Sorry about the mix-up guys, somehow I posted Ch 1 twice. Firstly, I do not own Merlin and I only own the story I've written about him and his friends. I hope you like this chapter, sorry for the length. Thanks for all the support and I love reviews so if you get a chance please write one. As a side note, if you're going to criticize, at least be polite about it. Thank you! :)
As he had been playing this voice in his head for so long, Merlin recognized the voice instantly. He sprang up, ignoring the protest in his limbs and exclaimed loudly, his voice going up an octave,
"Arthur?!" The tall blond man eyed him warily.
"You're not Merlin," he said tentatively. Merlin frowned as he continued, "You're that old crone who killed my father." Merlin shook his head and replied,
"No, I am Merlin. Look, I can prove it to you! Uh…" He turned around, looking for something to help him. In doing so he tripped over his own feet and landed flat on his face.
"Okay, that's helping your case," Arthur said seriously, but still looked wary. "What were the last words I spoke to you?" Having committed them to memory, Merlin promptly replied,
"Thank you." Arthur looked suspiciously at him for a minute before locking gazes with him. Something in his eyes must have tipped him off because soon a wide grin came over his face, his eyes shining with happiness as he pulled the old man into a tight hug. At first Merlin was surprised before he wrapped his arms around Arthur's back and hugged him back too. He breathed in the familiar scent of Arthur which mingled slightly with the lake water and resisted the urge to nuzzle his head into Arthur's shoulder. When they finally let go of each other, tears were shining in Merlin's eyes and he impatiently wiped them away.
"I'm not supposed to hug my servants, Merlin, count yourself lucky," Arthur teased. The grin on Merlin's face slowly disappeared. "Merlin, I was joking, calm down," he told him worriedly.
"It's not that, I'm not worried about that," Merlin said slowly, waving him down, "It's just...you're not...a king. Anymore." Arthur looked incredibly confused.
"I'm alive, aren't I?" Merlin made a hiss of impatience.
"Aren't you wondering why I look two hundred years old? I didn't do this to myself, it's because you've literally been dead for a few thousand years," he told him, and softened his voice as he added, "They're all gone. Gaius, Gwaine, Leon, Percival, Gwen...everyone we ever knew. Except for me, except for you, and except for Freya. Camelot is gone, Arthur." It didn't seem to hit Arthur for another minute as he glanced around where they were. He caught sight of the buildings on the other side of the lake and a bus drove by on a road carrying laughing people. He stayed silent for a few minutes before turning back to Merlin, his expression frightened and confused.
"But how...but how...they can't be...gone. Guinevere and my knights and Camelot...they were everything to me. No offense, Merlin," Arthur added. Merlin sighed,
"None taken." Arthur sat down slowly before looking back up at Merlin. There were tears in both of their eyes now.
"Who's Freya? Is she someone I know?" he asked, as if trying to grasp reality. Merlin cleared his throat awkwardly before sitting down next to Arthur and adding,
"Uh, not really. She was the Bastet girl I helped escape." Arthur glanced at him, incredulous.
"That was you?" But then he looked peaceful again, "Figures. Most of the weird stuff that happened was probably you, yeah?" Merlin nodded. He then went on to ask Arthur,
"If me looking like I'm two thousand years old is less comforting to you than me looking about nineteen, then I can change my appearance, you know." Arthur's defiant gaze went to his and Arthur answered,
"You're my friend no matter what, Merlin." Merlin's heart fluttered slightly, but he silenced it and told him,
"But if you want, if it makes you more comfortable…"
"Do what you want, either way it doesn't matter." Merlin knew this wasn't true because Arthur did look a tad distrustful of him looking this way because the Merlin he knew was nineteen years old.
Merlin stood for a minute before walking to the sole structure in the middle of Avalon. He took a small vial of the water before shouting incantations at it that made it turn baby blue. Then he swallowed the potion, feeling the familiar sensation of cold fire running through him. It wasn't painful so much as uncomfortable. He felt Arthur's curious gaze on him as he watched his own hands soften and become a more youthful pink color. His beard was receding and his hair growing back lush and brown. His features were lifting and smoothing and his hunched back becoming straight again. When the change was complete, he smiled at Arthur.
"Good?" he asked. Arthur looked a lot more comfortable and happier now.
"Good," he nodded. Merlin went back to sit next to Arthur again. Arthur looked happier but still shell-shocked. He turned to Merlin asking,
"Do you mind if I just-" He motioned leaning into Merlin.
"Whatever you need, Arthur," he answered without hesitation. Arthur leaned his shoulder against Merlin's, resting his head on top of it. Merlin's heart fluttered again, but for the second time that day, Merlin willed it not to. This was not the time or place to be letting Arthur know about his own stupid feelings. They would pass soon enough, he hoped. Automatically, Merlin tentatively rested his head on top of Arthur's, finding comfort in the fact that he was physically there and alive and with him.
"So what do we do now?" Arthur asked his friend after a while of sitting in that position.
"Not sure...I could show you around I guess. If you're going to be living here, you might as well know your way around. We might as well get used to it," he suggested wisely. Arthur nodded, but didn't move.
"I'm sorry," Arthur said quietly. Merlin looked at him, confused.
"What for?"
"You lived alone for years, you said. More than enough lifetimes for one man. That must have been hard and here I was, sleeping away in the lake."
"Arthur, you were dead."
"I know, but I wasn't aware that I was still existent for the years that passed. You were, every second. You must have been." He stopped leaning on Merlin and looked at him curiously.
"Yeah. I was. But it was okay, I guess."
"Really?"
"No," Merlin paused before continuing, "I'm sorry, too."
"What could you have to be sorry for?"
"That you died. That I couldn't save you." Merlin said these things without looking at Arthur, but then he looked up with his last apology, "That I changed." Arthur tilted his head to the side slightly as if asking what he meant. "You said...I remember you told me that you always wanted me to be me and that I should never change. But I did." A tear dripped down his face as he repeated, "I did change. I became antisocial and lonely and grumpy and I hated myself. I still do." A lump rose in his throat when he confessed this and he stopped looking at Arthur.
Arthur's expression turned to one of sympathy and concern and his eyebrows rose in slight surprise. "Oh Merlin…" he said quietly. He wasn't quite sure how to comfort his friend and put a light hand on Merlin's chin, raising it up to look at him. Merlin's heart was pounding, not sure what he was expecting to happen. He avoided Arthur's gaze.
"Merlin. Look at me," Arthur commanded, "That's an order." Merlin resisted the urge to remind him that he didn't have any power over him, but he looked up. There was compassion in the man's eyes as he told him, "You are a good person, Merlin. I didn't want you to change that about yourself. I'm not mad that you acted like you did, but I know you. You didn't change, not really. You didn't change who you were on the inside." There were centimeters between their faces, but Merlin didn't dare hope it. That was never going to happen. Arthur poked him in the chest a second after and stood up, offering Merlin a hand. Merlin smiled at him gratefully and took it. The minute he reached for it, Arthur pulled his hand away and let Merlin fall back down on his rump.
"Some things won't change, ever," he joked. Merlin rubbed his rump but smirked at Arthur's teasing words.
"Didn't expect them to." He stood up and mused on how he was going to get them back to the other side.
"Get on my back," he told Arthur. Arthur looked scandalized.
"What?"
"Just do it."
"Merlin, I'm not going to-"
"Arthur!" he snapped sharply.
"Just not sure you can hold me," Arthur mumbled before Merlin leaned down, allowing Arthur to mount him piggy-back style. Merlin stood, his legs shaking slightly from the extra weight before shouting a spell at the lake that would push them to the other side. A wave came, picking Merlin up off his feet and almost making Arthur fall back into the lake.
"Merlin!" he spluttered as water hit his face.
"Sorry!" he called back. They hit the shore in close to no time and Merlin quickly dried them off with a warming spell.
"That was weird," Arthur commented, shaking his hair to make sure it was completely dry. He started to walk into the road when Merlin shouted a warning. A bus blew it's horn hard and Arthur jumped back, shaking like a kitten.
"What," he shouted, "Was that about?" Merlin chuckled slightly and put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's a bus, a kind of...mechanical horse. It's not alive, but it can move," Merlin tried to explain. Arthur looked at him like he was nuts, but Merlin continued, "And it won't stop for you until we have the light," he paused, pointing to the red light glaring at them, "So now when it turns green, then we can walk."
Arthur snorted, "That's stupid." Merlin gripped his arm to hold him back and snapped,
"But that's how things work here so if you don't want to die again, follow my lead." When they had successfully crossed, Merlin looked Arthur up and down. He was still in his chainmail and Camelot cape.
"You're going to need a change of outfit if you're to blend in here," he commented. Arthur looked affronted now.
"I would abandon my honor!" he told him, "And I can't get rid of this! This is my only link to home!" Merlin nodded,
"I know, but people are going to look at you weird. We can keep it at my place, but we need to buy you some modern clothes." Arthur nearly whined,
"Why don't you have to buy new clothes?" Merlin looked at his outfit.
"I do. I look like somebody's grandpa," he said to himself. "Not a word," he added pointing accusingly at his snickering friend.
((()))
Arthur held up a V-neck top that closely resembled the shirts he used to wear under his armor. Merlin shook his head and told him, "That's a girl shirt, it's supposed to bring out their curves or something." Arthur shook his head disapprovingly and asked,
"So what am I supposed to wear anyway?" Merlin pointed to a rack of jeans and khaki pants and also to another rack with t-shirts before he went back to searching for himself.
"Are you serious?" Arthur retorted a little too loudly after taking one look at the t-shirts and pants. He held up a combination of a red shirt and khaki pants to himself. "This is what peasants wear, Merlin, I can't wear this." A couple people in the shop looked at Arthur strangely before Finding himself already torn between annoyance and amusement, Merlin shot back,
"But that's where you're wrong, Arthur." The phrase sounded familiar in his mouth. That was amusing. Merlin walked over to Arthur, putting and arm around his shoulder and whispering, "There are no peasants here. There is the high class, middle class and low class and believe it or not, they all wear jeans. Or khaki, if that's what you like. Here, give me a sec." Merlin searched the rack for a size that would probably fit Arthur and smirked when he saw the label. 'Skinny'. Then he found a red t-shirt with some mainstream phrase on it with a strange symbol in front that Merlin had still failed to find out the meaning of. He looked at the shirt before approaching the counter to ask the girl there a question about it.
"Uh, I'm sorry, what does this phrase mean?" he asked, pointing to the shirt front. Her expression made Merlin want to curl in on himself and die.
"Do you not speak English, mate? Do you live under a rock?" she asked cynically with a thick Scottish accent.
"Uh...something like that," he mumbled. She rolled her eyes and pointed at the symbol.
"Hashtag." Then she pointed at each of the letters in turn, "You Only Live Once." Merlin snorted without thinking and immediately put the shirt back on the rack. Couldn't be more ironic. He settled on another red shirt with a small bird in the bottom corner and handed it to Arthur, along with the skinny khaki pants.
"Forgetting something, Merlin?" Arthur immediately asked, gesturing at his boots.
"Right," he replied, running off to grab the first pair of Vans he could find. He then handed Arthur a pair of black and white checkered Vans, chuckling slightly at the look on his face. He started to walk away to find something for himself when Arthur cleared his throat. When he glanced back at him, his friend glared at him, glancing down at the clothes and then back at Merlin.
"You're not serious…" Merlin started.
"I am. Let's go," Arthur replied quickly. They both retreated to the dressing room where they settled into a small room and Merlin did the best he could in helping his friend get dressed. Before he allowed Arthur to put on his pants, Merlin cleared his throat awkwardly and handed him a pair of white boxers. Arthur looked as though he were about to question him when Merlin gave him a look that said 'just-put-it-on-please' and he did. Then he pulled the khakis up and Merlin pulled the shirt on over his head. The chainmail clinked in the corner behind them and Merlin did a quick banishing spell to at least get the cape and chainmail back to his cottage for safekeeping. Arthur slipped on the Vans and whispered,
"How do I look?" Merlin looked him up and down in the mirror before replying,
"Actually, quite good. For this time period, at least, I think that's considered pretty hot." Arthur smacked him over the head lightly and pushed him out of the changing room so that Merlin could get his own outfit on.
((()))
In the end, Merlin decided on a light blue t-shirt with a darker blue jacket to go with it, along with black skinny jeans and green high-top converse along with a red scarf very similar to his old one. Arthur thought he looked ridiculous, but then, Arthur didn't know what was fashionable in this era and therefore, Merlin reasoned, his opinion in terms of clothing meant nothing.
When they exited the store, Arthur stuck very close to Merlin, and despite his defenses, Merlin could tell the world had changed too much for Arthur to accept it as quickly as he would like to. He caught sight of some girls wearing see-through tops and short-shorts and hissed in Merlin's ear,
"Are they prostitutes or something, why do they dress like that in public?" Merlin snorted and told him,
"Uh, no, girls are allowed a lot more freedom in what they wear now and that's considered attractive."
"It's not encouraging me, I can tell you."
"Yeah? Well we're both a couple thousand years old, not much is going to impress us." Merlin could see Arthur's thoughts leading to Gwen and Merlin nudged him,
"I'm sure if Gwen were here, she'd be a lot more sensible than them. Plus, not all of them go around like that. Check her out." Merlin gestured subtly to a woman across the street with high cheekbones, pale skin, and blond hair. She was wearing a baby blue knit top that was angled at the top so that the neckline started at her shoulders on one side and ended near the tip of her armpit at the other before leading back up to her shoulder again. She also had blue skinny jeans on and black converse and her hair was done up in a simple ponytail. Arthur nodded, seemingly satisfied.
((()))
The pair settled in a café near Merlin's cottage and Merlin quickly ordered two hot chocolates for them, with cream and marshmallows. Arthur sipped it cautiously before recoiling quickly.
"Arthur, it's chocolate, how can you not like chocolate?"
"No, I do, I just didn't think it would be so hot."
"It's hot chocolate, mate, what did you expect?"
"Not sure, really." Arthur looked distracted as he gazed out the window, as if looking for something or someone. After a moment of this, Merlin sighed and lightly rested his hands on Arthur's, shaking them slightly.
"Arthur," he tried. "Arthur?" His friend still didn't look at him.
"Arthur, your hair's on fire. Arthur, there's a dragon behind you. Arthur Pendragon!" he commanded. Arthur's head finally turned to look at him. He shook Merlin's hands off of his and looked at him with a confused and slightly annoyed face.
"What is it, Merlin?" he snapped. Merlin's face instantly changed to one of hurt that made him look like a kicked puppy.
"Don't give me that," Arthur snapped again, "I've only been dead for two thousand years just to wake up and find that everyone's gone but you! My life has been turned upside-down, my kingdom is gone, my friends and my life are gone, and I wanted to have a bit of peace to think about and mourn them for one second!"
"Arthur," Merlin warned, "Don't raise your voice in here, everyone can hear y-"
"I don't care!" Arthur shouted, standing up from the table, "I'm sick of this century and I'm getting sick of having only you for company!" His words hit Merlin hard and a lump was forming in his throat. He couldn't lose Arthur again this way. That wasn't fair to either of them. "Thanks for nothing!" he finished dramatically before trying to storm off by pushing a door marked 'Pull'. Hitting it with his face momentarily stunned him before he stared at the 'Pull' sign and pulled it open hard, letting it slam on the way out. He doesn't mean that Freya whispered in Merlin's mind.
I dunno, Freya, he sounded pretty serious. He sounded like he meant it. he sent back, angry tears sitting on his eyelids.
He's just frustrated and confused, Merlin. You need to help him like you've always helped him. He'll be killed in a day here if he's not careful, especially in this mood. Merlin huffed loudly. He knew she was right. He looked around and realized everyone was still staring at him.
"Well, what are you looking at?" he asked loudly to no one in particular, "Go back to your drinks, nothing to see." He brought both hot chocolate mugs back only half-empty since Arthur hadn't lasted long enough to finish. Merlin didn't have the heart to finish his own. The man at the counter gave him a funny look, taking the mugs back before asking,
"You too alright?" Merlin glared at him.
"I don't think that's any of your business."
"I didn't mean to pry, son, it's just I generally don't see those kinda couples at your age." Merlin's eyes immediately widened in surprise.
"We're not...we're not...never…" he stammered.
"S'okay to be open about it in this day'n'age y'know. N'bdy's judgin' ya." The sorcerer scoffed and didn't reply. He walked out quickly to follow Arthur. He planned to follow, but keep his distance unless he had to intervene. He didn't want to lose his friend for good and figured he had a right to some alone time.
((()))
Arthur strolled along the avenue quickly, taking in Merlin's advice about stop and go lights. The whole concept was foreign to him, but everyone else seemed to be going by the same system and he wasn't about to go get himself killed quite yet. He stormed past multiple stores, including a pastry store with cakes not too different from royal cakes for special occasions, and another clothing store. He caught sight of many strange sights and different outfits that were also foreign to him. He didn't fit in here at all.
Arthur tried not to think about what he had said to Merlin. He knew it was wrong, but he didn't know what else to do. He was in a strange town in a strange time with no previous knowledge to guide him in how to act, dress, talk, or most anything, for that matter. He was completely lost in this place and he had no one else for guidance save for his best friend. Arthur did truly care about Merlin, and perhaps a tad more than he should, but it was still hard to come to terms with the fact that nobody else he knew was around anymore.
He approached a store with an old wooden sign that said, 'Books'. Looking around him, he darted inside, desperate for perhaps the slightest hint of home. He was right to come into the shop, seeing as it wasn't much different from the library in Camelot, except for the fact that it was carpeted, lighter, and smelled better. He avoided the people inside holding strange rectangular devices in their hand and went straight to the back. Arthur sat on the floor for a few minutes, still feeling numb inside, and he stared off into space, when suddenly, something caught his eye.
A book, sitting right in front of him, held the title, 'King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'. He frowned, confused, and reached forward a tentative hand to touch the book. It was old, that was for sure, and a small subtitle on the front said, 'Listed in original print'. Curious, he flipped open the book to the first page and read a brief excerpt from the introduction.
Arthur Pendragon, more commonly known as King Arthur, was a legendary man who became the greatest king the land of Albion had ever seen. While his reign was short-lived, his influence was never forgotten and his personality was something all young boys who knew his name aspired to imitate. These stories, while most likely fictional, supposedly come from several sources who dwelled within the palace whilst Queen Guinevere was ruling after the devastating death of her husband, Arthur. Another well-known figure in these 'Arthurian legends' is a man considered to be the greatest sorcerer yet, Merlin. Not much is known about Merlin, called Emrys by the druids and other magical folk, except for that his power is great and that he disappeared from the legends after Guinevere's death. He was most prominent during Arthur's reign, seeing as he was a key piece in helping him to the throne and aiding him in times of need. His name is mentioned few and far between in the years after Arthur's death, and as stated earlier, completely disappeared after Guinevere's. He is often portrayed as an ageless man with elderly features: a long white beard, a hunched over back, and long silvery hair that refracted the moon's light and caused it's own magic on occasion. The pair, Merlin and Arthur, were said to be very close and it devastated the wizard when he had learned of his friend's death.
Arthur had seen enough. While these stories didn't appear to be completely accurate, they were very close to reality and Arthur had never dreamed that his name would reappear in legends that man still remembered today. He shut the book and shoved it back on the shelf and then looked to see if there were any more. He found no less than twenty books filled with stories about him, which appeared to be christened 'Arthurian legends'. His heart pounded with mixed emotions towards the situation and he shut the last book, putting it gently back on the shelf before running back outside. He didn't know what else to do, so he called,
"Merlin? MERLIN!"