Author's Note:
Hi... I didn't die I promise, sorry about the long wait, I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen again.
Also, sorry if the grammar is a bit dodgy my beta had a few technical issues and then concussion... so yeah...
Enjoy :)
Chapter 21: Truths
It was the 5th of November when the change became noticeable. As the bonfires of Guy Forks night were lit so was the anger of the old religion and it finally burned bright enough for people to notice that something was wrong.
Too long had it seen its people stomped upon; too long had it seen them grow weak and hide in the shadows. Now, soon it would be gone and the earth forgotten.
It was cold, too cold. Possibly the coldest British November in history, even the robins shivered on their perches and slipped on the ice – the temperature was too low for snow.
Not that Britain was the only place that this anomaly was occurring. Everywhere in the top Northern and Southern hemisphere countries drew their coats in, protecting themselves from the frost, their teeth chattering.
Down by the equator however it was a different story. Drought ran rife even in the richer areas and sand whipped the backs of civilians; sizzling hot.
"For the last few years crops have been failing, the bees are dying and people are starving! Last week the Thames Barrier was nearly topped, a whole ten years before the sea was estimated to be that high when the barrier was made!"
"Global warming, nothing to do with us, we warned those muggles, we said 'mess around with science and you're going to get yourselves killed!'" The minister let his hands fall to his sides and they made a slapping sound as they hit his thighs. He shrugged at her patronisingly and he saw the woman bristle with annoyance.
"Come on minister! Can't you see that this is more than that! This is more than anything muggles can cause! You really think pollution alone can be doing this?"
A worried look passed quickly across the minister's face, but it was gone before it could be apprehended. He flicked his hand and two guards grabbed the woman's arms and dragged her away.
"You need to look past your stupid ideals and see the bigger picture! We are part of this! All of us and you need to do something!" She yelled; but try as she might her voice was drowned away as she was dragged around the corner of the hall and disappeared in to the winding corridors of the ministry of magic.
"I don't like it!"
"Why not? I think you look nice."
"Well I don't like it and what I say goes, remember Merlin?"
"You're not king here Arthur, you're going to have to get used to it!"
Arthur stood there, squeezed into a pink, floral dress with his shoulders hunched. Looking at his friend with that pout on his face took every ounce of Merlin's being to keep from laughing.
"I look like a girl!"
"What? No! Of course you don't, all the men nowhere days wear this, it's the height of fashion!"
"How come you're not wearing it?"
Merlin raised an eyebrow "Since when was I fashionable?"
Arthur glared at him suspiciously "…true" he muttered after a long pause "But if I find out this is all a prank, I swear!" He left the sentence hanging, letting Merlin imagine the consequences of his actions. Oh well… it would be funny whilst it lasted.
He watched biting back a smirk, as Arthur huffed and shifted around in the dress; trying to make himself comfortable.
"Oh woah!" Merlin looked around; Ginny had entered, carrying a pair of jeans and a check T-shirt. Her face held a look that was somewhere between amusement and horror – her mouth hung open and she didn't say anything for a while until she gulped, shook her head and mumbled… "wow."
Merlin turned breathtakingly back to face Arthur, his teeth jittering ever so slightly.
Arthur was – and Merlin expected had been since Ginny had entered – glaring at Merlin, his breath deadly quiet.
"Merlin." He hissed cocking his head, his eyes turning to slits.
Merlin gulped, then in one, quick, well-rehearsed movement; he swung his legs over his chair and burst out of the door and into the hallway, milliseconds before Arthur followed. His friend grabbed him by the ear and twisted him – ear first – onto the floor.
"Ow! Get off!" Merlin struggled, trying to push him away.
"What is going on…Oh my!" Hermione had entered the room.
Slowly, Arthur got to his feet, his fingers still gripped tightly around Merlin's ear.
Merlin stumbled into a standing position "hey, stop it!"
"You know it's treason to lie to a king Merlin?"
"You're not a king here!" Merlin said shaking him off and rubbed his ear. "If people can take advantage of you they will… especially if I can get you to wear a dress that easily!" At Arthur's expression then, Merlin couldn't help himself but smile. "Come on it was funny!"
Arthur turned, yanking the clothes out of Ginny's arms and walked off "I hate you!" He moaned bitterly over his shoulder.
It had been six days since the 31st of October when Merlin had been reunited with his old friend and, finally hope had once again lit up his world.
There had been times when Merlin had almost given up. When he had thought no way in hell would the future look bright again; the world was destroying itself after all.
Yet somehow Arthur had turned up, dressed in nothing but his birth suit and that confused frown that Merlin remembered so well and suddenly he had been reminded of the days when he had first come to Camelot; when life had been full of hope.
Of course not everything had gone perfectly; the group had picked their bodies from the ground, only to find themselves in an empty room. Morgana and the a thousand strong muggles whom had littered the floor were gone; even Freya had disappeared like she had never been there in the first place.
Mordred had changed too; in the seconds after Arthur's return he had not laid on the floor a young boy, but a grown man. Merlin supposed he had earnt it; the eleven year old had been selfless and brave and wise; even with Morgana blocking his sites. Merlin just hoped he wouldn't return to the person he was when last he had looked the age he did now.
Merlin gazed across the room at Hugo. The boy was showing Arthur how to turn on a mobile phone. Ron was sitting beside him, looking just as confused and dismayed as Arthur did.
Merlin smiled; they had had six days to get ready. In those six days they had watched Arthur stumble – to Merlin's great enjoyment – around modern day life; trying to make sense of it. From now on however, they were ready. From now on, they would take action.
The green fire rose up around each of them in turn and spat them out of an unfamiliar chimney.
The ministry's ceilings climbed high above them, smooth and greeny-black and all around them important wizards and witches bustled about, trying to keep up with their hectic lives.
Harry, Hermione and Ron marched ahead, leading the way with Mordred, Merlin and Arthur trailing slightly behind.
Soon enough they were standing at the mercy of 500 governors; their unamused faces glaring down at the group.
"Harry." It was the minister who spoke first; he greeted his work mate with a thin smile. "I thought you were at Hogwarts, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
"What brings me here minister, is exactly what brought me to Hogwarts in the first place, it is of the highest importance, so I hope you will all listen with open minds."
At that, a shallow whispering ran through the onlookers and they increased their attention levels; following the three stranger's (Merlin, Mordred and Arthur) movements suspiciously.
"Quiet!" The minister sighed, a bored look on his face. "Of course we will listen, but be quick; I have a meeting in half an hour."
Harry nodded his thanks and gestured for Merlin to step up.
"Hello ladies and gentlemen, although you may not recognise me, I am Merlin."
"Preposterous!" the minister interrupted "Merlin looks over 100 years old, I saw him only months ago!"
"I use an aging spell whenever I am in public; it is a secret I am willing to set free, but I am here today to tell you another one."
"Show us."
"I'm sorry?"
"Show us or you're out!"
Harry looked on as Merlin sighed, bowing his head in submission. Harry felt the mouths of the crowd hang open as white hair sprouted and an old man stood in the place his younger self had just been without even a wave of his wand.
"Now will you listen?" Merlin croaked.
Harry looked to his side and saw that Arthur looked just as shocked as everybody else.
"For a while now the earth… has been falling to ruins," Merlin continued, stopping and taking long, wheezy breaths every so often. "But whilst you blame it on global warming - the muggles with their cars… that is not completely true… You see the only reason the earth exists at all is because of the old religion… and though our kind has stopped believing in such things a long time ago; it is a truth.
Nearly a thousand years ago; the old religion …. had grown angry. It had seen the pain that its people had suffered for too long... There had been a period of piece after the war of king Arthur's time, but no less, the world soon went back to its old ways… and witch hinting grew rife." Merlin sighed, letting the aging spell drop "So the old religion decided to leave, start a fresh on some other planet and let this world be destroyed and believe me, we can't survive without this force."
"Oh for god's sake, this is ridiculous!" the minister spat.
Harry looked up at the stands, his hearts plunging as he saw many of the crowd agreeing.
"I thought you said you would listen with an open mind!" Merlin snarled.
"Not to pointless theories like this!"
"This is no theory!" Merlin's voice was soft but defiant; his body was hunched forward slightly as if ready for a fight.
"Then if the world can't survive without the 'old religion' and it left a thousand years ago then why are we still here?" The minister's voice was mocking and he said the words as if talking to a child: slowly, like Merlin couldn't understand.
"The old religion had been around for billions of years, you can't just undo that in a matter of seconds!"
"Who actually believes this imposter?" The minister smirked "I bet the real Merlin is in Wales or somewhere in a big stately home, not in the middle of London trying to convince us of some ridiculous story of badly woven lies!"
"But…" Merlin stuttered.
"I don't want to hear anymore! I want them out, all of them! Put them in the cell with the girl!"
And so, they were thrown in a room with no windows and only dim flames high above them to see by.
As Harry picked himself up, he felt someone or something crash into him.