Coming Home

Chapter 1

Staring at my arms, looking at the track marks and scars from blades both ancient and modern, I felt a powerful magic bubble, something I had not felt in a long time.

The familiar presence of a skill unused tugged at my heart and for the first time in thousands of years, I let my magic free. The earth around me responded in kind, flowers blooming and grass growing in the hard, dead earth.

Arthur was here.

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I stood at the edge of the lake.

He was coming. He was coming. For the first time in thousands of years, I would see the man who changed my life forever. I walked closer in anxious anticipation for the moment I had dreamed of but had never seen.

The clothes I wore today weren't unlike the ones that I had in Camelot. Arthur would need something familiar.

Unfortunately, the castle had long since been handed over to movie companies for filming so the option of traveling to what had once been Camelot was unavailable.

I made a house in the woods. It was my project and I spent months working on it, making sure that the electric and plumbing systems worked. While it was nothing compared to the grandeur of Camelot, but it was as close to home as I could make it. The apartment I had rented across the street had since been converted into storage for relics from the past and my unfortunate addictions. Arthur wouldn't be told of these. I couldn't allow it.

The house that I would soon share was where he would stay. There, I could educate him on the ways of this new world until he was able to go out and blend in. It had everything we needed. There was electricity, plumbing, heating, and a decently sized garden. It was something that was completely self-sufficient.

When I wasn't babysitting, I would be working. I had found a quiet bookshop close to my apartment that paid decently. The smell of books, both old and new, was something that would forever remind me of the archives of Camelot.

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I woke from my sleep when the water of the lake began to bubble. I rushed to the edge, prepared to do whatever necessary to aid my king.

A blond head rose above the water, then armored shoulders, then the torso, and finally, my king was staring right at me.

"Arthur!" I cried, tears forming in my eyes as I tried to force them back.

"Merlin?" He sounded confused. "What are you doing here? Why am I in a lake?"

I couldn't talk. I rushed forwards and wrapped him in a hug. I didn't care what anyone thought. He was my best friend and I hadn't seen him in thousands of years.

"Are you crying?" he asked.

"Shut up. It's been a while."

To my surprise, he hugged back, his hand uncertainly patting my back.

"Come on, let's get you home."

"Camelot?" I froze.

"No, Arthur," I said gently. "Camelot has fallen. You've been dead for thousands of years. I'm taking you to my home."

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The gate had opened. She smirked as she saw her opportunity. Finally, escape. She knew the going-on's of this new world. Finally, she would complete her mission. She would put an end to Emrys and his precious king.

She would finally rule.