Help came about a week later. And Leon would never have thought to see her ever again.
Morgana's presence had always been something to behold.
With her black hair, her more often than not green dress, her neatly applied make up, she had always had a sense of a queen around her. A sense of a powerful warrior. Only her kindness hardly ever fitted that first impression.

Ever since Uther died – things had changed. She no longer wore green but black. Her hair wasn't neatly bound in a bun but loose in their natural waves. Uncombed and messy and dangerous.
Her makeup was darker, more contrasting.
The power had increased. And her will become sturdy. She was more than a warrior now. She was a priestess. Not a queen –but a goddess. It was'nt kindness she held anymore. It felt more like mercy upon your head.

She lived in a cave – and yet nobody considered her a hermit or a weirdo. No. Morgana Pendragon was terrifying.
In the most beautiful sense.

And what was even more terrifying – both Agravaine and Kara feared her.
Leon hadn't even thought about this. Never dared to hope that Morgana would ever come and speak her opinion to Mordred.
Who valued her opinion above all others. Even more than Kara's. If that was somehow possible.
At least that was what Leon saw, when Morgana entered the halls of Camelot and Mordred's face lit up like it was Christmas or something.

They had scheduled today for lunch. But for now they would drink some tea first.
The entire hall was emptied by and from the guards. Only Mordred, Kara and Morgana in one room. Agravaine was send out to take care of a certain problem with the closest blacksmith.
Who knows what for.
Leon – surprisingly – was allowed to stay.

"I heard you've send your little weapon out." That voice sounded very displeased. It was no secret that Morgana and Emrys weren't on good terms. There was something about a destiny the people mumbled about. But nobody seemed to remember the details of it.
Not that Merlin would know anything about it.
Even if Emrys was destined to kill Morgana. In Leon's humble opinion – that was bullshit.
Merlin would never kill anyone, when he was in his right mind.
The only thing that made him do it was mind control. Morgana should really look into the question of who would be the one making him do it, rather than simply raging on the poor child.
The thing was – despite everything, Merlin COULDN'T remember a thing. He just couldn't. Because, when the topic came up, Mordred had ordered Merlin to forget about this destiny and focus on his mission. Ever since then, Merlin had never mentioned Morgana again. It was an order.
So Merlin couldn't refuse. But Mordred hadn't thought that far ahead. He didn't even realize what he had done.
What power he held over Merlin.

Not that that would help them much. Agravaine – by Mordred's orders – held the same power over Emrys. Which made things even worse.

Morgana was sipping on her tea now. Her lips barely brushing the hot water before she snapped her head away. The cup was steaming – what did she expect? COLD tea?
Mordred nodded, as he himself made the very same mistake and almost burned himself. "Hot.", he hissed and almost spilled his cup all over the table.
Leon had to hold himself back from laughing, as he added milk to his cup.
Kara saw this and frowned at him. ('Milk? IN TEA? Are you a heathen, Leon?', her look seems to say. Drinking milk with tea is absolutely normal, thank you very much.) Leon sank back into his seat.

"Yes, yes. We think he has a lead on finding the prince.", Mordred admitted. Completely ignoring the fact that Morgana moved her head at that vague explanation.
"You still haven't given up on that, have you?", she said, but her head was tilted with a different question.

"Of course not! He is Uther's son! If anyone is a danger to the new laws regarding magic – it would be him. I can't risk him be free and going as he pleases!"

The sad part was that his reasoning was actually quite reasonable.
Morgana gave him a small smile. "As I've told you before, Mordred. If Arthur Pendragon really does exist – then I would know about it. I would have had to have grown up with him. And I don't recall having a tiny Uther running around and going on my nerves."
She send Leon a questioning glance. As if he had the answer to that question that was still on her mind.

"I know. I know. You guys keep telling me that.", Mordred sighed. "But a risk is a risk. I'd rather be on the safe side."
"Of course.", Morgana said slowly.

"Actually – Emrys did visit me a couple of days ago.", she introduced her problem. And Mordred put his cup down in curiosity. "He did?", he asked, slightly worried.

"Yes. He – erm – was there with a guy. I was wondering what you know about that. What does he have to do with the prince?"

Leon swallowed deeply. So Morgana saw them. Met them? Who of these himbos thought of that fucking idea?! To visit Morgana of all people? Certainly not Merlin. The boy was very reserved when the topic included Morgana. He liked to avoid her at any cost.
How much did Morgana know? What did they tell her? Why were they there? Why -
"Erm -", Leon spoke up and tried to ignore the look Kara send Morgana. For some reason Kara didn't like her. Maybe it was, because she was Uther's daughter. Maybe it was, because she could have claimed the throne as her own. Maybe, because Mordred had asked her to be queen before he had asked Kara to become HIS queen.

"The boy – we – er.", he swallowed, as all attention was directed at himself now.
"Emrys believes that the boy might have valuable information where prince Arthur may reside. I take it you know him?"
His words were dangerous – he knew that. But it was better to go with as much truth as possible. Especially since Morgana had her ways not to be lied to. Much like Emrys himself. Lying to sorcerers was always a risk. A risk Leon wasn't comfortable to take right now.

Morgana tilted her head slightly. "The guy -", she said and emphasized the words meaningfully, "Is a close friend of mine. I didn't know he had such valuable information."
She didn't sound trusting at all. More suspicious with every word Leon spoke. But she didn't point it out as obviously as Leon feared she would.
Morgana waited for Leon's fearful response, as she added with a very intense glare:
"I certainly didn't think he had the mind for it."

'Morgana knows about his memory loss.', Leon realized and swallowed deeply.
"Well – we were just as surprised.", Leon said and felt himself beginning to sweat.

"Is there something wrong?", Mordred asked, oblivious as ever and his eyes traveled between his closest friend and his first knight.
Morgana's eyes snapped back up into a much kinder expression.

"No, not at all.", she said. 'She's lying.', Leon added in his head, blinking away his confusion.
"I just know him, is all. He is a friend of mine. Almost like a brother you could say.", her smile returned now.
"I would trust him with my life.", she added and nodded at Mordred. "If he really said he has a lead to find this Pendragon kid – then I can't deny the possibility anymore."
Mordred's eyes widened. "You believe him?"

Morgana nodded decidedly. "Of course. How long will they be gone?"
Mordred bit back a smile as he realized that Morgana admitted she could have been wrong about the whole prince ordeal.
"I've given them a month.", Mordred said and took another sip of tea.

Leon couldn't believe his luck. She wasn't ratting them out? Why?

Morgana send a glance in Leon's direction whose face gave nothing away. But his eyes pleaded for her help. Literally begged for more time. Maybe Morgana could sense it.
"Do you think it is wise to give them only a month?", she asked. Leon gaped a little. Did she just – know? Or did she read his mind? She could do it, certainly, if she wanted to.

Mordred frowned. "Well – Emrys is my best man when it comes to magic and fighting of threats to the kingdom. Surely I will need him back sooner rather than later."
Morgana tapped her chin at that, thinking. "Yes – and no.", she said and smiled kindly at her friend.

"What?", Mordred asked confused.
"What would you say, if I came back to Camelot for a bit? That life in the cave turns out a lot more dull than I expected. And I would love to spend some time with you again. Like old times.", she said slowly and Mordred sat up straighter.
All while Kara's expression turned from annoyed and possibly jealous to alarmed and dreading.

"I'm sure this mission you send him on would take much longer than you expect. After all – you've had a year to only find someone with a vague idea of where the prince may be. A month to find the actual prince sounds like a wishful dream.
I've told you before, I wouldn't come back to Camelot as long as Emrys resides here.
But if he's on a mission anyway -"
Mordred didn't let her finish and Leon couldn't believe this.

"Yes, yes! Absolutely!", Mordred screamed and hugged both Morgana and Kara. His two most favorite yet very different people in the world.
"Leon, send Emrys a letter to be careful. And take all the time he needs! And tell Agravaine to prepare a banquet! Morgana is here to STAY!"
Leon smiled with so much relief, he could have joined in on the hug, if Morgana wasn't still eyeing him suspiciously.
"Yes, yes my lord.", Leon said and immediately left the room. This was definitely a reason to celebrate.
He knew he would have to discuss the details with Morgana later. But that was hardly a hard price to pay in exchange for more time.

-----------------------------------------------------

"In the deep forests of Camelot – close to where Avalon resides was found a stone.", the man whispered to the gathering crowd.
"A stone with a story remarked into it."
The children shifted in their seating positions. While older men with jugs of ale only listened because they were too drunk to question these kind of legends.

"A story about a king. The one and true king of Camelot. The once and future king."

"Sorry, mate. What was so great about that stone again?", a man asked. He had a rather unbalanced stand. Then again he was probably drunk. He had provoking eyes, not unkind but not to mess with either.

The storyteller nodded and pointed at him. "Pushed into that stone is a legendary sword!", he said ominously.
"Wow – great story.", the man replied and chucked down another sip of his mug. Only to be disappointed when he realized it was empty. He through the mug away.

The storyteller laughed. "You don't understand, young man. Only the true king of Camelot can pull the sword from the stone. Many have tried. All of them have failed. And believe me – those men weren't on the weak side.", he winked and the children around him stared at him in wonder.
"The once and future king is destined to bring magic back to this realm and -"

A child spoke up against his manners. "Do you think king Mordred could pull the sword from the stone? Is Mordred the once and future king? He DID bring magic back!"

The drunk man tapped back and forth as he contemplated that suggestion.
"Who the hell is Mordred?", he asked confused, but only earned laughter for that. The storyteller shook his head. "Young man – who are you that you haven't heard of Camelot's new king?"

"New king? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Haven't you heard – king Uther was killed. About a year ago.", the storyteller looked more annoyed than amused now.

"So – Arthur is king now.", the man said slowly, waving from side to side.

"My boy, you must be drunk out of your mind. Prince Arthur is a legend. He doesn't exist."

"Weren't you just talking about a legendary stone sword of something?", the man retorted.
The storyteller huffed. "The sword does exist, I saw it with my own eyes."

The man shook his head. "And I met prince Arthur. He's a good man."

"There is no reason for you to be sarcastic. Mordred is king. And neither of us would have it any other way."

The man frowned. "Really -", he said and shook his head in irritation. "I wasn't being sarcastic. Arthur is my friend. We've gone on adventures together. I know him. I met him. He's not a legend – he is a man. And a good one. One of the few good royal bastards. If that kind exists anyway."

The storyteller shook his head. "And who are you -", he scanned the man's clothes like that would give him away. "-that you can claim to be the only person in the world who has ever known the mysterious prince who never existed? Where do you even come from?"

The drunk man looked from one person to the other, as he began to sober up. They were serious. They stared at him like he was the mad one.
"My name is Gwaine.", he said slowly. "I'm from Caerlon."

"Well then, Sir Gwaine -", the storyteller said mockingly. "Why don't YOU tell us about the ghost prince of Camelot?"

"How about YOU tell me who this Mordred guy is first."

-------------------------------------------------------

It had taken them two weeks to build up the house. Mostly because it was a small one. And because Merlin had decided to be a reasonable sorcerer and use his magic to build it.
He was ridiculous. For days he had taunted Arthur – made fun of him by ordering him to work manually on the house.

"Arthur! Arthur, wake up!", Merlin desperately shouted at him at the last day, causing Arthur to reach for his sword like it was some sort of in build self defense system. Where did that come from?
"You've slept for five days! I had to build up the entire house by myself!"

Arthur blinked dumbfounded, as he stared into Merlin's face. Who was crouching right in front of him. "Are we being attacked?", he asked confused. Because he was fairy certain he hadn't slept for five days. If that were true – then his plants wouldn't still look the same way they had five minutes ago.
One thing was true though. The house was already build up. They would finally move out of the inn then. Good timing. Merlin's pocket money was running out anyway.

"Did you seriously wait two weeks to make that joke?", Arthur said with a disgruntled face. But more because Merlin woke him up. Rather than him trying to prank Arthur. His pranks were hardly pranks anyway. Actually, Merlin's pranks were kind of nice. They never failed to make Arthur smile.
He smiled a lot around Merlin, Arthur noticed.
"What do you mean? You slept for five days, not two weeks.", Merlin shook his head in a mockingly defensive tone.

"You're the worst liar I've ever met, Merlin.", Arthur snorted and sat up again.
"Seriously though. You could have done this weeks ago.", he pointed at the house. It stood sturdy and perfectly. Surrounded by trees. And only far enough from the lake so it wouldn't be flooded if it rained too much.
Wild flowers bloomed all around it and the forest breathed alive where Merlin's magic touched it. Arthur could even see a small bunny hopping around one of the small bushes in the distance.

"Are you suggesting, I should have done all this work by myself? I'm not your servant, you know!", Merlin rolled his eyes, but didn't deny his awful humor.
"Maybe you were.", Arthur pointed out and stretched himself.
"In another life, maybe.", Merlin rolled his eyes. "Who would want to serve you?"

"Who would run away with me?", Arthur gave back but froze at the sentence. Merlin did too and blinked.
'Why WOULD he run away with me?', Arthur thought. It should be obvious from the weeks they had spend together. From all the things they had told each other.
And yet – other than 'I felt I knew you from somewhere' there was no other explanation.
That and Arthur's 'I want to know who I was.' Which he realized he didn't care as much about as he initially thought. It was strange. Since they got here, Arthur wasn't in a rush anymore.

These vague explanations they had was all they went with. Arthur shook off the thought to concentrate on more important topics of the day.

"What has you so happy jumping about anyway?", he finally asked, but Merlin only grinned as he held out a letter.
"Leon wrote?", Arthur asked as he recognized the handwriting.
"Yes. Him and Morgana. Your sister is stepping in for us. We have as much time as we need to find the prince.", Merlin said and beamed.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something. That – really were good news. Up until now, he had feared they would only have like – a week or so left to stay here.
(And yes, he had actually feared it. It's been two weeks full of work. And Arthur already dreaded the day they would have to leave again.)
After they had just build up their life together. On the run forever, he had thought it would be from then.
But they had more time now? An infinite amount of time, too? That hardly sounded real.

No wonder Merlin was smil– 'I like his smile.'
Arthur blinked. And tried to shake off that thought. Shouldn't be too hard. He had done this like this for the past couple of days as well. The thought was reoccurring and repetitive.
Arthur assumed, it might be feelings resurfacing from their memories. Maybe he would remember their previous relationship soon enough.
It was the only thing he would give their current one up for.

'Wait a second – did I just -" Arthur shook his head again, trying to shake off the thought.
"Come on, you dollophead!", Merlin finally pulled him to his feet. Eyes wide with the promise of freedom. It looked good on him. Being so happy.
Arthur decided that was how he liked Merlin best. Happy.

"We have to pay the inn keeper. And we need to get our stuff."

And so they did. The ride to the village wasn't long. It barely took an hour to get there by foot. And yet they knew people avoided the forest. Only then and there they saw someone walking by with their sheep who were lead to another field. And maybe a happy dog at their side.

The entire way there and the entire way back, Arthur and Merlin talked and bickered. And commented on flowers and people. They talked about Morgana – about Merlin's forgotten destiny... all these things.

And when they returned, they continued talking, this time with bags of rations and their few possessions hanging over their shoulders.
Arthur liked these moments. Which had come to increase in number. While Merlin had been all quiet and still the first few days – he had slowly begun to open up more and more as he realized that Arthur was listening. But not judging.
And sometimes that is all a person needs to learn to come out of their shell.
And now – with Leon's letter as a message of hope – Merlin was chatting away like Arthur wasn't even there. And yet the only reason he was talking at all.

And Arthur felt – as much as it annoyed him sometimes – he had hardly ever felt this content in his life.
He carefully held the memory jar in his hands. For days he hadn't remembered much. Then again – maybe they had run out of triggering situations. Building up houses might not have been part of his former – apparently royal life.
Only in the evening he sometimes had flashbacks. Mostly in his dreams. There were small things he suddenly just knew.
Dream flashbacks were Arthur's favorite. They hurt a lot less.

Arthur had put the tiny blue flower inside the Memory Jar. It was glowing from within, on top of all the tiny scrolls. Arthur had almost laughed as he had finally recognized the type of flower he held in his hand.
It was a forgetmenot.
How ironic.

That's when it happened again. A sharp pain that pushed the air out of his lungs as a memory resurfaced.
Merlin stopped, he himself hadn't had a revelation in quite some time either.
"Arthur?", he asked, worry lining his expression.

But it overlay with the memory that came to Arthur's mind.
"Why can't you admit that you like her?", memory Merlin said and Arthur frowned. 'Her?', he asked himself confused and it surprisingly felt like his memory self was thinking the same thing.

"How could I?", Memory Arthur desperately said. "How can I admit that – I think about her all the time?" His memory memories shifted. They were supposed to hold a woman – even back then he had known that. He saw Gwen – who was his friend. But he only saw her briefly during his own words, as his concentration shifted to other people as well. Like his mind was searching for another picture. Another person. Because something about the image of Gwen in that context made his head feel uncomfortable.

There were other women. The one with the messy hair that Arthur remembered he had an arranged marriage with, another blond he didn't think he ever liked. Yet another blond one he actually liked hanging around with. There was another one with darker hair and a strange staff in her hand. Was she a sorceress? His memories around her were fuzzy.
But there was one constant that connected all of these women. And it certainly wasn't the blond hair. (Not with Gwen and Sophia in between.)
On every date, there was Merlin with them. Except for his date with Sophia – but he couldn't remember that date. He only remembered waking up, Merlin and an old man – his name must have been Gaius – at his bed side.
A second later he saw himself hanging out with the knights. Merlin at his side. As always. Like he belonged there.

"How can I admit that – when we can never be? Knowing that – hurts too much." That wasn't about a woman. Never was, even though Arthur had pretended it was. Maybe even believed it was.
Even back then – Arthur had been sure – whatever happened. Merlin would be there. Because -

Arthur woke up with a gasp. Merlin right there at his side, steadying him so he wouldn't fall over.
"You had a memory?", Merlina asked, as Arthur weakly held his head.
"Yeah.", he rasped out.
"What did you see?"
Arthur turned to him, eyes narrowed as those familiar blue eyes pierced into him. And Arthur felt the strange urge to wipe the worry from Merlin's face. Instead he looked away.
"You.", Arthur said without thinking. Without questioning it at all. "I always see you."

And maybe he just imagined it, but Merlin was flushing profusely.
"What was it about?", Merlin asked further. Curious but also a little embarrassed.
"Love.", Arthur vaguely replied. It intensified Merlin's blush. 'Interesting.', Arthur thought pleased.

"You – do you think you were in love with me?", Merlin asked nervously. Fidgeting with his hands. This wasn't the first time they talked about something like this. It made sense for Merlin to ask this. But it sounded wrong somehow. Something about the time -

"I think – I still am.", Arthur thought.
'That sounds better.' But the thought itself surprised him.
'Wait a second.', Arthur's head continued. 'Do I really?'
Merlin gaped at him. Eyes wide.
Now Arthur flinched away as he realized something else. Something – worth mentioning. "Did I say that out loud?", he asked, heart beat increasing heavily. He had NOT meant to do that. Not meant to SAY it. He hadn't even registered it for himself yet! How could he just -

"I -", Arthur was at a loss for words. Too confused in his own head to find a proper response.

"Maybe – we – er -", Merlin said slowly, but didn't stop staring at him.
"We should go - home.", he added lamely.
"Yeah.", Arthur said, finally looking at Merlin again. His nerves were killing him.

"Your head is all confused. Dizzy – from remembering you know -", Merlin stuttered nervously. Arthur hated how that made his heart constrict.
"Yeah probably.", he said. Because he would be a fool not to take the excuse Merlin so willingly granted him.