Months had passed since the battle. How long exactly I wasn't sure, the days just seemed to blend in to one painfully long blur. I'd left the castle after a few weeks, unable to continue to stay in the place where he had always been. Every corner I turned brought another memory of a healthy, smiling Arthur, and after constantly breaking down and becoming a watery wreck, I realised that the floodgates would never close as long as I stayed in Camelot, being constantly reminded He used to be here. Now he's not. It's just you now, he's never coming back.
So I just packed my bags and walked. I walked on and on and on, having no clue what direction I was heading in, or where I would end up. I didn't care where I was going, as long as I was as far away from Camelot as possible. So I just kept walking, stopping only to sleep. My legs were weak and aching, but I didn't care. I'd stopped caring about everything a while ago. By day I plundered through the forest, and when it became too dark to carry on, I attempted to rest. But even in sleep I tortured myself, and I slept fitfully, my dreams full of Arthur's disappointed face. "I thought you were my friend, Merlin. Why did you let me die? You were supposed to protect me!"
Even with my brief periods of rest at night, exhaustion started to catch up with me, and I began to hallucinate due to fatigue. Arthur was everywhere. It was always the same thing; pain, betrayal, disappointment. It seemed that no matter how many times I screamed my tear-stained apology, or how often the grief simply swallowed me, he wouldn't leave me alone. He blamed me for his death. I blamed myself for his death. If only I had stayed by his side, instead of leaving when he needed me most. If only...
I'll never forget you, Arthur Pendragon. I will wait for you. I will wait for the day when you rise again when Albion needs you most, as it was predicted. I don't care how long it takes, I will wait for you. I will wait forever if I have to.