Since starting at the school, it wasn't often that Arthur felt like a true student, but on this occasion he did. Of course, the irony was not lost on him, as what they were researching was the furthest thing from any of his classes as it could get.
Empty energy drink cans were littered around Merlin's carpet, and various take out containers and food wrappers had made their mark beside the table where the warlock's feet were currently propped. Arthur on the other hand sat on the floor with his back pressed against the couch, his laptop resting on his thighs.
They'd been searching for hours, and he was tired, his eyelids drooping despite the amount of caffeine he'd already consumed. Clicking to the next screen of an online yearbook for a year eight class in Lancaster, Arthur ran a hand through his hair and stifled a yawn.
"Found another one." Merlin declared behind him, and as the blond's head tipped back and landed against his friend's leg, the warlock's phone lowered down in front of his eyes. It was an article from a local paper where they were praising a school's top students, one of which carried a familiar face.
"Lancelot?" Arthur stared as Merlin made a noise of similar surprise.
"Apparently he goes by Lance now, though I found a paper stating his full name is Lancelot."
"I don't blame him for the switch. Bet he got beat up a lot for that name." Arthur muttered as Merlin snorted.
"I wonder if I'd have gotten bullied for my name."
"Probably. I certainly would've landed a few hits."
"What a roll model you are, Sire." Merlin uttered sarcastically while pulling his phone back.
"I doubt Gwaine had it any better. Or Elyan."
"Our names didn't seem strange back in the day." The warlock mused, continuing to scroll while Arthur clicked into another page and shrugged.
"No, but how many years ago was that? The concept of using a pot for a bathroom wasn't strange either." He heard his friend chuckle behind him before Arthur closed his laptop with another yawn. "So that's five of the knights then."
"The ones you trusted the most." Merlin nodded, dropping his phone onto his lap and rubbing his eyes.
"How is it that we all ended up at the same university and never ran into each other?"
"Maybe you did, you just might not have recognized them without the memories of your past lives." Merlin mumbled through his hands as Arthur reached over and set his computer on the table.
"That's enough research for one night. I'm exhausted." Stretching his arms above his head, Arthur cut his eyes to the phone in the warlock's lap and cleared his throat. "Did you happen to stumble across anything about Guinevere?"
Merlin's eyes met his as his arms dropped, and blue eyes suddenly looked distraught. "No, I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter, I was just curious." The blond muttered with a dismissive wave of his hand, curling his legs beneath him while he popped his back. "So, that's seven of us returned, including us and the knights."
"Eight if you count Morgana too." Merlin pointed out, wisely taking the hint to leave his wife alone as Arthur suddenly frowned.
"What exactly does all of this mean?"
"I've seen countless wars," Merlin began, staring down at his lap. "I've seen the rise and fall of people, and kingdoms, and countries." Pausing, the warlock looked down at Arthur with a grave expression. "I can't even begin to imagine how bad things must be, or how bad they will get, if you're here now."
"Reassuring." Arthur mumbled, folding his arms over his chest and huffing out a sigh. "We should track down Morgana then."
"Not alone." Merlin shook his head, shifting on the couch until his feet were on the floor to the left of the blond.
"Aren't you supposed to be some all-powerful sorcerer?" The man asked incredulously while the warlock scowled at him.
"I haven't used or even practiced my magic in decades, Arthur. Aside from a few potions here and there for my health or age, I've done nothing."
"Well, it's about time to freshen up, don't you think?" Arthur quirked a brow at him as Merlin rolled his eyes.
"That's not even close to how it works."
"Okay, fine." The man stated, pushing himself to his feet and standing in front of the warlock with his hands resting at his hips. "Maybe I don't know the inner workings of all that magical nonsense, but didn't you tell me that your magic is a part of you? Like an actual part of your being? It's not going to just disappear if you haven't used it in a while, right?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. But it's complicated." Merlin said slowly, tipping his head from side to side while wringing his hands together. "My magic is a part of my life force, tied directly into who I am and how I'm alive. It requires strength and energy and after all these years, I'm not certain how much of a toll it will take on me to use it in the way we'd need to defeat Morgana."
"Well, if there was any a time to figure that out, it's now."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Merlin asked with narrowed eyes as the blond shrugged and dropped his arms.
"I'm saying it's time to try it out. Use some of that pent up magic."
Sitting up straight, the warlock steepled his fingers and glared suspiciously at the man. "You're saying that because you want to see me use magic, aren't you?"
"I'm hurt, Merlin." Arthur began, lifting a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I mean it's not as if I've ever gotten to see you really use it before, and you weren't one to show off when I wasn't dying."
"Perhaps that was because I didn't want to be burned alive." Merlin scoffed as the blond rolled his eyes.
"Don't be so dramatic, Merlin. I wouldn't have let you burn."
"Maybe not, but you would have banished me, and I didn't want to leave my home, either."
Staring the dark haired warlock down, Arthur finally threw up his hands in defeat. "Alright, fine, that's fair. But that just means there's nothing stopping you from trying your magic out now."
Shaking his head but unable to hide the smile creeping up his lips, Merlin gestured to the kitchen. "There's a candle on the top shelf of the cupboard on the left. Grab it and turn out the lights."
Following the warlock's instructions with a victorious smile, Arthur returned to the living room and set the candle on the table before turning out the light and submerging them in darkness. The only light that remained came from the window where a partially covered moon was illuminating a thin patch of the carpet.
As Arthur sank to the floor on one side of the table, Merlin sat on the other end, sliding the candle in between them both. "Are you ready?" Merlin asked, his voice quiet and eerie in the dark as Arthur murmured out a yes.
He'd lived his last life under the assumption that all magic was evil, hating every person who dared to use it no matter their reasoning. And then there was Merlin, someone who had been born of magic and had used it for the good of Camelot and his king.
Now in this life, all Arthur had ever wanted was for magic to be real. He wanted it to be present in his everyday life, to make the world not seem so bleak and bland. And now those two lives were conflicting inside of him, one making him feel sick to his stomach with guilt over allowing this to happen, and the other making him lightheaded in anticipation and excitement.
Merlin shifted where he sat and stared at the candle, and Arthur watched in amazement as fire flickered to life from the wick without anyone having touched it. A small smile was present as the warlock looked across the table at his friend, his blue eyes sparkling and dark hair casting shadows along his face.
Neither said a word, and Merlin slowly lifted a hand, holding it out palm first towards the small flickering flame. "Katostar abore ceriss. Me ta sentende divoless."
Arthur's mouth fell open as the warlock's eyes shifted from blue to a glowing gold before changing back, his gaze suddenly seeming to age hundreds of years as the fire grew larger.
Leaning back and lifting his other hand, Merlin stretched them apart slowly while the flame on the candle grew wider, until a large ball of flame hovered in the air. With another quiet word, the flame shimmered in the air and expanded, creating two wings and a tail from the fire.
In moments a small dragon made of the fire hung over their heads, and Arthur watched in awe while Merlin flicked his wrist and the dragon took off through the air, soaring around the living room.
"Incredible." Arthur mumbled, glancing at his friend who wore a wide grin while he twisted his hand back and forth, controlling the creature that flew around them, leaving a trail of smoke behind as it did.
For a few minutes they were silent, and Arthur witnessed the creature weave around the light fixtures and do spins around the room. At one point it swooped low and the blond ducked away, feeling the heat of the fire against his skin before the dragon rose back high into the air.
Finally, Merlin made a motion back to the candle, and with a roar and a breath of fire the dragon dove straight towards the table, colliding with the wick and transforming into a single, flickering candle once again.
"I can't believe you have that kind of power." Arthur stared, turning his attention back to the warlock whose smile had turned weary.
"I never used to do parlor tricks with my magic, but I'll admit that this one was rather enjoyable."
"How do you feel?" The man asked, noting the pale color that Merlin's face had taken on.
"Tired, but fine." The warlock shrugged one shoulder, causing Arthur's brows to pinch together in concern. "Don't worry about it," Merlin waved a hand at him dismissively. "I'm not in my twenties anymore, things take a bit more out of me now."
Shifting until he was on his knees, Arthur rested his hands on the table between them and peered at his friend through the dark. "So, what do we do now?"
Merlin leaned back until his head rested against the couch, and he shrugged. "I suppose we have to figure out a way to wake the knights up. If we're going to confront Morgana, we should do so with the ones we trust. Or the ones we trusted once upon a time in another life."
Arthur's gaze shifted back to the table, his fingers absently tapping at the wood.
"What is it?" Merlin asked as Arthur looked up with a frown.
"Should we wake them?"
"What do you mean?" The warlock stared, his mouth hanging open and eyebrows lifted high in surprise. "Why wouldn't we wake them?"
"Is it really our place to pull them from the lives that they have now?" Arthur sighed, watching while his friend leaned forward.
"They were brought back for a reason, Arthur. All of you were."
"I know that, but it's a lot. All of that stuff, all those memories, they just get crammed back inside your head and it's a lot to deal with." Merlin went silent, and Arthur continued to push. "I get that there's this destiny and we're all involved, but what right do we have to subject them to that?"
"What else would we do?" Merlin asked, his tone reserved. "We don't have to wake them, but I believe that confronting Morgana alone is far from the wisest choice regarding all of this."
"Just find me a sword, we'll be fine." Arthur boasted, throwing back his shoulders.
Merlin's withering gaze, however, made him slump back down, suddenly feeling like a child who was about to be scolded. "Have you ever picked up a sword, Arthur? In this life?"
"Well, no." The man said, shifting uncomfortably. "But the knowledge is all still in my head. I'm sure it's like riding a bike, still in there. You know how I could handle a blade back in Camelot."
"You were very talented, Arthur, yes." Merlin said, the words coming out like a sigh. "But this body hasn't had that same intense, rigorous training. You may remember all the tactics, but your body will tire much faster and your form will be sloppy. You were good back then because of how much you trained. Here, your body wouldn't know how to cope, and we both know Morgana will use that to her advantage if given the chance."
Frowning, Arthur began drumming his fingers against the table again.
"We're not in any rush," Merlin said. "Let's wake the knights, formulate a strategy, and train. Then, when the time comes that we are needed to fight, we'll not only have allies on our side, but we will have strength as well."
"Are you going to train up your magic then?" Arthur asked, pointedly staring at the warlock.
"I will." Merlin nodded, though Arthur could see the wariness in the man's eyes.
"You really think waking them is the only option?"
"Not the only one, but I definitely believe it's the smartest choice."
Falling back onto the carpet, Arthur stared up at the ceiling where the candle's flickering glow was casting eerie shadows around the room. "Fine, but how exactly are we going to manage it?"
"That's the tricky part." He heard Merlin muse. "When did you first start getting your memories back? Your true memories, not the dreams."
"When I fell in that fountain." Arthur stated, not even having to think about the answer. The water had been ice cold, and it was as if the shock had dredged up all the things in his past.
"Although.." Arthur paused, trailing off as his mind wandered back to that night. "The water didn't feel like water. It was freezing, but it wasn't like I had been submerged underneath it. It was almost like.. swimming with my thoughts. Murky and hazy until you pulled me out, and then everything slammed into me with the force of a truck."
"Wait," Merlin uttered, excitement in his tone as Arthur sat up and watched a white glow illuminate his friend's face as the warlock started searching for something on his phone. After a couple of minutes of silence, the dark haired man sucked in a short, sharp breath. "Oh my God."
"What is it?"
"Look."
Passing his phone to Arthur, the blond squinted at the sudden bright light of a news article from the university that had been published decades ago. Skimming over the words, Arthur had just started to read when Merlin interrupted him.
"That fountain is said to have gotten it's water from an old, underground lake."
Lowering the device, Arthur quirked a brow and shook his head. "So?"
"Lake Avalon." Merlin gasped, looking as though he had just solved the greatest mystery of their time.
"Still lost here." Arthur frowned.
"No wonder you remembered, the water in that fountain came straight from Avalon."
"Okay, seriously Merlin, what's so important about some old lake water?" Arthur complained as the warlock pointed at the article.
"It's important because it's directly connected to you, and the knights. Not to mention to magic itself."
"I need more than that, Merlin." The blond sighed impatiently as his friend pointed at the article again.
"First off, look at the date."
"Of the story? It was published the day after I was born, so what?" The warlock was beginning to give him a headache, and all he wanted was for Merlin to get to the point.
"So what? So the fountain first started running the day before the story was released."
"Wait, this magical water fountain was turned on the day I was born?"
Merlin nodded, his expression turning severe. "I would bet, in fact, that it started running the very minute you were born. All because it is Lake Avalon, Arthur."
"And Lake Avalon is..?"
"It's where your body was left when you died, Arthur." The warlock said, leaving the blond reeling. "That's why it is important."
A/N
I got caught up in holiday and family obligations so chapters will be a little slower to come out for a while! I'm also finishing up the first draft of one of my novels and that has taken up a little more of my time than I expected as well, sorry guys!
I hope you liked this chapter and I hope to see you all in the next one! Feel free to comment, the notifications always brighten up my day!