"The first time her laughter unfurled its wings in the wind, we knew that the world would never be the same."
― Brian Andreas
The cool drizzle felt good against the bare skin on his back. His forearms rested on the balcony and he inhaled the damp night air deeply. Shaking his head, he tried once again to clear his thoughts.
Delicate fingers traced down his spine and he shivered violently from the unexpected touch.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
He smiled and turned around, sweeping Martha into a hug. He kissed her passionately.
Pulling back, her brown eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
"When did you get home?"
"Just a bit ago. There appears to be a party going on downstairs, so why are you up here sulking?"
"I'm not sulking. I was thinking, and meditating."
She took a moment to look deep into the dark blue pools of his iris'. Martha asked,"What's going on?"
"I've told you about the hole I've always felt inside me." She nodded and brushed her fingers along his jaw. "I thought once Arthur returned, that it would heal. For so long, I have been able to keep it in the background; always there, but never in the way. It never interfered with my life and how I wanted to live it.
"...I can feel it growing." He turned away from her, to stare out over the darkened moor.
"What do you mean?" Martha's voice was laced with concern.
"When I had teleported with Gwaine and Percival over here, I felt a bit exhausted after the spell. I chalked it up to the fact that I've rarely travelled so far, and with more than one person. Plus, it didn't seem to hinder my magic after that. I was able to teleport in the SGC, by myself, with no issues whatsoever.
" When I tried to heal Arthur, though, and there was that reaction to the radiation...or whatever it was...I felt like something was trying to break through...as if there was a creature living inside that hole, gnawing at the edges. Ever since then, each time I draw on my magic, it feels like there is just a little bit less available to me.
"I shouldn't be feeling fatigued, even with the healing I did manage to accomplish. Things like that...yes, I would use energy, but I should also feel invigorated from it."
"You said you slept for nearly twelve hours after I left." She commented, her physician's mind working.
He nodded, "I dreamt, and it was vivid. I saw the web of fate, or destiny...whatever it was that came to me just before I cast the recent spell on Arthur. Then, I was back in China, just after Ning died...and the firework shot off towards the stars and turned into a dragon...not the Chinese style, but the western style. It flew into the stars, and the trail it left was similar to one I saw very faintly in the web."
Her hand rubbed circles on his back in a comforting manner.
"...and then, to have Leon suddenly come back today..."
"I met him downstairs, and Gwaine told me about his grandfather. You should really go down and speak with them."
"Naw, I'm not ready for that yet."
"So you're just planning on hiding out here all night?"
"Pretty much."
"Why?"
He shook his head, a lecherous grin forming. He turned towards her, pulled her in tightly, and began suckling her neck. His nimble fingers loosened the buttons of her blouse. "Because, I don't want to talk to them right now." Merlin breath was hot against her skin.
Martha's breath came haltingly as her shirt fell to the floor, and her husband continued kissing his way down to her shoulder and collarbone. She felt the slickness of his skin across his back, her hands kneading against the tight, lean muscles. "I obviously don't need to ask what you do want to do..."
(*~*~*~*)
Soft music from a horned instrument filtered out of the bright kitchen. It echoed off the marble counters and the white, tiled floors. A woman's voice, sultry, seductive and raspy, sang with the jazz accompaniment. Arthur took a moment to chuckle softly to himself as the scene before him played out. Merlin and Martha were swaying together to the tune, while the sound of coffee percolated in the background.
'The difficult, I'll do right now. The impossible, will take a little while...'
Merlin whispered something into his wife's ear. She, in turn, giggled and slapped his shoulder, causing him to laugh. It was an unusual scene for Arthur to see, but he felt a smile forming, knowing that his friend was, for once, truly happy. That alone was something Arthur had hardly ever witnessed.
He had seen Merlin smile, and enjoy himself in the past, but this rare glimpse into a life beyond Merlin's prior servitude, astounded him. He wondered if that was how he looked, when he was alone with Guinevere.
'Crazy, he calls me. Sure, I'm crazy, crazy in love...am I.'
He felt a presence behind him and turned to see Leon standing by, also watching the scene of domestic bliss. The look on the knight's face was unreadable.
"I'm sure you've experienced plenty of love yourself, throughout all your years." Arthur commented quietly.
Leon tore his eyes away from the scene. "Not really. I never stayed in one place long enough."
"All those centuries alone? I can't imagine what it must have been like."
The knight shrugged, "It wasn't that bad. I found plenty of companionship when I needed to. Nothing like what he has, obviously. It reminds me of seeing him with Princess Mithian.
The song had changed to something a bit more upbeat. Merlin and Martha's bodies separated. Only their hands were still together, as he spun her around and then back in close to him.
"I still can't believe he married Mithian." Arthur laughed softly.
Smirking, Leon nodded, "I thought it was odd at first, but after seeing them together, they were quite the couple. I, personally, can't believe Gwaine is their descendant."
Arthur's eyebrows pinched together and he looked at Leon, attempting to discern if the knight was joking. "You're not kidding, are you?"
"Um...no." He was surprised that Arthur didn't already know this. "Gwaine's sister told me. I find it rather interesting that Merlin's children with Mithian were named Blasine and Gawain, and here we are fifteen centuries later and you have Elaine and Gwaine...both names derived from their ancestors."
Snorting softly, the king nodded, "I don't know if that surprises me as much as finding out they're related, period. It definitely explains a lot of things."
"Doesn't it, though?"
"Mmm, I smell coffee!" Mickey Smith's voice came loudly from behind them. "Morning." He said to Arthur and Leon, as he passed them and made his way into the kitchen.
Merlin and Martha looked up, realizing their private moment had come to an end.
"Don't stop on my account." The young man said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Just make yourself at home." Merlin commented dryly, and squeaked when he received a poke in his ribcage. Martha laughed, pulling away from him.
The warlock smiled. He lifted his eyes to the doorway and noticed the two men still standing there. Merlin stared at them both. A bit of unease plagued his thoughts for a moment. He took a breath and the smile returned. "You two may as well join us and quit acting like a couple of voyeurs, gawking there in the doorway."
"Yeah, you heard him. Quit gawking." Gwaine chuckled, as he and Percival entered the room.
Within a few minutes, the kitchen was filled with life as Guinevere joined the rest, with Aurie bouncing on her hip. With all the people around, the conversation was kept light, and Merlin was thankful he didn't have to try and discuss anything with Leon yet. Leon appeared to have the same feelings, and avoided talking to the warlock, as well.
"Jack and the others should be here soon." Mickey commented, drinking down his coffee.
Merlin's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Why are they coming?"
"Well, when we were all talking last night, Arthur mentioned something about wanting to go hunting out in the woods, because he said you all used to do that for fun. I thought, instead of hunting any of the critters out there, we could paint the forest instead...and well, Torchwood has paintball gear for morale purposes."
"I really don't understand what correlation there could be between 'painting the trees' and hunting." Arthur said. When Mickey had mentioned the idea the evening before, Percival and Gwaine seemed to become rather excited by the prospect, while Leon and Arthur were left pondering their confusion. "It seems like a very girly thing to do."
"About like poetry." Leon mumbled into his hand, receiving a glare from Arthur.
Merlin nodded thoughtfully, ignoring the king's last statement. "That sounds like a right good idea. Torchwood versus Camelot?"
"And no using magic!" Mickey warned.
"Aw...that takes all the fun out of it." Merlin stubbed his toe against the ground in an adolescent pout.
Not too long after, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, and Gwen Cooper came through the kitchen door. "Good morning, children! I brought toys!" Harkness called out, holding up a couple large duffle bags of gear.
Merlin gave Jack a tight-lipped smile. He would tolerate the man for his wife and his friends, but he still didn't have to like him. He turned towards Arthur, hearing the king taking a sharp breath in.
"What is it?"
The blond man was looking directly at Gwen Cooper. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't seem to find the words.
"Ye might want ta close yer trap, before you start catchin' flies, eh?" The dark-haired Welsh woman said, with a smile.
"Merlin...she looks just like..."
Gasping, it finally dawned on him as to why Gwen Cooper had always seemed rather familiar to him. Before, he had dismissed it as nothing more than a vague coincidence that she resembled someone from his past, whom he could never place. Now, though, he looked upon her with different eyes. "Lady Helen of Mora."[1]
Leon glanced at the two men, and his eyes widened as he turned towards the woman. He chuckled and nodded, "She is the spitting image."
"Um...one of you boys like to tell me what's going on?"
"You look just like a woman who tried to kill Arthur." Guinevere responded for them, when she realized the three men weren't going to answer.
Gwen rolled her eyes and offered a tight-lipped grin. "Well, isn't that just the bee's knees!"
"Actually, more like the woman who was killed by someone, who then took on her looks as a disguise, in order to try and kill Arthur, after her own son was beheaded on my first day in Camelot." Merlin corrected.
"What?" Arthur's attention was now trained on Merlin.
The warlock rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "My first day in Camelot was the beginning of the celebrations for when Kilgharrah...the Great Dragon..." He offered, for those who didn't know the name. "...was captured. I walk into the city to see a man beheaded, and an old crone cursing Uther for killing her son."
"What an introduction!" Gwaine laughed, "No wonder you kept your head down."
"Tell me about it! Anyway, after a couple days in and out of the stocks for insulting a rightfully royal prat..."
"Merlin..."
"Well, you were! Don't even think about denying it. I'm sure Gwen and Leon will back me up on that account...Guinevere, not Gwen..." He stated to differentiate between the two women.
The queen nodded her head, while spooning mashed fruit into her son's mouth. "I have to say, he is right, Arthur. You were a bit...spoiled...back then."
Leon snickered behind his hand. "Sorry, Sire."
Arthur rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, before motioning to Merlin. "Please continue your story."
"Anyway, I was in and out of the stocks for insulting him. Oh, and thrown in the dungeon...but then, Gaius arranged for me to work with...Oh, I can't remember his name. Your other servant at the time..."
"Why do you think I would remember his name? I went through a servant a week back then!" He noticed Merlin gaping at him. "Shut up, Merlin."
Merlin's mouth shut with a snap.
"Are you going to continue your tale?" Gwaine asked.
"Well, I would, but someone told me to shut up." He was too busy chuckling to notice the hand coming up behind him to smack the back of his head. "Ow! Okay, you got lucky with that one."
Arthur smirked triumphantly.
"May I finish now?" He waited for Arthur to nod. "The Lady Helen, of the Isle of Mora, was scheduled to perform at a feast. At some point the old crone must have killed the real Lady Helen, and taken her place in the castle. I took her a tonic for her voice, and found a magic book and a poppet, in her chambers...which was odd, but..." He shrugged and rambled on. "I was new. I knew it didn't feel right, but what was I to say! So...when she was performing at the feast, something in her voice was casting a very old magic that put nearly everyone to sleep.
"I covered my ears, but it didn't seem to affect me anyway, and I used my magic to drop the chandelier. Then, as people started waking up, she threw a dagger, and my instinct took over and pulled this cabbage head out of the way."
Leon laughed, "I remember that! That was the night Uther decided your reward would be to have a position as Arthur's manservant."
Despite the awkwardness the day before, Merlin found himself chuckling along with his long lost friend. "Some reward, eh?"
Arthur stared off in thought. "That was the first time you saved me, with your magic, wasn't it?"
Fathomless blue eyes turned towards the king. "The first, yes...but by no means was it the last, old friend. I just wish I could have saved you at Camlann."
"Merlin, none of us would be here now, if you had." Gwaine smiled and reminded him. "...and you gotta think, you had a pretty amazing track record for keeping his ass intact."
Turning back to Gwen, Merlin concluded his story. "So...I guess I never noticed, but you look just like the Lady Helen."
"That's...well...I right don't know how to describe it." Gwen bit her lip. This wasn't the first time she had been accused of looking like someone from the past.[2]
"Just don't sing for us, Gwen, and it'll be all good." Ianto implored to her.
Mickey grabbed one of the duffle bags and began pulling out gear. "'Bout time we got dressed and head out to the forest, yeah? Teams of four or five?
"We have enough for five each. Percival, which team are you going to be on?" Merlin asked, moving forward to grab a padded chest piece. He tossed it over to Arthur.
"With you guys, of course!" He cringed and glanced at his friends from Torchwood. "Sorry..."
"Nothing to be sorry for, my friend!" Jack grinned, "That just means I get two beautiful ladies on my team. Right, Martha?" He winked at her and she nodded her agreement. He smiled at Ianto, who stood quietly in the background. "...A very handsome man...and of course, Mickey Mouse."
Arthur grimaced. He eyed the vest suspiciously and looked over to find that Leon seemed as lost as he was, about the entire scenario. "Will someone please explain what the hell it is we're doing?"[3]
(*~*~*~*)
Fingers rested gingerly on the triggers, as the five men crept forward. Arthur instinctively took up the lead, the three knights and the warlock fell into position without question. The king smiled. He felt a measure of true pride course through him, as he realized this would be the first time with Merlin openly fighting at his side.
He knew that the servant had always been there before, but the younger man had always been somewhat of an oddity among them, who Arthur always felt needed protecting. Now, though, with no longer needing to hide who he was, the centuries of experience were very telling of the man he had become. Just as Arthur had realized, not so very long ago, Merlin had changed. Now the heart of the warrior within him, once hidden away, was there for all to see.
In practiced silence, they moved forward through the trees. The rush of adrenaline coursed through their veins. Once the rules of engagement had been explained to Arthur, and he was given a chance to practice with the new weapon, he found himself grinning like a madman, ready and eager for the promised confrontation.
Leon's return to his side felt right. That was the only way Arthur was able to describe it. Merlin had been vague in his recollection of what had happened to the knight who was Arthur's second-in-command. It had felt like a part of him was missing, without the steady countenance of the wise nobleman. Leon had changed. They all had, if he was to be honest, but even despite those changes and Arthur's recent bout of emotions, the king was glad to have the knight there with him.
Percival, having been the only one other than Arthur...born so long ago and then suddenly thrust into this new era...had adapted well. It gave hope to Arthur that he would be able to come fully to terms with it himself. The large man's presence behind him, gave him a confidence he didn't know if he could have attained otherwise.
He was actually more surprised by Gwaine, than any of the others. The roguish knight, who couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut on patrols in the past was still there, but Arthur noted how much more natural the air rifle appeared in the man's hands. Now, at home in his own time, the true soldier characteristic of the man shone through brightly, and Arthur found himself learning more about his friend than he ever dreamed existed, beneath the shallow, drunken exterior. Gwaine easily pushed past the emotion of his recent loss and focused, more than Arthur had ever known him to, on the task at hand.
Along the way, Arthur had motioned to Gwaine to take the point position, relying on the man's expertise in this style of war game. Gwaine held up his hand in a closed fist. A common signal to stop. Pointing with two fingers to his eyes, he then pointed to different areas of the forest. Arthur almost laughed, but bit his lip to remain silent.
Hand signals had been used in various combat situations from the beginning of time, but when Gwaine joined with Arthur and the knights, the roguish man had introduced some new ones to the group. At first, the king had scoffed, thinking many of the signals to be the work of a drunken madman. However, they soon became standard practice among the Knights of Camelot. Now, of course, Arthur understood a bit more about where they came from, and he appreciated the useful skill, more than he would ever express.
With bated breath, they waited for the king's approval of their silently transmitted plan. With a wicked gleam in his eye and a slight nod of his head, Arthur gave the signal.
(*~*~*~*)
Guinevere sat looking out the window, off in the direction where the rest had gone. They had offered for her to go along, but she declined, wishing to spend the day with her son...Also, the prospect of seeing them all shoot at each other, when she had so recently gotten her husband back, didn't sit well with her.
"They'll be fine." Cassie said, coming up to sit next to the queen. "I've played Paintball before, other than some bruises and welts, it's really rather harmless."
"Mmm, I'll take your word for it." Taking a breath, Guinevere turned toward the girl. "What do you plan on doing now? I know you came over here to help care for Arthur, during his recovery, but now that he's healed, will you be returning to the States?"
Cassie nodded. She hadn't gotten a chance to experience much of the UK, and although she wanted to, the young nurse knew she needed to head home. "I would love to stay, but I have a feeling I'm going to be more useful back home now."
Guinevere nodded her understanding. Her eyes turned back toward the window, just in time to see ten people...who, when they had left, were all wearing the dark body armor and clothing...coming onto the lawn, now covered head-to-toe in a rainbow of colors.
"I think I'll go let Harri know, her washer is going to be getting a nice workout tonight." Cassie said with a laugh.
(*~*~*~*)
Laughter and merriment rang through the halls of the manor house. Beer, and other drinks, flowed freely. Everyone had been given the opportunity to shower and clean up, after the day of fun in the woods.
What ages ago, would have been a hunting trip to bond with the knights, had turned into something even more magical. Bonds of long lost friendship were renewed, refreshed and rejuvenated.
Merlin and Leon had stood alone at the end. Together, they took down the last remnants of the Torchwood team, Mickey and Jack...only to return to the rendezvous point and be assaulted with the remainder of the paint, leftover in all the others' weapons from the day.
They had trailed behind the rest, back towards the house, looking like a couple of dripping, overflowing paint palettes. Merlin had finally broached the question that had been plaguing him since the day before. "What happened to you?"
Leon steeled himself to answer, "I should have died, on that bloodied field in France, but Lancelot came to me...He's still, sort of alive, you know...
"Yes. I've spoken with him recently, but I haven't told Arthur about him yet."
Nodding, the knight continued, "I was told of my own destiny that had begun when the druids gave me the water from the Cup of Life. Did you know, that drinking directly from the vessel, grants a sort of immortality?"
"No, I didn't." Merlin said thoughtfully.
"It's not magic either, but a technology beyond even the Asgard's understanding. I was given a quest and sent to the stars. I didn't know you still lived. I'm sorry, my friend."
Merlin thought for a few moments and shook his head. ""No, I guess you wouldn't have. It wasn't until after you disappeared, that Mithian and I recognized I hadn't aged. I never drank from the Cup though, so I don't know how or why I managed to survive.. I suppose I can forgive you then, for never coming by...never calling...never asking to borrow my Tupperware..."
"I should have." Leon paused, "What is Tupperware?"
Laughing, Merlin held out his hand. A wide smile beamed from his face. His eyes held no hint of resentment, only warmth. "Well, you'll know better for next time, right?"
Leon couldn't stop the smile that graced his own face. He clasped Merlin's forearm. The colors of the paint splotches mixed together.
"...as I came to...with this big lug standing over me, shaking me a bit...all I could think about, after seven years of being away, was the freaking Wizard of Oz." Gwaine laughed heartily.
"...and we weren't in Kansas. I know that now." Percival mentioned. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, as Gwaine gave him a questioning look. He shrugged innocently, "What? I love that movie."
"It's one of his favorites!" Gwen smiled and laughed. "My husband, Rhys, got him hooked on it."
"Makes me wonder what would have happened to Morgana if we ever threw water on her." Gwaine chuckled.
Merlin laughed, "Well, there were a few times I did try to bring the house...or castle, as it were...down on her. We all saw how that didn't exactly work."
Guinevere began nervously biting the side of her thumb. "You don't think she's going to suddenly appear again, do you?"
"You keep chewing like that and you won't have a thumb left. Then, we'll have to call you Stubby." Mickey accused her, with a roll of his eyes. He had Merlin's laptop in front of him, attempting to work out the linguistics program for deciphering the files. He was only half paying attention to the conversation.
"What did you say?" The former queen asked, her brown eyes widening.
Leon stared at the young man, his mouth open. "Elyan?" He whispered.
Mickey blinked and looked around at the others, all staring at him. "What?"
Guinevere wasn't able to respond. She licked her lips, and blinked away a few glistening tears. The young man was not her brother. She knew that, but how he could have known something so personal, she couldn't fathom.
"Her brother, Elyan, used to say that to her. He and I were good friends when we were young. He was with me, when I was being tutored for swordplay one day, and Guinevere was perhaps seven or eight. She stopped by to watch and became concerned I was going to injure him."
Guinevere brushed back her dark curls and smiled softly at Mickey. "For the next two weeks, both Leon and Elyan saw fit to call me nothing but 'Stubby.'"
"Until your father caught wind of it and gave us both a good ars...uh...chewing out." A chuckle was shared at the memory.
"'Worn-out garments are shed by the body. Worn out bodies are shed by the dweller. Within the body; new bodies are donned by the dweller, like garments.'"[4] He said, paraphrasing a quote he had learned years before. "Every life there is something new, something needed, something to learn." Merlin's voice permeated the room with the wisdom of his words.
"That was beautiful, Merlin." Arthur commented with a straight face, which soon twisted into something resembling confusion. True to form, the king had to break the peace that had descended upon them. "What the hell does it mean?"
The room burst into laughter. Merlin shook his head and groaned, "It means, that it is possible Mickey here, was Elyan in a former life."
Arthur gave the dark man a crooked, disbelieving smirk, that was more of a grimace.
"Wait, that means I was a knight in a former life? That is wicked cool! Mickey Smith, Defender of Earth, Knight of the Round Table, and all around Tin-Dog."[5]
"Tin-Dog?" Gwaine questioned.
Jack and Martha groaned in unison, "Don't ask!"
"So...how does that wisdom apply to those of us who can't die?" Jack asked, curious.
Merlin rolled his eyes.
Jack whined, "Oh, come on! This is getting old, Merlin. I haven't even made one pass at you today. I've been a good boy."
"It's not your sexuality I have a problem with. It's your bloody name." Merlin stated in exasperation.
"What's that supposed to mean?" The leader of Torchwood asked.
"It's not yours!" Taking a breath, Merlin sank down on a settee next to Martha. "I was a pilot for the RAF in World War II. One of my assignments, early on, was working with the American volunteers out of Cardiff. I knew the real Captain Jack Harkness. He was a friend and fellow pilot, and I was also friends with his girlfriend. I never saw him so happy as the night you danced with him...Then, the next day he was shot down. Afterwards, I found out that someone had taken his name..." The warlock waved his hand at Jack accusingly.
Jack looked truly stunned, upon hearing this. He hung his head and nodded his understanding. When he first came to Earth, in the 1940's...after escaping custody and fleeing his own fifty-first century life with the Time Agency...he had taken the name of a deceased serviceman as part of his con to exploit alien technology to the highest bidder. He then met the Doctor, a Time Lord, who saved his life. Later, during his travels with the Doctor, and his companion at the time, Rose Tyler...who had been Mickey's girlfriend one time...Jack died. Rose, in an attempt to save the Doctor, touched the heart of the Time Vortex within the TARDIS. The energy she sent out also brought Jack back to life...with an unexpected side effect. He was no longer able to permanently die. [6]
After an error in a time jump, and Jack found himself stuck in 1869. By 1899, he had begun coming to terms with his immortality. He was propositioned by Torchwood, to either be used as an experiment, so they could discover the nature of his condition, or to work with them. Although he didn't agree with their methods, he decided it was better to work with them and change things from the inside. He had now spent over a full century at Torchwood Three. "A fixed point in time..." Is what the Doctor called him after that.
More recently, another skip through time took Jack back to 1941, where he finally met the man whose name he borrowed [7].
"So you see, it's got nothing to do with what you are, or what you prefer. It's the name." Merlin explained, "Petty and childish, I know...especially having lived for so long myself...but he was a friend."
"Speaking of World War II..." Gwaine sat forward and grabbed another beer off the table, trying to ease the tension between the two men. "Pops wanted me to tell you...well, your 'grandfather'...'Thanks.'"
"For what?" Merlin asked, curious.
Gwaine told his grandfather's story, about his experience of getting lost, after the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. The rest listened with rapt attention.
Merlin chuckled, "I don't even really remember that. I recall being shot down and I had quite a concussion from the crash. I couldn't tell you who it was who found me. For most of the trek out of there, I was focused on using my magic to NOT heal me, so I didn't scare whoever it was who found me."
"That is so very you, Merlin. Even on death's door, you always think of others first." Guinevere reached forward and squeezed his hand. "I remember speaking with Lancelot, before he sacrificed himself to stop the Dorocha. It wasn't long after the Round Table was formed. I was thanking him for coming back when we needed him, to help retake Camelot from Morgana. He said something rather odd, about how there was someone who deserved recognition more than he...someone else who Arthur should have knighted that evening in the ancient castle. I knew, after Camlann, it was you."
Sighing, Arthur shook his head. He gave Merlin a pointed look. "If I had a kingdom or a sword...I believe I would do just that." Before his words could settle, he asked, "How do you guys do it?"
"What do you mean?" Merlin questioned.
"How have the three of you lived for so long, and not gone stark raving mad?" Arthur asked.
Jack, Leon, and Merlin all looked at each other. "I think, it's been different for each of us...especially since I haven't lived as long as these two." Jack finally answered, "Not giving up hope, and surrounding yourself with people who accept you." He met the eyes of each member of Torchwood, including Martha in his glance.
"Having a purpose." Leon said softly. "Each time I felt I was on the verge of losing that hope, an old friend would show up, and help guide me back."
"Finding love. Even though I know I will outlive them each and every time...it hurts, but it's worth it." Merlin squeezed his wife's hand.[8]
They all sat in silence, contemplating the words of the three men.
"What purpose are you talking about?" Percival asked Leon.
The ancient knight smiled. From the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow of a figure he knew all too well, grinning from a darkened doorway. "I'll be back in a minute, and I'll show you." Leon announced softly.
Gwaine snorted, as he watched Leon disappear in the teleportation beam. Unsure of how the reunion would have played out, Leon had left the sword in the secret hold inside his spaceship. "I need to ask him, if he can help transport Pops' body to Wyoming for the burial." He said suddenly, reality coming back to him.
"I've got a friend with a plane I can borrow, to get us all over there...if you don't mind us all crashing the party. It might be a bit more believable than teleporting your grandfather, especially since I don't think Leon would want to be known by the SGC, or any of the other organizations out there."
Smiling, Gwaine thanked his friend. "That would be great." The roguish man turned to Percival. "Think we can get you on a plane, if Merlin's flying it?"
The large man's eyes widened and he gulped. He looked at Merlin. "You would be controlling it?"
Merlin laughed, "Yes, I would, and we'd all be there for you. Neither Arthur nor Guinevere have flown either, so you'll have each other's fear to feed off of..." He glanced at the floor, a foul look on his face, and reconsidered his words. "...maybe that wouldn't be such a good thing."
"I can always give you a mild sedative, if we need it." Martha offered.
The blue, glowing light from the transporter reappeared in the room. Leon materialized in front of their eyes, and in his hands was a long, cloth-wrapped item. With a serious countenance, the knight stepped towards Arthur, who stood, eyeing the object with curiosity. Leon knelt before his king, and presented Arthur with the item.
His hands trembled, as he removed the cloth. Gold and steel glittered under the artificial lighting. Arthur's breath was stolen away when he realized what it was. "My sword..."
"You bloody wanker!" Merlin spouted at the knight. "All those years I spent searching for it, and you had it?! The nerve!"
"Shut up, Merlin." Arthur said automatically, the laughter bubbling through his words.
Leon stood up with a throaty chuckle and shrugged nonchalantly at Merlin.
The warlock huffed indignantly. "You could have at least told me, and we could have worked together on this part of things." He stood up and walked over to a painting, grumbling under his breath about his plans being messed up and the right timing for things. Pulling the large frame of the painting aside, he revealed a safe, hidden in the panel behind it. He unlocked it with a code and his thumb scan, and withdrew a scroll. Moving back to Arthur he pointed it towards Leon accusingly, knowing the king's eyes were following it. "Seriously, it would have been nice to have a heads up about the damned sword."
The king reached for the scroll, not understanding what it was, but his curiosity was burning. Merlin pulled it upwards, away from Arthur's hand suddenly. "One condition." He stated firmly, turning towards the king. He lowered the scroll and Arthur tried to take it again. Merlin moved it out of reach. "My room, is still my room. You don't touch it, you don't change it."
The rolled parchment came down again, and the king stretched out his hand to receive it, only to have it moved away a third time. "Two conditions! I get to keep the garage with my cars."
"What the hell are you talking about, you idiot?" The game was frustrating Arthur, as Merlin mimicked his own movements a fourth time.
"Three conditions! You are not allowed to drive them..."
"Bloody hell!" Gwen laughed, everyone in the room was curious about the contents of the scroll. "Just give it to him already. Enough with the Spanish Inquisition!"[9]
A chorus of voices permeated the room. "...Because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
Merlin was caught up in the laughter and missed Arthur's arm wrapping around his neck in a choke hold. He fought to keep the scroll away from the king, unsuccessfully, as they fought each other. It was obvious, to Arthur at least, that Merlin allowed him to eventually win the scuffle.
With the scroll firmly in his grasp, he unrolled it. The king's eyes widened as he scanned it. "Merlin...this is...?" He found himself unable to finish.
"The deed to the estate...Your estate, Arthur. Camelot...well, what is left of it...is yours."
He couldn't speak. Arthur was completely flabbergasted by the gesture. Fighting against the overwhelming flood of emotion, he grabbed Merlin and drew him into a tight hug. Merlin lost his own composure and returned the embrace wholeheartedly.
Pushing his friend back, he ordered, "On your knees, Merlin."
The warlock looked ready to protest, "Arthur, you really..."
"Will you just shut up and humor me!"
With a wry grin, Merlin finally complied.
Arthur took his sword and began to bring it down.
"FOUR conditions!"
"Good grief, Merlin! What now?"
"You don't touch anything in the old vaults, without asking me first."
"What old vaults?"
"Oh, just the ones that were under the castle that your father kept all the treasure in. There's still some magical stuff down there, and I don't need to have you come back from near death, only to have you do something...like release the goblin...who's probably rather pissed that I still haven't let him out..."[10]
Guinevere squealed, "The goblin is still there?"
"Yeah, unless he died, which I highly doubt. 'Creature of magic' and all that...Nasty little buggers, they are...kind of like fairies."
The members of Torchwood gave a collective groan. Gwen's nose wrinkled, "Those things are vicious! I hope ne'er to see another one. Stealing away poor children, and all that."[11]
"You've seen a fairy?" Merlin asked, turning towards her.
Arthur's thought process was caught a step behind the rest of the conversation. "The vaults are still intact?"
"Uh...yep." Merlin responded cheekily.
Arthur released a heavy breath and shook his head. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Can't think of anything offhand, Sire." Merlin chirped.
"Good, then let me do this quickly, before I change my mind." He raised the sword and brought it down on Merlin's shoulder. "For all you have done, my friend, there are no words to express how grateful I am to you. The guidance you gave me. The friendship you shared. Everything you did for my kingdom, even if it went against your very nature and beliefs. You stood strong at my side, and your belief in me was more than I was ever worthy of. I dub thee, Sir Merlin, Knight of Camelot."
The sword passed over Merlin's head on the last words and he looked up at his king. His vision glazed over with unshed tears. The golden runes etched on the blade shimmered, and drew Merlin's sight in a hypnotic dance.
He gasped. The ceremony of knighthood was immediately pushed to the back of his mind, as he finally realized a piece to pattern of the language on the computer file. "Take me up. Cast me away..." He breathed, "Arthur, may I see your sword?"
The king was taken aback by the sudden change. He floundered for a second, before coming to the conclusion that his friend hadn't really changed as much as he had thought. "This is why I never knighted you in the first place! You realize that? It wasn't because I didn't want to, but I knew you couldn't sit still long enough for it, and that was a short ceremony. Just for...Oh...forget it." He threw up his left hand in defeat and held the sword out, amidst nervous chuckles from the rest.
Merlin nearly swooned when his palm touched the hilt. A tidal wave of warmth and power flowed through him. It fed into a fire that was nearly ash, deep inside his being, stoking it to life with a simple breath.
Arthur's eyes narrowed in concern, he glanced at his wife for confirmation. The way she sat forward and chewed on her bottom lip, told him that she saw it as well. "Are you alright?"
He felt absolutely giddy from the magic in the blade. For so long, he had nearly forgotten what dragon's magic felt like. The empty abyss that he had admitted to Martha about, was still there, but it seemed to be placated for the time being...no longer the seeping wound it had recently become. A twittering giggle escaped him. "Yeah. Yes...better than I have been in a long, long time. Mickey...the language in the translation...don't worry about most of it. It's probably just gibberish, meant to deter anyone trying to comprehend it. Focus on the bits containing runes like these..."
He pointed to the embossed runes. "Take me up. Cast me away. It's the dragon language. This is the only time I have ever seen it."
Mickey shrugged and began revising his program.
"Well, that makes sense, since there aren't any dragons anymore, right?" Gwaine snickered.
Merlin bit his tongue and shifted nervously.
The room was shrouded in anxious silence.
"Um..."
Arthur began to feel impatient. "You are the son of a Dragon Lord, and are one yourself...so you claim. Merlin...is there still a dragon?"
Before Merlin could respond, Mickey shouted, "It worked!...What the hell is a 'Furling?'"
"Alien race." Gwaine answered, "They've been extinct for a long time."
"Well, I don't know about extinct, but there certainly aren't any who are known to be in this galaxy." Leon offered. When Gwaine's eyebrow rose in curiosity, he explained more. "I've spent time with the Asgard. Around the beginning of the Alliance of the Four, Furlings were included among them."
"Yeah. Ancients, Asgard, Nox, and Furlings. Humans, or Tau'ri...as the rest of the galaxy knows us by...are supposed to be 'The Fifth Race.'"
"We know the Alterans reached a form of Ascension, and became known as the Ancients. I never thought to ask about any of the other races, although I knew the Nox's teachings had something to do with the druids of this land."
"We've had dealings with the Nox...nice people...a little leafy. No one has any idea what the Furlings look like, but a few of the people back at the SGC think they must have been furry...kind of like the Ewoks in Star Wars. FUR-ling." [12]
"Cute!" Jack commented sarcastically. "I'm guessing pretty deadly too, as that seems to be the norm for that type."
"It's true. The cuter they are, the nastier they seem to behave." Gwen said, with a chuckle.
Merlin let out with a raucous laugh that started the group. "Martha, do you remember that daily quote, email site thing you signed me up for a while back? One of the first ones they sent me, reminded me of when I called Aithusa from the egg."
She nodded, trying to follow the different lines of conversation erupting. "I think so, love. You seem to enjoy those sort of things."
Deadly serious blue eyes fell on the warlock, and he shifted under the gaze of his king. "Merlin...are there any dragons left?" His voice carried through the din, and a hush fell over them all. Those who hadn't known Arthur during the height of his reign, felt his kingly presence fill the room. They began to truly grasp why he was a legend.
"Honestly...I don't know."
"How could you not know?" His voice dripped with disbelief.
Martha moved to stand beside her husband. She took his hand and threaded her fingers through his. "I think it's time I get to hear that story you keep avoiding."
He leaned down and kissed her cheek, thankful as always for her calm strength. "Perhaps it is..."
"What the...You sly dog!" Jack's voice called out from where he stood, near the fireplace mantle. He turned towards Merlin with an arrogant smirk, while picking up a hinged shadow box. It held a red and white ribbon, with a blue and gold four-point star below it. Next to that on the box, was a larger silver star with the same gold center. Below that, was a small rectangular ribbon of purple, with a red stripe running vertically through the center. On the other side of the hinge, was an embossed certificate.
Merlin cringed, as Jack began reading the highlights of the certificate out loud. "Sir Merlin Emrys, Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire."
"Something you neglected to tell me, Merlin?" Arthur asked. His arms were crossed and the look on his face reminded the warlock of the familiar feeling...just prior to finding himself either mucking out the stables, or thrown in the stocks.
"Uh...Oops?"
AN: First- huge thanks to Nance and IcarusLSU as always! You guys are amazing for what you do to help me and my writing!
Next chapter might not be out until next weekend. It's proving a little tricky to write.
I originally balked against the idea of using the Furling race mentioned in Stargate, because of the implications in the show about them being furry (fur-ling) but then as the story progressed I came across something talking about sails being stowed...I began looking at the word in a different manner 'furl-ing' and finally did a face palm.
furl fərl/ verb
roll or fold up and secure neatly (a flag, sail, umbrella, or other piece of fabric).
"he shouted to the crew to furl sails"
Footnotes:(yes there were quite a few in this chapter. With so many people and so much going on, I didn't want to disrupt the flow by adding in every detail of each. So here are the references to them.)
1. Merlin episode 1x1 The same actress, Eve Miles, who played Lady Helen plays Gwen in Torchwood.
2. Eve played the character Gwyneth in the Doctor Who episode (The Unquiet Dead)... And played Gwen in Journey's End. A joke was made by the Doctor and Rose on how Gwen of Torchwood resembled someone they knew in the 19th century.
3. HoC Chat inspired LOL and I just had to add in the idea of the knights playing paintball...I know some of you wanted a whole, half-naked sparing session, but this seemed like so much more fun and gave them a chance to bond.
4. Paraphrased translation from the Bhagavad Gita on reincarnation
5. Reference to Doctor Who Episode 2x3 'School Reunion' Although neither Jack nor Martha were in that, I figured they probably heard stories about it. (an ep guest starring Anthony Head)
6. Doctor Who ep 'The Parting of Ways'
7. Torchwood Ep Reference 1x12 'Captain Jack Harkness'
8. Based on an interesting quote from one of the Torchwood writers, John Fay, on Jack's immortality: "In my mind, I was always aware that Jack had gone through this situation many times before, and that was really interesting to me. How do you have a relationship and fall in love with someone when you know - absolutely know - you will be around to see them die?"
9. Yes, a bit of Monty Python slipping in.
10. Ref to Merlin ep 'Goblin's Gold'
11. Another Torchwood episode reference. 'Small Worlds'
12. Stargate episode 'Wormhole X-treme' reference.
Review Responses:
Guest: Thanks! I'm glad you did.
GoldenFishFire: OMG you made my day! I was smiling so much from your review.
CarolynneRuth: Hopefully you enjoyed this latest chapter just as much!
IcarusLSU: Thanks! Glad they are believable, I base their relationship on some of our chat banter hehe
AWanderersHaven: Yes they are, and yes it will. Won't be any major action for a while yet, but the plot is certainly going to pick up the pace from here.
LinBates: Well you can breath easy now...at least until the next chapter.
Thank you and welcome to all the new followers and especially to those who have added this to their favorites. Even if you don't review, seeing that you like it enough to add it makes me giddy! Please take the chance to leave a review if you would be so kind, they really help feed my creativity.