A/N: Don't own RoTG either.
He has only heard the spirit mentioned in passing. The people of the village blame him for the nipping winds, for the falling snow, for the frost on their windows. Jack Frost, they call him.
Merlin assumes he's real as a matter of course. Most legends have at least a grain of truth to them, and it's safer to be prepared. Not all magic is as friendly as it once was, and it wasn't always friendly to begin with. Some believe he betrayed them, failed them.
And, of course, they're right.
So when Merlin sees the boy dancing above the rooftops, his wave is hesitant. He expects to be rebuffed, to have to continue his weary, immortal, way alone.
He does not expect the shock on the boy's face. He does not expect him to come swooping down.
"You can see me?"
Merlin raises an eyebrow like Gaius once had. "Yes. Why? Were you trying out an invisibility charm?"
The boy laughs, delighted. "You can see me! No one else can see me!"
For the first time in a long time, Merlin smiles, not really knowing why, just reacting to the joy on the other's face.
The villagers think he's mad, of course, when he starts spending all his time seemingly talking to thin air, but then, they thought that away.
There is something wonderful in having a friend once more.
