A/N: *whimpers softly and grips head* I THINK I'M GOING INSANE! This is supposed to be Chapter Six, as my Word says, but it's actually Chapter Seven?! And then it was originally called 'Lost and Found,' but my document manager said that 3 was called 'Lost and Found...' *wails* Well, Chapter Seven was a repeat of Chapter One, so this may or may not be an update and I am so confused that it actually kind of hurts...Anyhow, if this is an update...*jumps behind wall* I AM SO SORRY! I know I promised that I would be updating regularly, but I was an idiot and didn't finish before I started posting! I promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those people that takes months to update, but alas...I am so, so sorry guys! I'm going through the next few chapters, so I'm hoping to have two new ones up by the end of the week...thanks for sticking with me guys, I really appreciate it and I love you all Enjoy! Edit: IT'S FINALLY GETTING GOOD! AND IT'S COMPLETE! REJOICE!
Time seemed to freeze in that moment, every sound sucked out of the Earth, focusing on only one thing. Directly in the middle of the main square, a young man with raven hair was lying limp on the cobblestone. It felt like slow motion when he finally ran forward, shouting his friend's name.
"Merlin," Arthur landed on his knees beside the servant, pulling him into his arms. "Merlin!"
The king didn't even notice as people began the peer out from behind their doors or look out of windows, curious about the noise that woke them. He didn't care that his voice carried, echoing through the square for everyone to hear, that he was calling for his servant with such desperation littering his voice.
"Come on you clotpole!" Arthur hissed, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat as he shook the boy. He could feel the tears building in his eyes, threatening to fall, and blinked them back furiously. The thought of holding his composure all but vanished into thin air when a nearly inaudible voice sounded from below.
"That's my word…"
"Merlin," the king laughed with relief, beaming down at his unbreakable friend. "Playing dead won't help you any Merlin. In fact, I think that an extra ten chores might be good for you, get rid of that snarky attitude."
Merlin laughed feebly and tried to pull himself into a sitting position, though it was an admittedly hard task with the king's arms wrapped around him. His ministrations were cut short by a gasp of pain. Swearing under his breath, the warlock eased himself back down onto the cobblestone, eyes squeezed shut. What little color he had regained since the last incident immediately drained from his face.
"What is it?" Arthur asked, not even bothering to mask the concern that flickered openly on his face. He knew it was reflected in his tone as well and that he'd probably never live this down, but that didn't matter now.
"I think my leg's broken." He gritted out, jaw clenched as he glanced down his left side.
"You really are completely useless, aren't you Merlin?" the king couldn't help but smirk at the face his friend pulled. In one swift motion, the warlock was in his arms.
"Whoa, what are you doing?" Merlin yelped in surprise, practically dropping right out of Arthur's grip.
"What does it look like I'm doing Merlin? You're hardly in any state to walk." He shot back, leading the way back to the physician's chambers, Gaius trailing behind the pair.
After a moment or two of silence, Arthur glanced down to see Merlin fighting to keep his eyes open. "You alright there?"
"Fine, fine." The warlock murmured in response. The battle with consciousness was getting harder and harder with each step towards the room.
"We're almost there, alright, just hang on."
"I'm…I…" His eyes were hardly opening to more than a crack at this point.
"Merlin," Arthur growled. He glanced down, trying to shake the boy in attempts to keep him awake.
"Freya…" Merlin whispered in response. His eyes finally came to a rest, the ghost of a smile still etched across his face.
"Merlin," the king yelled again. This time, he gained no response. Quickening his pace, he called to the physician hobbling quickly behind him. "Gaius, come on!"
As soon as he reached the door, Arthur didn't even bother waiting for Gaius. Balancing easily on one foot he swiftly kicked the door in, causing it to bang against wall with dangerous force, and swing back shut just as he slid in. The older man finally caught up, panting slightly as he burst into the room. The blond placed Merlin's body on the patient's bed for what seemed like the tenth time that week.
"Gaius, what happened?" Arthur asked frantically, stepping back from the bed and allowing room for the physician to examine his ward. When he got no response, the king simply huffed and began to pace, running his hands through his hair. He glanced over nervously as Gaius placed two fingers to the boy's neck. When he appeared to be unsatisfied, he moved down to the boy's chest, placing his head atop it. The words uttered next made his stomach twist in a way he didn't think possible.
"He's dead."
"Merlin," a soft, melodic voice called to him from the mist. "Merlin."
The young warlock studied his surroundings, searching for a face to connect the familiar voice to.
"Freya?" Merlin breathed, staring about him in wonder. He was awed by the scene that surrounded him, but he knew that it couldn't be Camelot, so where is he?
"Hello, Merlin!" a beautiful woman stepped out from the smothering mist, her smile wider than he thought possible. Her brown hair blew slightly in the soft wind, chocolate brown eyes shining with the light that shrouded them.
"It is you," Merlin breathed, awed at the sight of his lost love. "I have missed you so much!" He pulled the young girl into his arms, savoring the feeling of holding her after so long.
"Not as much as I have missed you!" Freya didn't stop smiling for a second until her warlock's lips rested softly on her own.
"I doubt that," he laughed, "But what am I doing here?"
As he began to look around, the mist became thinner and thinner, revealing small parts of the landscape at a time. They appeared to be standing on the grassy shore of a glimmering lake overlooking a cluster of snowcapped mountains. Glancing to the left, Merlin took in the dense forest full of dark green leaves, the right side holding a vast field dotted with wildflowers and stretching as far as the eye could see. Squinting slightly, he also noted the cluster of cows that stood on the horizon.
"Am I dead?" the warlock asked, suddenly alarmed. Freya, the perfect location, all arrows were pointing in that direction. But he couldn't be dead, there was still so much to do. Arthur won't last a day without him! Even with these thoughts racing through his mind, he couldn't help but notice the overall peacefulness of this place.
"No Merlin, not yet," Freya told him softly, the grin twisting into a smaller, sadder smile. "You are in limbo, a world between life and death."
"But- I mean, why? If I died, well…why didn't I just, erm…die?"
"Even for the mighty Emrys, taking over forty souls into one's body has extreme consequences, Merlin."
This did not sound good at all. "But you said I'm not dead, if-"
"Nor did I say that those consequences would be death." She interrupted him, smiling teasingly as he stared at her blankly. Freya waited a moment to see if you would catch on, but when she saw that he wasn't making any progress, she explained. "Because you are the mighty Emrys, greatest warlock to set foot on this soil, because you are a warlock and a Dragonlord, you have the power to choose in limbo. You can choose to come with me, move on from this life and be reunited with those you have lost, or, you can choose to go back. Return to those you love in this life, go back to your destiny and to your home."
Merlin stared at her in shock. "But…how could I ever make that choice?" He asked, his voice breaking as tears filled his eyes. He took her hands in his, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself as he leaned in, pressing their foreheads together. Sometimes he hated what choices his power granted him. Normal people would never have to make this decision. Then again, so many horrible things could have played out if he wasn't given some sway.
"This is entirely up to you Merlin, I'm afraid that I can't influence your decision."
Merlin dropped her hands and stepped back, nodding furiously, biting his lip as he looked up at the sky. 'So it's a choice between seeing everyone I have loved and lost, basically everyone in my life, or going back to the dangers of protecting The King and uniting Albion?" He ran a hand over his face and laughed bitterly.
"Well when you put it like that…" She muttered, looking sadly at the sweet smelling apple grass beneath her bare feet.
"I don't want to leave you Freya. Not again." The tears that clung to his eyelashes fell, marking the path for more tears to follow.
"Nor do I want you to leave, Merlin," she said softly, pulling him back so they were in each other's arms once more. "But you also have to think about Arthur, could he really go on without you? Could he unite Albion all alone?"
"I thought you said you couldn't influence my decision," he laughed thickly, more tears streaming down his face. Why did all the hard decisions get left to him? Sure, Arthur had to figure out when it would be best to send his soldiers out, not knowing if they were to see Camelot again. But Merlin…he had to make decisions that could influence his fate.
"But I never said that I couldn't make this easier for you emotionally. You don't have much time Merlin, the longer you stay here, the further away you are from the portal back to your life."
Merlin sighed, looking at his feet and taking a deep breath. "How much time do I have?"
"Ten minutes."
"Then let's make the most of it before I go back." He flashed a wide grin at her.
He knew deep down that he would always return to Arthur when given the choice, even if it meant prolonging the reunion with all those he'd lost on this painful journey. But if he was here with Freya again, if she was physically standing in front of him, solid as any other human being, why not savor the time they had together? Why not milk it for all it's worth? The couple settled down on a hill overlooking the lake, neither of them spoke, they just lay in each other's arms, taking in every detail of the moment. Trying to remember even the smallest aspect about it.
"Merlin," Freya whispered sadly. "You're going to get weaker the longer you stay."
"I know," he murmured, holding her closer. "But it's worth the time I get with you."
She beamed up at him before returning her eyes to the scene in front of her.
"Why here?" he questioned, gazing around at the beautiful scenery.
"There is never any reason why, it's just what your mind creates. It's your limbo."
"It's nice, I like it." He smiled slightly before continuing. "Of course it'd be somewhere with mountains-,"
"A few fields-," Freya's smile was even wider now. He almost feared that she would break that beautiful face of hers.
"Wild flowers-,"
"A couple of cows-,"
"And a lake." They both finished, fresh tears cascading down their faces as they remembered the wonderful days they had spent together.
"You really must go, Merlin." Freya sniffed as she shuffled to her feet, offering a hand to help the warlock up.
"But I can't leave you, not yet."
"But you must, Arthur awaits your awakening."
"I will always love you." He told her after a long pause, staring directly into her soft, brown eyes. The tears never stopped flowing down her lovely face, the emotion radiating off of him, the passion and kindness in his eyes. It was staggering.
He knew he had made the decision, he knew almost as soon as the choices were given to him, but that didn't make it any easier. Not when everything was so peaceful and perfect here.
"Not as much as I will love you." Freya whispered gently, her voice breaking at the end. She leaned in for one last kiss before he turned to the trees.
A/N: Oh wow, this one hurt to write...I'M ACTUALLY PROUD OF THIS CHAPTER! *throws lady of the lake shaped confetti in the air*...though it's probably because I rewrote the entire thing, but alas...I AM SO HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT I CAN START UPDATING AGAIN! *sobs with joy*
I love you all. Thanks for sticking with me
xxXTheReinbachDragonlordXxx