decided to close the window and finally return to his room.

It felt strangely empty and lonely without Agatha. But he was getting used to it very quickly, he'd been told he used to be a lonely person anyway. But he was glad he found a friend like Ag, he couldn't remember any other friend from his long life.

He couldn't really remember anything these days, so let's just say he was really glad he didn't have to be alone in this and that Agatha was helping.

Even though she was away now.

She gave him her number before she left. He palpated the piece of paper ripped from her notepad in the pocket of his trousers and sighed sadly. He had no idea what he would do with all those empty days until the weekend.

He sat down on his bed lazily and lied down, looking up at the ceiling. He heard the clock on his desk tick-tocking the time away. And his life. Why did he have to be so patient?

After he made himself lunch with magic and ate it in his garden, he went back into his room and for the first time since Agatha left, dared to look at the door. It was slightly ajar and if he moved his head just so, he would be able to see the tables with bench inside.

He didn't know if he wanted to.

But he ended up doing it anyway. He entered the room and looked at the long tables with old laboratory flasks on it and books. It smelled of science and medicine. Something he felt he had a connection to. And again, he didn't really know why.

Such and old room, what purpose could it have served? Maybe a memory? Frozen in time, inside his own house?

Merlin slowly stepped inside and felt overwhelmed all over again. That feeling that he knew this place and held so many emotions towards it was destroying for his mind, but this time, he kept going and took a brave step forward. The first step to uncovering the truth of his real life. Of the person he used to be.

Wait, shouldn't he wait for Agatha? He knew she was very excited to see everything and learn more new facts about him, but in the end, these were his memories. His life.

And so he took another step forward.

When he was finally standing in front of the three steps that were leading to the tiny room in the back, the place he felt he was being drawn to, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing the tears away.

When he was confident enough again, he finally entered and almost fell down on the floor when he looked out of the window. There was an image of a town full of old little houses and smoke and tiny, tiny people. It was as if he was looking down from a tower. Looking down at the city he loved so much, the city he'd spend most of his life in...

Camelot.

The name came to him out of the blue, and he didn't even have to think twice about it before he was absolutely sure that that was the name of the city he had lived in. And also the city where this room used to be.

The view out of the fake window looked so real and so familiar as everything around him that it was slightly irritating that he couldn't remember. With a shaky breath, he sat down on the hard bed and then, out of a habit it seemed, looked down at the floor. There was no carpet, only parquets.

Merlin didn't even think about doing it, call it instinctive if you want to, but his eyes were drawn to one particular parquet next to him and he couldn't help but to reach and touch it with his hand.

He ended up kneeling on the floor, examining the... loose parquet? Yes, it was loose! This couldn't have been a coincidence, surely some of his memories popped up to the surface, telling him to look inside.

So he did. He removed the parquet and gasped.

There was a little dragon carved out of white wood, and a book under it. His hands were trembling as he picked up the toy and held it in front of his face.

In his heart, he felt that this was an object that meant a great deal to him. Something he held so dear he decided to lock it up together with all these other memories around him. Together with the book, which Merlin picked up right after he put the little dragon on the floor next to him.

Merlin could tell that the book was old. Perhaps even older than he was, but then again, how could he know what his age was? Definitely over a thousand... for a moment he was thankful he didn't remember any of it. He couldn't even imagine how many friends he must have lost.

He carefully unlocked the golden locks on the cover of the book, and slowly opened it, eagerly looking inside. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped – it was a book of magic!

Definitely the most valuable object in this entire room. And as he looked around, he decided that this discovery was more than enough for one day. He took the little dragon and the book, put the dragon and the parquet back where it belonged, and ran out of the room, completely forgetting about his limp in the excitement.

"Ow!" He cried out when he made it down the stairs and stopped. His leg was hurting more than before, he shouldn't have run down the stairs. Then he got an idea.

He opened the book again, this time on the table in front of the sofa in the living room. He quickly researched a healing spell and tried it on his own leg – and it worked! His magic must have been really strong.

As the smile was spreading over his lips, he looked down at the book again and then at his broken arm. Could he... if he wanted to, would he be able to heal his arm too? He researched a more powerful spell and pressed his palm against the cast. Then he closed his eyes and whispered the spell.

"Ahluttre tha seocness. Thurh-haele braed."

Although he couldn't see that, his eyes glowed gold and the arm... stayed exactly the same. Merlin frowned as he tried again.

"Ahluttre tha seocness. Thurh-haele braed!"

But his arm was still broken. He didn't understand. This was the most powerful spell he could find in the book and yet it didn't work? Was his magic not strong enough? He thought he was supposed to be the most powerful sorcerer ever to walk the earth!

He sighed as he mindlessly flipped through the old pages. Perhaps healing spells were very difficult to master and he just wasn't concentrating enough. Or maybe a broken arm required a spell more powerful than in this book.

His stomach made an unhappy sound and Merlin groaned, standing up again and heading to the kitchen. He hoped the fridge wasn't empty.

xoXÖXox

It's been already four days ever since Agatha left him in Glastonbury all alone. And just like his old self, he didn't go into the town and rather stayed in his own house, doing pretty much nothing expect for going over to the lake, drawing a bit with pencils he found on his desk, reading and studying the book of magic he found.

For the first time since he entered his room with Agatha, he also opened his laptop that was lazily sitting on the table, abandoned for who knew how long.

It was full of pictures of his drawings (and he had to admit, some of them looked very pretty) and of the lake, old houses, and the sunset. He couldn't find a phone, but he guessed he didn't really need it. Well now he might, Agatha was his friend after all and how else would he be able to reach her when she was in Bristol for the week?

Another very interesting thing he found in the laptop was the entire book of magic, rewritten. Not necessarily in his own words, but there were some notes here and there. And what was the most interesting thing – he found a sequel!

There were new spells, harder spells and enchantments, curses, potions and remedies he didn't know and names he didn't know. The most used name was Gaius. He knew he must have meant something to him, but all he could recall was the feeling of family and love that slowly spread through him as he was looking at the name.

And luckily for him, he found a more powerful healing spell.

"Ic pe purhhaele pinu licsar mid pam sundorcraeft paere ealdan ae!"

In the new book of magic, this spell was described as one of the most powerful healing spells ever cast. Apparently Merlin learned this from a dragon called... Killgharrah.

Another name that sounded painfully familiar, but for now, Merlin didn't really care. All that mattered was that he tried the spell, and it worked! His arm was healed and now with his limp also gone, he was completely healthy!

Except for his mind of course. That couldn't have been fixed with magic, he just had to wait and see if the memories came back to him or stayed forever buried in his mind. And even though the doctor said he should remember, everyone Merlin knew was dead now and couldn't really help him.

Well, except for Arthur, but Merlin didn't remember what he looked like or what his voice sounded like, or anything he could recognise him by. Most of the drawings he found on his laptop were of the blonde person from his dreams, and he guessed that was supposed to be Arthur, but the memory was still lost to him.

How frustrating.

He used another spell to remove the cast, and after putting it into the trash can, he went to the kitchen to make himself something to eat

xoXÖXox

On the morning of the fourth day since Agatha left – it was Thursday, Merlin woke up to find the door to the mysterious room opened. He was sure he had closed it the night before, but now that it was opened – his magic perhaps? - he couldn't help but stand up and go closer.

He tiptoed inside, scanning the room and finding an open window. He immediately went to close it because he was still in his pyjama and the chilly air made him shiver. He hoped he'd find some heating spell eventually as he folded his arms on his chest. How could he have slept with such temperature around?

When he sat down and closed his eyes, he took a deep breath and waited until he wasn't that cold anymore. Then he finally went back into that little room in the back and sat on the bed just like he did the day before.

He already knew what was under the loose parquets. There was a book of magic and a little dragon. This time then, he knelt down and looked under the bed. There was a weird looking, blue staff. He didn't find that particularly interesting and he was getting hungry, so he stood up again and started searching through the room for something exciting, ignoring the sad feeling he had inside his heart.

Merlin turned around and found a little metal box he didn't notice before. It was sat on a bookshelf with a few books that he hadn't searched through yet either.

Curiously and slowly he neared the bookshelf and took the box into his hands, blowing off the dust on the surface. Then he tried to open it.

But he couldn't. The box must have had some sort of spell cast on it and he didn't know what spell to use since he couldn't remember any incantations. After examining the box and finding no writings on it whatsoever, he decided to leave it where it was until he could find something in his book of magic or until he remembered how to open it. Maybe there was a surprise in there. Like a coin or something. He really had no idea though.

And because his stomach had been trying to tell him he was hungry for more than five minutes already, he quickly grabbed the first book he found on the bookshelf and made his way into the kitchen.

On the way he looked at the cover of the book. There was number 1 on it. Maybe it was another series, some old one, from another century and it just didn't fit in with those other books in his living room.

He didn't want to think much about it though, so he made himself some breakfast and went out of his garden and headed to the lake again.

When he got to the shore, it was less windy than in the morning. He took off the cape over his head and let the light breeze play with his dark hair as he sat down into the slightly wet grass.

It felt good to be back out there, just looking out at the lake in front of him, reminiscing the... well, not really reminiscing. But he'd like to do that once he knew more about his past.

Without further ado, he opened the old book and a puff of dust hit him in the face. He sneezed and almost dropped the book, managing to catch it with his magic in time. The book was most probably over a thousand years old, he should at least try not to destroy it when it was barely keeping itself together.

He was surprised the whole book didn't turn into dust as he opened it, but call it a miracle or a magic, he could read the words on the pages as clearly as if he was reading just another part of Harry Potter.

My first day in Camelot.

Huh. This must have been his diary. Now the 1 on the cover made sense. He smiled and kept reading.

It's a great city, my mother told me. And the first thing I see? An execution. Of someone because he was using magic. Thank you mother! A great place to send your son to!

But my uncle Gaius will help me. Mother said he would. The last time I saw him was over a decade ago, and I think he looks just the same. A little wiser, maybe.

Merlin smiled as he read it. He wasn't sure if he remembered that Gaius character, but he seemed nice. He was family, from what he read. When he looked back down on the page, he could tell it was from a different day.

I saved prince Arthur's life! After I kicked his ass and had to spend a night in the dungeon for it! And they were throwing rotten vegetable at me! And even potatoes! How unfair! I met a new friend though, her name is Guinevere. She said I can call her Gwen. She's nice.

I met a dragon! He said it was destiny, and that I was-

Merlin frowned slightly. It seemed as if something had stopped him from finishing his sentence. And when he skipped to the next page, there seemed to be a huge time gap.

He's a prat. A royal one. And also a dollophead. But he's the best friend I've ever had. I saved his life today again and I received not gratitude at all. But I think I stopped caring about that a long time ago...

Another paragraph must have been a few years after the last one. It seemed young Merlin was a very busy man, saving Arthur's ass all the time and getting no credit.

It was Arthur's coronation today. I couldn't feel more proud of him. From the prat that he used to be, to the great king of legends.

Merlin couldn't help but to smile at that. Arthur must have been a likeable person. And where was that Gwen person? She must have been there the entire time.

Arthur and Gwen got married yesterday. We were all celebrating the entire evening and night and for once, I didn't have to save Arthur's life again. I think Gwen will make a great queen.

"Nice," Merlin mumbled. He wandered if Gwen was a simple serving girl or a lady. She married Arthur though, and the books Agatha showed him said she was a lady. And that she betrayed Arthur with Lancelot. Merlin really hoped that didn't happen. He'd have to go and check the books and look at the corrections Ag said he had made. Maybe he'd find out more that way.

I received a warning today. A glimpse of the future. Arthur is going to die if I don't save him.

Arthur said I don't smile that often anymore. I think he's right.

Mordred is back. The prophecy is coming true and each day I'm more scared I will lose him one day.

Merlin felt the hot tears in his eyes as he realized how was the story going to end. With Arthur dying. He didn't save him. He failed.

There is a great battle upon us. Mordred is on Morgana's side now and I lost my magic. The only way to get a chance of getting it back is to find the crystal cave again, but I won't be able to be by Arthur's side when he's heading to the battle of Camlann.

I couldn't sleep last night.

And then Merlin's eyes widened as he read the next words.

It's been a week. A whole week without him. I haven't been this long without him ever since I met him. Kilgharrah said he will rise again, but that I need to wait. I don't think I can do this.

The tears were streaming freely on his cheeks as Merlin closed the book and closed his eyes. He didn't know what was happening. As soon as he read his own thoughts from more than a thousand years ago, it felt as if his heart was exploding both inwards and outwards.

His mind was blank and his vision was blurred by the tears and it didn't help when he tried to wipe them with his hands. His hands were shaking and he could almost hear the upcoming sobs that were about to break out of his chest.

And he didn't stop them.

Something inside him, some lost memory, was too painful to go through again. He knew it was probably Arthur dying, but he didn't expect so many emotions all at once, he didn't think he would care about him so much even after so many years of waiting.

Merlin tossed the book aside and refused to read it ever again as he closed his eyes and laid back into the grass. After a few minutes his breathing evened out and he grabbed the diary and headed back home.

xoXÖXox

Agatha really regretting one thing. She didn't buy Merlin a phone before she left, and now that she needed to talk to him, she couldn't. She thought he'd have a phone, but then again, she couldn't see it in Merlin's house anywhere. Not that she was looking, but wouldn't it be somewhere on a table? Or at least in his room?

She seriously needed to call him, first because she wanted to ask him how he was doing and if he was alright. And then she also needed to mention that she accidentally kept the key to the room inside Merlin's room.

It wasn't her fault, she just found it in her pocket while she wanted to wash her jeans and would have probably thrown it into the wash machine with it, hadn't she noticed the clinking sound the key made when she took her jeans off.

It's almost been a week since she left Merlin's house and she couldn't wait to go back there and see him the next day. It was Thursday and she wanted to drive back to Glastonbury on Friday afternoon. Nothing interesting was happening in Bristol anyway and she heard there was going to be a concert in Glastonbury on Saturday night.

She kinda hoped she could go there with Merlin and her friend. She doubted Merlin ever went to a concert before, especially because of what she's heard about him. If he never talked to anyone in the town, he couldn't have had any fun. She hoped she could teach him that on Saturday.

Make a character sad and lonely and then make another character try and cheer him up in funny ways until character number 1 laughs at how ridiculous character number 2 is.

Agatha smiled as she yawned and wrote that note into her laptop. Then she finally turned off the table lamp on her bedside table. She was trying to use one of her prompts and write a new chapter of her book, but because of how tired she was, she didn't really write anything, except for that new prompt.

She put away her laptop and finally closed her eyes, dreaming about knights in shining armours... dancing on a concert in Glastonbury... with the band being in their underwear.

xoXÖXox

"Hey, I just met you... and this is crazy! But here's my number, so call me may-"

Agatha seriously needed to change her ring tone, especially if someone was calling her in the middle of the night! She quickly rolled over in her bed and pressed the phone against her ear, trying really hard not to fall asleep again.

Then she heard a thunder from the outside and her eyes snapped open.

"Ag! Aggie? Agatha Black, are you there?" She heard her sister's annoyed voice.

"What do you want?" She mumbled in response as she closed her eyes again. Wasn't her sister on a vacation with her husband? In Australia?

"Haven't you heard? Turn on the tv!"

"Sara, it's fucking four in the morning!" Agatha replied as she looked at her alarm clock on the bedside table.

"I know, but this is serious! There's a huge storm over England, the biggest one in almost a thousand years according to the news-"

"Okay, hold on... what?" Agatha blinked a few times and opened her laptop, quickly searching for the news. The light from the screen almost blinded her, but she tried her best to let her eyes adjust as fast as they could.

"There's a huge storm over your head!" Her sister yelled. She could hear her sister's husband over the phone. He seemed quite upset. "And they're saying it looks bad, maybe even not natural!"

"How can it-"

"It's above Bristol and Wales, almost London too! And crazy things are happening, there have been many reports on people with glowing eyes and objects flying and-"

"What the fuck are you talking about? Glowing eyes? Wait... is it above Glastonbury too?"

"Glasto-what?" Her sister hissed. "Look, we're safe here, but you're not! Stay inside and wait until it's over, if it ever is. At least that's what they're saying on the tv. And-"

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll take care!" Agatha hurriedly said as she started ripping her clothes off and putting on socks. If the storm was over Glastonbury too, she was definitely coming to check on Merlin. If what Sara had told her was true, then nothing of this was natural. And the only other unnatural – maybe even supernatural – thing slash person she knew, was Merlin and his magic.

"I know you, Ag!" Her sister's voice cut her off. "You're not going outside, not in this crazy weather. You're gonna die out there! How am I supposed to say mum and dad that-"

"Don't worry," Agatha stopped and calmed down. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, replying in a soft voice. "I won't go out there. I'll stay inside, okay?"

"Promise?" She heard Sara's doubtful voice. Agatha gritted her teeth and crossed her fingers behind her back.

"Promise."

"Alright. Stay safe." Sara sighed.

"Yeah, and say hi to Paul for me!" Agatha smiled as she heard her sister's husband's voice and then she ended the call. As soon as she put he phone in her pocket, the hectic movements returned and she started packing all her stuff into a single rucksack, already running for her keys by the front door.

She couldn't leave Merlin alone in this.

xoXÖXox

It was about four in the morning when it happened.

At first it felt like a dream – the person with blank face and blonde hair was just standing there, looking down at him, not moving. And Merlin kept shaking, trying to reach him and hold his hands, but it was as if the person was a statue.

The man with no eyes, nose or mouth, was dressed in an armour and there was water flowing from the tips of his fingers. That was when Merlin got worried and was trying to reach that person harder. But it didn't help. He couldn't reach him, couldn't touch him, whoever he was.

And then it didn't feel like a dream anymore.

The person was gone and everything was dark and then he heard a voice. An ancient voice telling him something very important and he wasn't sure what it meant, but he closed his eyes and listened.

Emrys.

Emrys.

It was a name. He didn't know how he knew that, but he knew it sounded familiar and definitely like a name. As if he hadn't heard that name in a long time and yet he didn't know whose name was it and what did it all mean.

It felt like someone was calling him.

Emrys. The destiny cannot be broken. Arthur shall rise again, but his time has not yet come.

The Once and Future King is leaving Avalon.

Merlin's eyes snapped open as he woke up and sat upright in his bed. He didn't know what was happening, everything was dark and silent, and yet it felt as if the place was vibrating.

As if something inside him felt alive. More than usual. His magic, maybe? All he knew in that moment was that it was the middle of the night and he wanted to go back to sleep. But there was something he had to do first. He had no idea what it was, but something was urging him to go outside and-

He heard a thunder and almost jumped out of his bed. When he calmed down from the shock, he walked over to the window in his room and saw what was happening. He saw a lightning and there was definitely storm and rain, but... not around his house and around the lake.

It was quiet there. So quiet that it only strengthened his urge to go outside and to the lake. He didn't know if the voices he heard in his dream were just a sign of him going crazy thanks to the car crash, or if it was real, but he knew he had to go to the lake..

And so he ran out of his room, put his trousers, scarf and jacket on, and left his house.

Whatever was waiting out there for him, he really hoped it was worth it.

TBC

I just got a really cool idea how to make the storm a bigger event in the whole fanfic *steals Ag's notepad* *makes a few notes* Also, please let me know what you think about this chapter! Are you happy that this is finally happening? Did you like Ag's ringtone? :D