*Author's note: This takes place after episode two with the illnesses and Merlin confessing to magic to save Gwen, but failing to get and one to believe his confession...
Merlin woke but kept his eyes closed. His old memories intact as though August 2, 2013, was yesterday. There was zero haziness. In fact they felt more reall than his recent memories of the past weeks in Camelot.
He thought he had the greatest of dreams last night.
A second chance in Camelot. He felt tears well under his eye lids. Arthur reincarnate never had the same relationship, never remembered. None of his other old friends came back at all…
The dream was teasing and taunting him, but he was relieved. He had a hard time remembering what Gaius had looked like, or what his mother, Will, Arthur, and Gwen looked like. The dream had brought their faces back to his mind. It brought the feeling of Camelot back. The dream was a bittersweet one. His dreams had not been so clear for over 600 years. He could remember most of his childhood. He remembered Arthur as though they met weeks ago.
Tears escaped his closed eyes and rolled smoothly down the side of his face. Smoothly… not caught in wrinkles… he opened his eyed and saw the ceiling and his smooth hands.
Smiling ear to ear, he jumped out of bed and out of his room.
He hugged Gaius.
"Old friend I missed you"
Gaius hugged back and quipped, "You think me so old it must be pointed out!"
"After missing you for over 1000 years, yes, I do!"
Gaius face suddenly became unreadable. "Explain!"
"I've known you for mere weeks, but I remember years to come. The dragons said my memories are 'past and the future'. But I can change it. Gaius I won't let it happen to you again!" His voice choked on the words at the end.
Gaius' eyebrow rose.
"No worries, you end is not near." Merlin smiled briefly.
Gaius look turned to concern. "You know the future?"
"More like I know my past," Merlin laughed. It wasn't a dream. "'Living backwards through time'; I understand now! ... I need to bring Arthur his food"
He brought the prince his food. Set it on the table and opened the blinds.
"Raise and shine, you prat!" Merlin beamed. A pillow flew through the air and hit Merlin. The original had so much more spunk than the reincarnate.
Merlin was still beaming as Arthur got out of bed. "Merlin, Merlin does being my servant make you so happy you must smile like an idiot?"
"Clotpole," said a still beaming Merlin.
"You're such a mystery." He sighed, "I'm having breakfast with my father today. I told you yesterday." Merlin fumbled with the now useless breakfast.
Arthur shook his head looking pointedly at his breakfast. "Can't you do anything right?"
Merlin dressed Arthur and proceeds to the banquet room to serve Arthur breakfast.
She walked in. Merlin dropped the pitcher he was holding and lowered his head. His hands were shaking.
Morgana… an evil witch… but for now, she was an innocent girl.
"Merlin! WHAT is wrong with you?!" Arthur flusted.
"Seems you hitting me with a sword took a toll," Merlin jibbed teasingly and trying to snap back into correct behavior and hide the effect of seeing her after all those years.
Arthur looked at him teasingly trying to determine if he should feel guilty. He seemed to think the answer was no. So, the prince went back to ignoring his manservant.
Arthur greeted Morgana and the three ate their meal not noticing Merlin flinching.
Merlin revisited the dragon that night. His memories no longer confused.
"Hello old friend," Merlin's tone age over a 1000 years.
"Hello young warlock," the dragon smiled.
Merlin smirked, "my body is young, but my mind is no longer."
"So it seems," the dragon looked at him with wonder. "Old when you are young, and young when you are old. Dragon lord before your father died, but not until he died. You are a wonder! ... Yesterday you had not regained your dragon lord abilities."
"But my father is not dead!"
"Being a dragon lord opens part of your soul, and once open that part of the soul can never close." Kilgharrah bowed his head to his dragon lord.
"How did you know? If this is the past, then… why, how do you know I was remembering the future? Last time I was young; did you know this would happen? Or are you living backwards too? " Merlin was talking faster and faster excited by his new youth.
"Calm down. Although we are kin, I do not share that part of you fate. I could feel you change. I am more skilled than you at recognizing what the magic is doing. You are now as old as or older than I, I could feel you change. We are connected as the last of our kind."
Merlin flushed and looked down.
"Kilgharrah, you are wrong old friend; as you know my father is still alive." He looked up and smiled, "And you are not the last dragon!"
Kilgharrah choked.
"I will save her with you,... but tomorrow is important. You will wait here and then we will find her!"
"Her?" Kilgharrah smiled, realizing he was not the last.
"Yes, and a white dragon." Merlin smiled.
"Kilgharrah, I don't think the past is written in stone anymore than the future."
Kilgharrah twisted his head 45 degrees, "Perhaps not for you." Kilgharrah looked deep in thought.
"Nothing seems real anymore," Merlin looked at the dragon; no longer as an omniscience creature, but as an equal. "Kilgharrah, the seers, the source of the legends of this time, are they like me?"
"They are of magic, and time for magic is backwards. Often powerful magic grants people insight to the future if they are truly of magic, but none are fully of magic and non as much as you. So, yes and no; No one will ever be as connected as you or see as far as you."
"Kilgharrah, I don't know how to stop what will happen tomorrow from happening!"
"You survived it once."
Merlin gave a broken smile. "Well it seems I will need my sleep," Merlin pouted, and then looked concerned.
"If I don't make it… I should free you now... and I should warn Arthur of Morgana," Merlin started to worry.
"You need rest; help me after tomorrow's events. You should not weaken yourself now. You should not distract yourself with Morgana either. Doing so could adversely affect the future."
Merlin washed every dish in the kitchen that night, and cast a sanitation spell on them. Hoping to weaken any enchantment put on them. He woke up early and proceeded to Arthur's chambers. He couldn't remember what the source of the poison was, but he knew who was responsible.
"It's a beautiful day today," Merlin pulled back the curtains and light shined in Arthur's eyes.
A pillow flew into Merlin's expecting hands, and then back at the prince.
"Merlin, menservants can't throw things at… no one can throw things at me!" A metal bowl from the nightstand flew hit Merlin's arm as he blocked his head.
"Sorry, forgot you were a Royal prat" Merlin smiled.
Arthur shook his head. "I should have you in the stocks."
"Today is too important you need me," Merlin smiled on the inside knowing the prince would soon understand how important it was he stay by his side.
Merlin couldn't find anyone who seemed to have magic. It was getting closer to the toast and he was getting antsy.
A girl cornered her and he had to fight hard not to kill her as he remembered vaguely the destruction she had/will bring to his loved ones.
It was too late he couldn't stop the Arthur from drinking the poison without allowing history to repeat itself.
She fed him lies and he pretended to buy it. He wanted to hurt her so much it shocked him and a nearby candle flickered and went out.
She told him her king has poisoned the chalice. The witch watched with glee as he ran out to stop Arthur from drinking the chalice she poisoned.
"On what grounds do you base this accusation?" Uther questioned. Merlin wanted to turn her in, but fear he did not know where the cup of life was stopped him. She would save Arthur in the future. Her life traded for his. He felt very guilty, because knowing she would die for Arthur made him a little happy. Nimueh would pay for hurting his mother and Gaius.
"It's poisoned! Don't drink it!" In Merlin's head he whined as he ran up to Arthur and took his goblet.
"What?" The demanding King boomed.
"Merlin, what are you doing?
"Bayard's men laced Arthur's goblet with poison." He couldn't blame the King directly when he knew the truth. No one seemed to notice how insincere the glare Merlin gave was.
"This is an outrage!" The foreign king turned red.
Bayard and his men drew their swords, so do the knights of Camelot.
"Order your men to put down their swords." Camelot guards rushed in. "You are outnumbered."
"I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged!" The foreign king gripped.
"On what grounds do you base this accusation?" Uther stared down Merlin.
"I'll handle this." Arthur chimed in and rushed to Merlin. "Merlin, you idiot. Have we been at the sloe gin again?" Arthur grabbed Merlin and took the goblet.
"Unless you want to be strung up, you will tell me why you think why you think it's poisoned now." Uther continued.
"Play along," Merlin told himself. "Don't turn her in. Don't do it!"
*I accidentally had part of the next chapter rough draft in this chapter sorry
*I will update soon. Also lozipozivanillabean was a big help as far as idea's go... Thanks!