Merlin Fanfiction: A Lost Time Piece

Chapter 4

Merlin(POV)

Previously:

She looked down at the time piece, as she stroked it, when it started to glow.

She looked just as shocked as he did. Then all of the sudden she screamed out in pain and both hands flying to her head like she had an intense migraine but far worse. Merlin caught her just in time as her body went limp and she fell into his arms.

Merlin just looked at her. He was in shock. What just happened? Time seemed to stop. He stared at her, getting lost in the contours of her face. He slumped slowly to his knees as his body began shutting down almost, acting on its own. All he could see was her. This mysterious stranger.

He sit there for a long time.

"Merlin!" Arthur was calling him but he didn't respond. He couldn't...Only did he when a hand fell on his shoulder. This broke his hypnotic state. He blinked up at Arthur. "Merlin, What happened?" He asked gently with a serious concern in the tone of his voice. Arthur was slightly worried at the detached state of his servant. The rest of the knights were staring at Merlin and the unconscious girl in his arms.

He didn't really know what had happened to be honest. "Who is she? Merlin, what is going on?" This time is was Gwaine who questioned him. Merlin noticed Arthur staring at the Silver clock she was wearing.

Wanting to get Arthur's attention away from the magic pendant he replied, "I...I found her wandering around like she was lost. I asked if she was alright but... she just collapsed."

Arthur seemed satisfied with the answer. He declared "We should bring her back to Camelot and have Gauis examine her... Percival?" Percival nodded. He reached down and lifted Angela from Merlin's arms. He reluctantly let go.

Merlin stood up and faced Arthur "There is a slight problem though. Well my horse kind of... sort of ran.. away from me." Merlin put as causally as he could. This just made Arthur smile. "Well that's alright Merlin. You can walk!" He looked at Arthur knowing full well that Arthur was completely serious about that last statement. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" Arthur smiled a mischievous grin at him. "Not a chance." Merlin, just wanting to annoy him, pretended not to laugh at something. It worked.

"Stop it, Merlin." Arthur said clearly irritated at him.

"Stop what?"

"You know what." Smiling Merlin replied "This?"

"Yes that!"

Merlin answered, "I only did *that* because you said stop doing *this*, if I stop doing *that*, then what?"

It was so funny to see the confused look on Arthur's face but it quickly turned to aggitation when Melrin sneered at him.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted

"Yes, Sire?"

Arthur stomped towards him as if to attack, Merlin quickly retreated back. "I'm going to kill you Merlin!" Arthur thrust something at him.

"Arthur, you made a joke." Merlin still trying to get more out of him while still backing away in case he really did lash out. "Please, I could take you any day."

Gwaine and the other knights thought this little confrontation was very amusing. It was like watching siblings fight

"I appreciate the fact that you think you can beat me up Merlin, but I think our last scupple proves otherwise." Arthur yelled over to him. Gwaine only chuckled, patted Merlin on the back. Seeing as the fight was over.

Gwaine spoke up on Merlin's behalf not wanting him to half to walk all the way back to Camelot. "Sire I think Merlin should return with us. He should be there when Gauis looks over the girl to explain what happened. He can take my horse."

Merlin liked Gwaine. Lancelot always stuck up for him when Arthur was being a prat, and ever since he died Gwaine in a way stepped up. I mean it was hard having to masquerade as an idiot servant; which, to be completely honest with himself, wasn't always a pretense.

He was glad for Gwaine. "Well If you really think its necessary, he can ride with you on your horse."

They all mounted their horses. Merlin getting on the horse behind Gwaine and shifting awkwardly . Gwaine thought it was funny.

On the way back to Camelot, Merlin's thoughts went back to Angela. Many questions formed in his mind. Who was she? Where did she come from? What was that magical pendant she was wearing?

It seemed to protect her. But Why? And to what purpose? What had caused her to black out? Something was very odd about this girl and her necklace. When he felt the magic coming from it, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel familiar. It felt old. It felt even older than Kilgharrah's magic. He needed to talk to him about it when he wouldn't be running around for Arthur.

His desperately needed to know. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else until these questions were answered.

In Camelot...

Pervical and Merlin burst into Gauis' chambers. He set her on the table. "I half to attend my duties. Merlin will explain everything." Pervical rushed out. As soon as the door slammed shut Gauis Raised an eyebrow at him.

Gauis walked over to where Pervical lay Angela. "Who is she?"

"I don't know." Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "It's a long story."

"Well you better sit down and explain then." Gauis said.

Merlin told Gauis about the light, the deep magic he felt, the girl how he connected with her on a deeper almost magical level, and the magic pendant which Gauis was quite interested in. He told him how it shocked his hand when he tried to touch it. How it started to glow and how she blacked out before screaming in pain.

"Hmm... It seems we have a mystery on our hands. Best not to tell Arthur about this. Not unless its completely necessary." Gauis andwered

"Definitely not. Who knows how he would react." said Merlin. Gauis looked at the necklace and was in fact fascinated. He reached out to touch it. "Gauis don't!" but nothing happened. "You said it shocked you when you touched it?"

"Yes"

"Curious." Gauis just sat there. Merlin looked at him.

"Well do you know what it is?" He asked impatiently

"Honestly Merlin, I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. But your right, this does have very powerful magic inside it. Did she say where she got it?"

"No.I didn't ask. I was too busy dealing my burning hand." Merlin replied, annoyed with his lack of concern that he injured his hand.

"Well you're helpful aren't you, Merlin." Gauis was secretly teasing him.

"I'm so sorry my agonizing pain inconvenienced you!" Merlin said with a sarcastic tone.

"Well apologizing for it isn't going to get answers." Gauis asserted. He looked at Merlin a second later and laughed. He returned the gesture. Merlin walked over to her and looked her as her eyelids fluttering back and forth. He could see she was distressed like she was having a disturbing dream.

"Will she be alright Gauis?"

"She'll be just fine, Merlin. Don't worry."

"I wish I knew more about her, where she came from, who is she." Merlin pondered

"I'd very much like to know how she came to possess such a powerful pendant." said Gauis.

"Me too."

One day later.

Angela(POV)

Everything was foggy. I slipped in and out of consciousness. It could've been minutes, hours or even days. I didn't know. Time just didn't exist anymore. How long I remained laying here, where ever here was, I didn't know.

I remember hearing voices of unfamiliar people. But one thing that was very clear was my dream.

The voice calling to me, the flashes, my pocket watch. Only the dream was stronger and intensified this time.

I remember hearing screaming.

When I woke up, the first thing I realized was that I was laying on a hard surface. The room was silent. I could feel a wet cloth on my forehead. My back pulsed with a dull ache. I groaned softly. My head hurt. I heard someone shift and walk towards where ever I was laying. I forced my eyes to see a weary looking old man with a scrunched face and white hair.

"Are you alright, my dear?" The old man asked. I just looked at him. Confused. Then I saw the young man I met in the forest. HIM! The forest! It wasn't a dream. But how did I get here? And how did I end up in that forest in the first place? My memory was a bit hazed.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I blurted out, propping myself up on my elbows.

"My name is Gauis, this is Merlin. And you're in Camelot, my dear. " The old man replied

"Ha! Funny." I said groggily. I couldn't help that chuckle outburst. Some joke that was. But when I thought about it, I didn't even really look around the room. I didn't notice how strange everything was. When I did, it looked as though the room was a tv studio set for a movie about Medieval times.

"It's the truth." This time is was the young man, Merlin?

'I must still be dreaming.' I thought. I needed to get out of here. It was beginning to drive me mad. I started to get up. It hurt but I ignored the pain.

"I'm still dreaming, thats all. You're not real."

Merlin tried to prevent me from getting up. "You shouldn't get up. You need rest." I pushed Merlin's hand out of the way. Just as I ran towards the door, a man with dark hair and a short scruffy beard walked in the room. He was wearing chain mail and long red cape. This freaked me out even more.

I ran past him through the door and ran outside.

Back at Gauis' chambers...

Gwaine just stood there as Merlin ran past him.

"Was it something I said?" Gauis not sharing his joke. "I see its a bad time. I'll just come back later then." and Gwaine was gone.

I turned to the right, down a hallway. I could hear footsteps pursuing me. I didn't know where I was going but at least I was going somewhere. I ran out an archway of a much larger building. I froze.

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. People dressed in raggy clothes of brown, black and tan. Wheel barrels, old wooden shacks. People riding horses and horse drawn wagons. And Knights. Actual Medieval knights.

I was in Camelot.

I couldn't take the shock of it all. I staggered back a step only to feel a soft hand at my back.

"Camelot." I said barely a whisper. He led me back to the room I woke up in. I sat down still in shock.

Merlin spoke softly "Are you alright?" I felt like that was the only question people were asking me today. "Merlin maybe you should let her rest." Gauis spoke. Oh my God! MERLIN! This was Merlin, the most legendary wizard of all time. But he isn't old. It just occurred to me that I was in the Legend itself. The Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In Camelot. Holy Crap! That meant that the person sitting in front of me had magic.

I wanted so bad just to blurt it out to him. I wanted to see him use magic so desperately. I wanted to know everything about him. I had a million question I wanted to suddenly ask him. But I decided that I'd tell him later discreetly and in private that I knew of he had magic. I had no idea what would happen if I did.

'Where was I? Oh yeah, back to hysteria.'

"No! This can't be happening. How can this happen? This isn't possible." I voiced my thoughts.

I popped back into reality and looked at Merlin with unbelief in my eyes. In my great shock, I poked Merlin! Twice! To see if he was really... well real. He looked at me at though I was mad, which for the moment I was. I closed my eyelids and pinched myself.

"So this isn't a dream?" He shook his head at me.

"Am I crazy?" I asked them. Then I realized I definitely looked insane. "I do look crazy, don't I?

Merlin smiled at me a goofy grin. "Well... sort of."

"That was..." I shut my eyes briefly and shook my head as I said the word, "embarrassing."

"Lets start over. I'm Merlin." He offered his hand to shake.

"Angela." I replied and reached out my hand to shake his. I liked him. He didn't make me feel idiotic like I did around other people.

He was still smiling. I could tell he thought I was amusing. 'Great' I thought sarcastically.

The second he shook my hand, I felt a tingling inside my stomach. It could have just been butterflies or something more. I wasn't sure. But even weirder I thought I felt something from my pocket watch. I wonder if he felt the same thing I did.

"And this is Gauis. He's my guardian." Merlin said.

"It's very nice to meet you, ...G..auis." I think I pronounced that right. He bowed his head slightly,

"Likewise. Are you hungry my dear? I have some lunch prepared."

"Oh Yes, thank you."

I thought about the events of today so far. Was it even the same day? "How long was I...asleep?" I asked him.

"Only a day." Merlin replied with a smile.

"A day? I was unconscious for a whole day? Did I snore? Oh God please don't tell me I drooled? UH! This is so embarrassing." I buried my face in my hands. I heard him chuckle, good thing he couldn't see my face blush.

"No."

So you were watching me sleep?" I made him blush.

"Not the whole time... Just some of the time. When I did, I would say you... would've been quite a peaceful sleeper, only I think you were having nightmares." Merlin looked concerned.

"Visions to be more accurate." I said with head still in hands now rubbing my head.

"Visions?" I nodded.

Gauis sat down next to Merlin and handed me small platter of bread, cheese and some grapes, with a goblet of water. Right this was Camelot. This was going to take some getting used to. That means no sandwiches, no soda, no subway, no internet, no movies, no proper showers, no clean water, little food, no soft bed or blankets. I'm doing to die here! I was close to hyperventilating, my necklace started glowing as if it reacted to my hysteria.

I began stroking my necklace to calm myself. It worked oddly. And the glowing stopped. "That is a very interesting pendant you have there, quite beautiful too. Where did you get it?" He was scrutinizing my pocket watch.

I took a bit of the bread, popped some grapes in my mouth.

"I don't know...It was sent to me anonymously."

I took a drink of water and nibbled on the cheese. 'WOW this bread and cheese is amazing, not to mention the grapes. They were so fresh.' After i finished my plate, Gauis took the platter from me. "Thank you. It was delicious."

Gauis came back and sat down in his spot. "So you've been having visions? Would you like to tell me about them? I might be able to help if they are troubling you." Gauis asked me with a fatherly-doctor type of concern. He was a kind man.

"Well...I started to get them soon after I got my...pendant. At first I thought they were just dreams. Its a voice whispering my name. Like he is calling me, drawing me to him..." I was getting lost in what I was saying, no longer paying attention to the room around me as if I was in my dream again. "...I'm falling, being pulled into another world, another place. I see flashes of strange things...A path and caves. Im being led to them. Red, a dragon symbol. There's fire, a dark, hooded figure. I cant see his face. He's getting closer. He's still calling my name. He's getting louder. He's hurting my head. STOP! Get away from me!" I felt hands shake my shoulders as I heard my name being shouted. I was back in reality. Merlin looked very concerned as he held my shoulders. My face felt wet from tears I evidently shed. "I'm sorry." I said as I wiped away the tears.

"Its alright. You don't have to continue if you don't want to." Merlin comforted.

"Like I said it was just a dream..." I was holding back tears. He let go too soon.

Merlin looked at Gauis and they stood up and walked to the other side of the room "Gauis should we tell her? We don't even know if she knows about you-know-what." He whispered. Referring to magic.

I stood up curious as to what they were talking about. "Tell me what?" I asked.

Gauis nodded at Merlin. "She should know. Her life could very well depend on it." I didn't like the sound of that.

Gauis glanced at Merlin and nodded encouragingly. "You're necklace is magical. We don't know why it was sent to you or what its meant for but We believe that when you received it, it somehow connected to you. When you react, it reacts."

"Like when I got upset and it started to glow and when I calmed down, it stopped glowing?" I was amazed at what they were saying. It was connected to me. It made sense and yet nothing else did."What would happen if I took it off?"

Gauis replied "I don't know but I would advice against it. Playing around with magic is never a good idea." He gave Merlin a stern look. He looked back at him with a 'what-did-I-do?' look on his face. "We have no idea what effect it might have on you. It could be dangerous to you, your health or even people around you."

"So I'm going to be stuck like this forever? I wont ever be able to take it off?" I couldn't believe it.

"No of course not. I am going to do everything in my power to discover what it is, how it works, and how to undo the magic. Then we'll find whoever is behind it and put a stop to it." Gauis said quite confidently. I knew I could count on him. He was such a nice man. Kinda like a grandfather or a an Uncle.

"Well I guess it can't be that bad. Always wearing my necklace. Nothing to worry about." but the look I got from them meant otherwise. "What is it? What's wrong?" I almost didn't want to know.

Merlin took a step forward and answered. "Well... magic is outlawed in Camelot."

"What?" I could not believe nor comprehend the words that just came out of his mouth. He was Merlin the legendary wizard. How can magic be banned? What about King Arthur? What about the Sword in the Stone? What about Excalibur? Then I had a thought...What if the legend hadn't come true yet? What if Arthur hadn't become king yet? But that meant his father was still king. Uther! In the legend, he was ruthless and a cruel king. That didn't make me feel any better. "So if someone were a wizard..." quickly glancing at Merlin. " or... if someone possessed an item of magic and that person was caught...?"

Merlin finished my sentence. "He would be sentenced to death."

So i realized my first mistake... When Merlin first saw her pocket watch, he called it a clock necklace... Clocks weren't even invented back then. Oh well.

Oh and just to let you know there will be LOTS of Merlin/Arthur banter. but NO SLASH WHATSOEVER! This is meant to be Bromance and nothing more. :D