It turns out that while remembering to write is easy, actual writing is hard. So I've slowed down, but I am still writing, and I hope you're all still enjoying this. I don't own Merlin.
Merlin joined the others where they stood ready, each carrying a sleeping bag. He picked up his rucksack and pulled the straps onto his shoulders. They were all looking at him expectantly. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his voice steady when he spoke.
"Well, uh, to start with we'll be continuing in the same direction as Arthur and I have been going, then taking a detour to a town with a radio station. The main... main thing to remember is that we'll be pretty visible for most of the trip, so just...be careful. It'll take us about a day to get there."
Arthur nodded. "Alright. Let's get moving."
Merlin walked at the front of the group, though barely. If he could, he would have hung back - Gwen and Arthur both seemed ready to lead. But he knew the way and the others looked to him. Merlin wracked his brains, trying to remember how he should be acting, trying to think of something to say. Fortunately, he didn't need to. Leon approached him after a few minutes.
"Merlin, I wanted to ask. My son, did he...?"
"He had a good life. He had a good standing in the court." Merlin furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "I think he became a lord."
"That's excellent, thank you."
Leon was the only knight who had any children, though Percival had also married. Now that Leon had asked Merlin something, the dam seemed to break for more questions. Suddenly, the group were all talking over each other, working out a timeline of their lives in relation to each other, and discovering what important events had happened. Elyan asked the most, and seemed both baffled and glad by what he learned. Slowly, words came more easily to Merlin and he found himself answering more of the questions and leaving fewer to the others. After a while, Gwen asked, "Was Constantine a good king?"
Merlin shrugged. "Good enough, nothing spectacular." He glanced at Arthur.
"Come on Merlin, you're not giving him enough credit," Percival said.
"He may not have been up to your standards, but he did a very good job settling disputes and keeping peace," Leon added. "At least in my lifetime."
"I said he was good, didn't I?"
"Reluctantly," Gwaine scoffed.
Gwen grinned. "I think you spoiled Merlin," she murmured to Arthur. "He didn't like to admit when things went well."
"I think he's just a pessimist."
"Of course, because you've never given up hope, Arthur."
But this seemed to hit too close to home, Arthur's jaw tightened and he didn't answer. Merlin glanced down uncomfortably. The others didn't seem to notice, continuing the conversation without concern.
"Are we just walking in a straight line, Merlin?" Gaius came up beside him.
"Uh, no. No," he raised his voice and the others quieted to listen to the directions. "There should be a fence, or the remains of one, at the end of this field. When we reach that, we should turn right."
"Is it straight from there?", Gwen asked.
Merlin thought for a moment. "More or less, we'll need to turn a bit left to get to the town rather than the ru- Camelot. Of course, this is all assuming we don't run into any trouble."
The knights and Gwen nodded, but Gaius looked at Merlin warily. Quietly, so that only the wizard would hear, he said, "There's something you're not saying, Merlin. What were you about to say instead of Camelot?"
Merlin shifted his rucksack, "I don't know when I should tell the others, but Camelot's not there. Arthur knows, sort of."
"Well better you tell them than they get a nasty shock, though I wouldn't be surprised if they took it rather well. It is inevitable with time."
"Maybe, I just hope they're ready to see it."
"Well, what exactly is it we'll be seeing?"
The pair had fallen behind a bit and he watched his friends' backs for a moment before answering.
"I- I'm not sure. I haven't... been back there, not for at least a thousand years."
Gaius studied Merlin's face. He could see something in him that he related to, something he couldn't quite identify. Merlin coughed and shifted under Gaius's gaze.
"I think we'd better catch up," he muttered and, tugging on the straps of his rucksack, he hurried ahead.
The rest of the day went smoothly. As the conversation turned away from the years after his death, Arthur was more talkative, and though Merlin was a bit uneasy, he was able to push it to the back of his mind most of the time. As late afternoon approached, they came across the traces of a camp that had been there recently, but since there was no sign that the inhabitants were anywhere nearby (Merlin briefly searched with magic), they continued without too much concern. Shortly after they came across the camp, they came in sight of the outskirts of the town. Before they got too close, they stopped for Merlin to check the way. After confirming it was safe, the group followed Merlin though the streets to the door of the radio station. Once inside, the scene before them was disappointing. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and large parts of the equipment were broken or missing. Merlin found a light switch and flicked it, but to no avail. Like most buildings now, this one had no power. Casting a spell to wipe the dirt off the window, Merlin put his bag on the ground and started examining what was left of the equipment.
"Is it supposed to look like that?", Gwaine whispered.
"Of course not, even if you have no idea what that is, you can see it's broken," Arthur answered scathingly.
Leon shushed him, "I think Merlin's trying to concentrate."
"Of course," Gwaine muttered. "But on what exactly? I don't even recognise what that's made of."
"Neither do I, but I'm sure he's planning something," Gwen mumbled.
"Honestly?" Arthur turned to them incredulously. "This is Merlin, the useless servant!"
"He can do something, you'll see," Gwen put her hand on his arm.
The whispers continued, but Merlin ignored them. He closed his eyes and brought up his magic. Slowly, carefully, he got a feel for the machine in front of him, testing what was left. Merlin had taken some time to learn to use his magic on technology, but once he had, it was as easy as anything else. He was in his element here. The spells came naturally, easily, and his eyes glowed with a slow consistent light. Merlin smiled slightly as he caught snatches of Arthur's voice behind him. Now that he'd gotten started, he was sure that it would work. He could use magic to get the right parts working again, that would give him the frequency, then more spells would actually transmit whatever message they needed. It would be more magic than radio, since most of the useful components had been salvaged by people looking for parts, but there was enough radio left to make it work. One final spell, and Merlin finished. He straightened up and turned around, triumphant.
"Alright, now all we need to do is pick someone to say our message."
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