Merlin walked alongside Lake Avalon as he kicked dirt, creating a small puff of smoke around his feet. Never has he felt so alone since he had to leave Ealdor. He had been uncertain as soon as he marked his footsteps inside the gates of Camelot, and now he was facing the same problem of questioning what lied ahead of him. Merlin still hasn't told Arthur about his big secret, Morgana was slowly deteriorating into a notorious, demonic sorceress, and to make Merlin's life a little more complicated, Mordred was added to the fine mix of the Knights of Camelot. How much more can Fate bite him in the nose with what he already got on his shoulders?
He slipped down on the sand and looked out onto the shimmering waters of the calm lake. He grabbed a pebble that sat next to his hand and threw it as far as he can, as if he could do the same with all his troubles.
As Merlin was about to satisfy himself with another rock, the surface of the water ahead of him began to break. Merlin flinched as ripples fled from the center of a bobbing rock. Merlin narrowed his eyes to slits, trying to get a better look at what was in the water. The rock began to slowly rise out of the lake, and soon Merlin realized what he mistaken as a rock was actually a head of a human, with the body still lifting until the figure was standing on the water. Merlin could only stare in wonder as the figure turned toward him and gave him a smile. To Merlin's surprise, he knew exactly who it was.
"Merlin," Freya whispered. "It has been awhile."