A.N.:// Chapter 2 has been edited

The next few weeks had Arthur turning in his sleep. 
Merlin was now his manservant. What had Uther been thinking when he made THAT decision? It's not like Merlin was the first person who ever saved Arthur's life!
Granted, it's usually not commoners who manage such a feat.... STILL!
Merlin had saved his life! Had pushed him out of the way when a knife had been thrown at him.
And Arthur had been shocked enough, when KNOWING that Arthur was the crown prince didn't stop Merlin from insulting Arthur to his face.

"How long have you been training to be a prat, my LORD."

What was WRONG with him? It made no sense! Why save someone you obviously despised as a person?
Arthur was conflicted. One the one hand, he admired the courage of that commoner, on the other hand he couldn't understand.
And all that happened just one day after Arthur had run the old man in his vision through. Arthur had killed this Emrys... or Merlin person.
And now he had saved Arthur's life!
The guilt and shame and confusion didn't mix well in his head. Sorcerers were supposed to be evil!

And yet, Arthur was the bad one in this story, wasn't he? The old man had done nothing but die. He had been patient. He had allowed Arthur to do what he MUST do, by the laws of Camelot.
Arthur wasn't quite sure yet, whether or not the clock showed him the real future or just visions that were supposed to be lessons of some kind.
Dream or not, Merlin or Emrys, Arthur continued to see his new servant impaled in his dreams. 
He saw the blood dripping from his sword, the light fading from Merlin's eyes. Arthur woke up in cold sweat every time.

He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to question whether or not he had done the right thing in his vision. Damn it, he had seen the end of the world!
And here he was, trying to pretend nothing was wrong and failing spectacularly. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, from overthinking and wondering what else the future may hold for him.
If, and if, then WHEN Merlin would start betraying him.
Perhaps the future him had been so calm, because he had already killed Arthur in his past????
Did that make sense? The fact that he felt like shit proved just how reasonable he found that hypothesis.

Arthur closed his eyes and tried to imagine Merlin as an evil person.
Merlin was clumsy, kindhearted, if ignorant of people's status. He lacked the whole evil-sorcerer vibe that was so visible, once you detected them.
The woman who had tried revenge on Uther – a woman who impersonated and killed lady Helen – had announced her murder. Had called Uther out on her planned revenge. An eye for an eye and so on. 
She had changed her appearance to fool them.
And sorcerer's seemed to do that often. Dramatize their revenge plans. Announce them, and kill as soon as they got the chance to do so.

Merlin didn't seem capable of pulling of a disguise. Even if he were, that old man hadn't attempted to lie to him. This Merlin obviously couldn't know anything about the future, unless he had somehow invented the clockroom, which was impossible, since the man was clearly younger than Arthur and the clockroom had been there for generations.
Or was he?
Arthur gnawed on his lip.
But Merlin was too obvious in his mistakes. Too loud to be ignored or overlooked. But maybe that was his plan. The perfect disguise. Nobody would suspect him, if he was so obviously incompetent.
Arthur wasn't so sure.
He was wary of him.

Of course, he had no proof. He couldn't very well go to his father and tell him that he deliberately sought out the clockroom against Uther's orders. Uther had SAID the room was made to deceive him.
Otherwise he might have asked his father for advice.
All he knew for certain was that this boy had risked his own life to save Arthur's. That was all he could proof.
Arthur's suspicions on the other hand, were based on hallucinations and superstition. So he owed Merlin the benefit of the doubt.
Murdering and damning one man for something that happened in a dream, was against everything Arthur was taught. Everything he believed in. Against everything that was right and just.

So Arthur decided to watch him. Trying to figure out, if this man was capable of evil.

Then came the day that Merlin warned him of Valiant.
At first, Arthur didn't believe him. Believed it to be a trick. But he saw the head of the snake and the honesty in Merlin's eyes. Merlin had saved him once. The worst this lie would do was to bring shame on Arthur's name.
And then he saw the hopeful expression, when Arthur decided to grand his voice a chance. Merlin was relieved. A murderer wouldn't look relieved, if it's target survived.
It was the same look the old man had for him when he died by Arthur's hand. Minus the all consuming fondness.
Of course everything went downhill from there. Arthur was embarrassed in front of the entire court and sacked Merlin soon after.
It had been a rash, irrational and emotional decision. It had been easy to believe himself a fool, when he hadn't cared about the possible shame that trusting a servant would bring with it.
It was that shame that made Arthur grit his teeth and allow Merlin back into his service. Because Merlin had not lied, he had simply hurt Arthur's pride.
In the end Merlin had said the truth. He had warned Arthur and maybe that had saved his life in a way. Again.
And it wouldn't be the last time.

Not soon after Valiant, Merlin drank poison for Arthur. Arthur, who couldn't bare to owe the man another debt, while also carrying the guilt of murdering him in his dreams, decided it was his duty to repay him this one time.
He went out against his father to find the flower that would cure his servant. Arthur almost died, but found himself saved by magic.

It was magic of a kind that Arthur had never seen before. The giant blue orb felt almost like the clock had in that room. But it was younger, warmer, filled with protective intent, rather than longing to see him.
This magic must have belonged to Emrys, but neither did it try to kill Arthur, nor did he see a sorcerer around that cast the thing.
And Merlin was supposed to be dying, so surely it couldn't have been HIS magic, right?

After the orb disappeared, Arthur stared after it, feeling even more lost than he had before he started this journey.
Another thought entered his mind. A thought that he, until then, had tried very hard to ignore:
Maybe. Just maybe, magic wasn't as evil as he thought.
Arthur could only truly rest after he knew that Merlin was truly saved. Even as he wondered how long he would remain in the dungeons for his actions, he knew, deep in his heart, that he had done the right thing.
Seeing Merlin again was more of a relief than Arthur had expected. Arthur didn't know what he would have done, had Merlin died that day.

Perhaps that's why Emrys didn't hate him. Didn't try to kill him. Maybe he liked Arthur, because Arthur didn't send him to the pyre? Even risked his own life for him?
Emrys may be a sorcerer, but maybe he was on Arthur's side. Maybe, if they protected each other, Camelot would finally have a sorcerer on THEIR side! As Arthur sat in the dungeon, he wondered if it was worth a try.

...

Eventually, Sir Lancelot came to Camelot.
When Arthur saw the documents, he had believed him to be a real royal.
It turned out that he was just forging the royal sigils.
He had lied to Arthur. But he fought like a knight. And defeated a Griffin. He had defeated a creature that could only be killed by magic, according to Gaius. Which meant, either Lancelot was a sorcerer or a sorcerer had helped him – the result was all the same. He had used it for Camelot. It had saved Arthur and protected the kingdom. Arthur failed to see the evil in that.

"How can you trust in a man who has lied to you?!"
It was a question that Uther had asked Arthur that day and he pondered over it for many days to come.
It took a while, but eventually Arthur came to the conclusion that if that's where his father drew the line, then Uther had no one left to trust.
After all, even Arthur was lying to him.
It was, Arthur thought, the other way around. If everyone lied to you, didn't that mean that YOU couldn't be trusted?

...
Then came the day when Edwin arrived in Camelot. To save Morgana's life, when Gaius couldn't.
Arthur was fairly certain that Edwin was a sorcerer. A cure for all ills. It simply HAD to do with magic. 
But he saved Morgana. So he was good right? At least, that's what Arthur hoped.
Until Edwin tried to kill the king. But before Arthur could make any sense of the situation, Edwin was dead.

And Merlin was more quiet than usual after that. Arthur could only wonder what had happened. All he knew were the ramblings of his father. Who spoke of evil sorcerers coming back to haunt him.
Arthur wanted to agree. He wanted to agree that magic was evil. Gaius had confirmed that Edwin's parents had used dark magic and so had Edwin.
But Arthur felt, despite himself, that that wasn't enough of an explanation anymore. What exactly WAS dark magic? What was the difference between magic and DARK magic? He had never before heard that there was a distinction. Now that information seemed crucial. And Arthur was utterly lacking in that area of knowledge.

...

Sophia and her father came to Camelot.
Arthur wished he could recall the visit, but it turned out that he had lost most of his memories. However, he was fairly certain that Merlin had not knocked him out. Or had he done so with magic? But why? What happened?
That was a story that Arthur rather didn't dwell on. Yet he had a feeling that he should thank Merlin. He never did. He couldn't, not when he didn't even know what he was thanking him for.

...

Then came the druid boy, Mordred.
Arthur, Morgana and Merlin helped him escape. Merlin. Morgana trusted in Merlin. Was that wise? He was, to her, just a servant! Involving him in something like this wasn't just illegal, it was down right suicide.
Merlin didn't seem to have much self preservation instincts, to be fair. Especially, if he had magic. But maybe that was even more the reason for Merlin to help them.
Yet, Merlin ended up late to help Mordred. If Merlin was a sorcerer and Mordred a druid. Shouldn't Merlin be more eager to help him?
It seemed that Merlin feared more for his life than Arthur had previously expected.
Or maybe Arthur miscalculated the situation and Merlin knew something Arthur didn't? Or Merlin was no sorcerer at all and he just didn't trust Mordred. But why did he help him then in the first place? Why only hesitate as soon as Arthur was involved? There must be a reason, but Arthur didn't know what it was and he couldn't exactly ASK him.
How would he explain why he thought Merlin was a sorcerer? And if he were wrong, then how was he supposed to explain why he didn't have Merlin killed, despite his suspicions?
No, the situation was too delicate. Arthur had to keep his mouth shut, until he was certain.
Perhaps he was thinking too much into it. Merlin had said that he just had trouble to get out the castle. Maybe that was the simple truth.
After all, there was no reason why Merlin wouldn't WANT to help Mordred, right?

...

And last, but not least, there was Arthur's birthday. And with him coming of age, Camelot finally had a crown prince.
This was the day, Arthur remembered, where he SHOULD be visiting the clockroom for the first time.
But his father never mentioned it. Not that he had time for that, when the festivities were interrupted by the immortal knight.

It was a black knight who wanted his father's head that killed two of Arthur's youngest knights. 
Arthur – against his fathers wishes – took the initiative to fight him that third time, when he couldn't stand seeing his own men die for that thing anymore.
Knowing fully well that no mortal blade could kill it, he decided it was his turn to fight. 
He couldn't let his knights die in meaningless fights any longer. If they wanted a Pendragon. Hell – they should get one. 
This was NOT how Arthur expected to die. How he knew he would die. It lacked the whole... releasing the great Dragon vibe.
Maybe fate was on his side? Perhaps Arthur still had a chance to survive this? 
Maybe, if he found the sword from the stone... the one that killed the old immortal Emrys, there was every chance it could kill the dark knight, too. Arthur's mind was made up, even if his father tried to convince him otherwise.
He had to talk to Emrys again. Emrys could tell him how to find that sword. Or how to make it. How to defeat the undead.
All he needed was another hour in the clockroom.

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

While Merlin had disappeared to who knows where, Arthur distracted the guards and sneaked down into the vaults. As always, avoiding the hall that lead to the dragon. Arthur was not going to die tomorrow, he was absolutely 0% certain of it, but determined to change those odds.
The ticking and whispering greeted him like it did the last two times Arthur had visited the clockroom. It was unnerving, distracting and pulling at him. Now, that he faced mortal peril even more so. 
With sure steps, Arthur approached the small falcon. And wished with all his heart – that for once he could live a simple life. One without responsibilities. One where his decisions didn't decide the fate of an entire kingdom.
Truth is, that was not what he WANTED to want from the clock. But Arthur only needed to talk with Emrys, he didn't need to land in a complicated situation full of wars and all those things he wasn't ready to face right now. He needed answers. And he didn't want to be afraid when getting them.

He closed his eyes as he squared his shoulders. He had left sword and armor in his room. He wanted to talk to the sorcerer who outlived him, not kill him again. 
He wouldn't condemn a man for the same crimes twice. It wouldn't be right.
The world went blank once more. Colors fading and rearranging themselves to a new scene.

When Arthur opened his eyes, ready for another damaged world, he found himself in a hallway.
The walls were white. So white, Arthur couldn't help but stare at the blinding paper that covered them. That was an IMPOSSIBLE white. How on earth had they managed that?
Fascinated by its clean appearance, Arthur shook his head. He wasn't here to stare at walls. No matter how expensive and outrageous they looked. The fact remained that not even the expensive throne room of Cendred had walls as white as this. And Cendred prided himself with the cleanest castle in all of Albion.
Camelot prided itself more on color, but that's a different approach to the same principle.
Namely, showing wealth. So he must be in some castle of sorts, right?

The hall was empty. Nobody had seen him appear so suddenly. Maybe that was a thing with the clock. Maybe it would be too disturbing if a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere in a room full of people.
In front of him was a wooden door. Colored in a pale blue. The paint was fading lightly, and a sign next to it read: 00413
Whatever that meant.

Arthur took a deep breath before he knocked. Was this somebodies chambers? Was he about to meet a king? The handle looked so strange, too. The door didn't give way, when Arthur pushed, nor when he pulled at it. The handle let itself be pressed down though.
It clicked, to Arthur's surprise and the door opened. Fascinating.
As nobody answered, Arthur took all his courage to enter.
All the chattering in the room faded suddenly. And Arthur had the feeling he had just interrupted an important council meeting. His father used to shout at him in similar situations, when he was younger. Not anymore, since he now had mandatory attendance responsibilities.
Arthur opened his mouth, suddenly nervous at all the strange people whom he didn't recognize.
Their clothes, he noticed, had brighter colors than his own. Different in so many ways. Some wore tight clothes, some wide ones. Some women wore trousers.
But everything looked so clean that Arthur felt oddly under dressed. He was a king for god's sake! And he wore one of his finest blue dress shirts. Along with black pants and stunning leather boots. How could he feel under dressed?

Then again – he had expected to find Emrys. He had expected him to be alone. Now he was faced with a crowd.
His mouth opened, as he was filled with anxiety. As if someone had pushed him in front of his people to hold a speech, but forgotten to tell him what the speech was about.

All this passed through his mind in a matter of seconds, as suddenly a man stood up so suddenly that his chair fell over with a loud clank.
"Arthur!? You're back!!!!" Arthur was greeted by a blinding smile, as Merlin jumped over his desk towards Arthur. No. AT Arthur.
It was Merlin. Absolutely and without any doubt. He looked maybe two years older than Arthur. Nothing more. Maybe he used magic to appear that way? He looked even younger than the day Arthur's future self had died.
What Arthur wasn't prepared for, however, was two hands on his cheeks as Merlin suddenly kissed him.
Arthur's eyes widened and paled as realization hit him. 
Out of reflex he pushed Merlin away from him, trying to catch his breath and to avoid the sudden panic that shot to his head. Along with hot burning blood that rushed to his face.
Merlin. Had. KISSED. Him!
What the actual FUCK!
His mind stopped working, as Merlin looked at him with that hurt expression he only wore when Arthur didn't believe one of his ridiculous theories. 
Then, understanding replaced the hurt, as he scanned Arthur's face for clues to his reaction.
Biting his lip, and ignoring the chuckles and or annoyed groans in the room, Merlin stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes. Then he held out a hand. But Arthur didn't dare take it. 
In fact, he felt burdened by all the stares from the people around him.
Shame flooded his face. They had all seen that. And now they were laughing at him.
They looked amused, some of them stunned by what had just happened. Nobody however looked as horrified as Arthur felt.
"Merlin? Is that your boyfriend?", a girl asked. She had black hair that she wore in a tight bun and something that looked like windows in front of her eyes. 
Her clothes were white and black. Again – how did they find such white fabric?
She had a humorous look in her eyes, as though she felt sorry for Arthur. But not really sorry. "Does he know he is?"

"I -", Arthur's voice faded. What was a boyfriend?
By Merlin's reaction just now – she meant something like a consort, right? Was this what they were in this world? In this dream? Arthur's head started spinning. What on earth could ever lead to THAT?
He had heard rumors about such things happening with kings or princes before. But they never displayed themselves so openly. And since heirs were expected of royals – they got married to someone of the opposite sex either way.
Merlin sighed. The understanding growing in his eyes, along with disappointment. "How many times have you used the clock?", he asked, ignoring the girl. He only had eyes for Arthur. And it was the demanding tone in his voice that made the whole room shoot him curious glances.

"I – it's the third time?", Arthur said quietly, not sure if that was a good thing or not. By the sad look in Merlin's eyes, it must be bad or something. But that was ridiculous.
Merlin blinked, then came even closer as his eyes widened. He walked around Arthur, searching for something, while the people in his room watched him curiously.

"What day is it?", Merlin asked, causing the room to chatter, some of them trying to ask questions. But Merlin kept ignoring them.
"It's – I – ", Arthur wasn't sure how to approach the subject. "You ARE Emrys, are you not?", Arthur decided to ask instead. 
Merlin met his eyes.
"His name is Merlin.", the girl from before said confused. "Merlin, are you sure that's the Arthur you told us about? He doesn't even know your name!"

Merlin sighed. "No – no. I am. I am Emrys. You haven't called me that in ages. What's going on. Why are you here?", Merlin asked. Suddenly sounding very serious.
The girl tried to understand what was going on, but could only glance between them helplessly.
Arthur felt very odd in his body, because he related more to HER than Merlin, even though he should have more information than she did.
Merlin, or Emrys, obviously knew much more about Arthur and his travels to this realm than Arthur did.

And now, in Arthur's favor, Merlin ignored the discomfort he had caused Arthur, which the crown prince was more than grateful for.
Arthur felt slightly bad for Merlin. Slightly flattered too, as Merlin simply waited for Arthur to explain himself.

"I – there is this knight who demanded a fight to the death.", Arthur started, ignoring their witnesses, because surely this was a dream and their presence meant absolutely nothing.
"Two of my men have died – The dark knight survived more than one mortal blow and Gaius said he was undead. I need the sword."
Arthur didn't specify which sword. If Merlin truly was Emrys, as he so easily admitted only moments earlier, Merlin had to know about the sword. Right? Then again, it had been a much older version of Emrys who had died through that sword.

But Merlin nodded. "Yes, I remember that. But I don't have the sword right now." Then the servant – who was wearing a very expensive looking leather jacket and looked nothing like a servant – smiled. As though he found Arthur's stuttering and discomfort almost adorable.
He relaxed as he laughed and embraced Arthur in a hug. Had they not had an audience, Arthur would have stopped him immediately.
He didn't want to look emotional because of the embrace, but shying away from one would make him look even weaker. Awkwardly, he returned the hug, as he watched the people around them giggle at the sight with a frown. It was Merlin who was being emotional, not him!
"Don't worry, Arthur. The knight won't kill you. I've got it covered. Past me that is.", Merlin said, sending Arthur a knowing glint.
" Now come in. Sit down. My friends and I are working on a history project about the -", Merlin cracked a smile. "Arthurian legend. You'll love it. The stories are quite hilarious really."

Then Merlin let go of him and pulled him into the room by his sleeve. 
Arthur followed hesitantly. Unsure how to move forward with all the stares directed at him. Arthurian legend? Legends about who? HIM?What time was he in?
"I – really don't have the time -", Arthur said, feeling awfully uncomfortable in his own skin.
How could he come in and sit down with these people, if they all thought Merlin was his consort??? He could see it in their eyes.
It was humiliating. He had wished for a simple life, not for THIS!
Who even were these people that made assumptions about his – Merlin's and his relationship?
The idea alone made him conscious of each of his own movements. He had walked into battles without thinking, killing people on sight. Ordered people to kill. 
But nothing was as frightening as to walk into a room such as this. With people looking at him like that.
He really didn't have time for this. There was a knight who wanted him dead, for god's sake!

"Oh don't be stupid. You've spend lifetimes here.", Merlin paused. "Well – I suppose you haven't yet. Doesn't matter. In your time, only an hour will pass, no matter how long you're here. You told me that yourself.", then Merlin hesitated as he seemed to realize something.
"Wait a second -", Merlin turned to him, noticing the blush on Arthur's face.
"You also told me, the first time you used the clock you ended up seeing me and Kilgharra right after you died. If this is your third time, where did you go the second time?"
Then an amused glint graced Merlin's almost elven features, and that was NOT a descriptor Arthur had ever thought of using for his servant.
Arthur cleared his throat, but Merlin apparently hadn't expected an answer, because he asked him another question that, quite frankly, caught Arthur off guard: "Was this the first time I kissed you?"

Merlin didn't seem to care as Arthur flinched. He had hoped they could just ignore that. The curious glances looked even more confused now. The chattering died down as they all tried to listen to every word they exchanged.
Or was that just Arthur's imagination? Was he so paranoid that he thought everybody's attention was on them?
He shook his head. 'This is not real, Arthur.', he reminded himself, though it was hardly convincing.

The first time they kissed. That means, Merlin had more memories like that. Oh god, Arthur really didn't want to know.
He blushed even further, causing Merlin to laugh at him. "God, you're so embarrassed. No wonder you never wanted to tell me when that happened."

Arthur took a deep breath. Time to bust this man's whole carrier. "The second time I used the clock, I killed you.", Arthur said earnestly. Avoiding the subject. He almost regretted it, when he felt the mood darken.
Merlin blinked, turning to him in confusion. Trying to see if Arthur was making fun of him. 
Honestly, how did this man not care what any of these people thought?
Merlin nodded slowly, thoughtfully stroking his chin with one hand.
Arthur continued eagerly. He didn't want Merlin to turn against him, if he really was a sorcerer. The only one who had yet to try and kill him.
"The sky was burning and you said it was the end of the world. You asked me to kill you with some sword that I pulled out of a stone.", Arthur nodded heavily.

Merlin relaxed.
The atmosphere changed. Suddenly there was laughter in the room. Whoever looked confused and irritated before was now smiling and grinning at them as though there was a joke that Arthur wasn't getting.
Merlin nodded in thought, once again ignoring the laughter behind them. 
"I see. That makes sense."

"Oh please, Merlin. Can you two please role play in your bedroom!", a young man said. Like the girl before, he had black hair and a pair of windows on his nose.
His face was a square, with jewels hanging from his ears and make up on his face. He wore a tight black shirt with a blue jacket on top. He seemed more amused than displeased, much like the rest of them.
Somehow, Arthur thought, the style suited the guy. No matter how strange it was how neat that shirt fit him. Then again, they all looked strange. And none of them seemed bothered by Merlin's awkward display of affection from earlier. Surprised, but not bothered. Even though it was PUBLIC affection!
Then Arthur understood what the man implied and blushed even further. But Merlin just waved it off.
"Shut up Brian.", he said offhandedly.

"Sounds like you could use a day off.", Merlin said to Arthur now. Arthur nodded slowly, then shook his head.
"I can't afford to waste time - I- "

"It really doesn't matter how long you're here, Arthur. If it's minutes or years. In your time it will be an hour. Don't waste our time like this. Have some fun." He smiled and it almost looked adorable. Almost.
"You know what. I think I can afford to leave right now. I'll show you this world. I haven't seen you in months and you don't know anything about this world yet.
I know this really awesome coffee shop that you showed me.", then Merlin grabbed him by his sleeve again, dragging him out the door.

Arthur's head was spinning, trying to keep up with Merlin's explanation.
"Go get 'em!", the guy, Brian whistled after them. Merlin ignored him and the laughter that followed them out the door. 
Merlin never stopped smiling.

Arthur still wasn't convinced of the time issue.

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

This world, Arthur decided, as they put their first steps out of the maze that Merlin called a 'university', was one thing first and foremost:
Loud.
There were carriages that moved on their own – faster than horses- passing by. Red and yellow and green lights turning and shifting at every crossroad. 
Buildings – tall like castles roamed the street. But no indicate designs to showcase wealth. Everything was minimalistic and kind of otherworldly. There were paper cups and other junk spilled across the street and yet it was cleaner than the horse dunged paths Arthur rode on in his own time. Or it was another type of clean. It was cluttered, like Arthur's room, but not dirty, per se.

The people, Arthur realized, were all hectic and busy. Some talked to themselves as they passed him. Some wore tight black coats with something ridiculously white underneath. Others wore colorful clothes. Some had blue or red hair. Others green like forest leafs, again others were blond. Even blonder than Arthur himself.
Those were the ones that stood out and made Arthur swirl around himself to get a better look.
Many of them wore those tiny windows on their faces. With glass so clean you could barely see them. It took Arthur a moment to realize there even were some.
What purpose they had – Arthur could only wonder.
Then there were people – children even – who were riding on little horses on wheels. Not that they looked anything like horses. More like deformed carriages.
These things were so strange, they passed by Arthur in a blur. Or it was the air that smelled of burned oils that confused his head. It stunk. But it was a different kind of foul smell than what Arthur was used to.
It took Arthur a while to realize that none of these people were royals. Literally none of them.
He even saw a pleading man kneeling on the streets, begging for money, who wore finer shoes than Arthur did.

Merlin didn't let him dwell on that. He took him by the sleeve and pulled him in the direction of a small building that smelled of bread and something bitter. The smell was pleasant, if also not at all familiar.
"It's coffee.", Merlin explained, as though he knew what Arthur was thinking.

Coffee. Coffee shop. Right. Merlin had told him where they would go. That didn't mean Arthur understood where 'there' was.
He didn't know what ANY of this was. How was he supposed to make sense of a coffee shop?

"Don't worry. I'll manage this. I doubt you have any money on you anyway. You never have, when you get here."

Arthur wanted to correct him. Because he DID have gold coins on him. But when Merlin pulled out a leather bound case and pulled out a blue card, he kept his mouth shut. 
That was not money.
That was – Arthur didn't even know WHAT that was.
Merlin shot him a grin, as he ordered himself some tea and Arthur something that was called a 'Cappuccino'. Also two slices of 'Vanilla ice cake.' Arthur understood two of those words. And he wasn't eager to find out what vanilla was, when they already decided to put ice on a cake.
Unbidden, the thought entered him where people would shovel snow from the street, just to put it on his cake. Arthur grimaced.
It wasn't even snowing!
His confusion must be showing, because Merlin sighed.
Arthur tried to ignore that the woman behind the counter was checking him out and judging him by his outfit. She did not seem very pleased. No wonder, if even beggars were better dressed than Arthur! And he was a king. Arthur had never felt more embarrassed about an outfit in his entire life!

Merlin, however, either didn't care or didn't notice her at all.
"Trust me, Arthur. You'll love it. You spend most of the fourteenth century complaining about how much you missed vanilla ice cake and coffee. They are your favorite, believe me.", Merlin said, receiving an odd look from the lady behind the counter.
Seriously, how ignorant was Merlin? If he talked about this, someone would find out he was a sorcerer! Or worse, believe Arthur was one as well, or aligned with one and then they would BOTH be killed!

"Be quiet. Do you want to be hanged for sorcery?", Arthur hissed and voiced his thoughts. He was trying to be secretive, but the lady suddenly smiled as though there was a joke Arthur didn't get. 
Maybe he should get used to that look. 
Damn, she had really clean white teeth. They stood out against her dark skin, like her eyes did too.
Merlin nudged him, annoyed as he was.
"Arthur, please. People don't believe in sorcery anymore. She probably thinks we went to a medieval festival. Or rather, YOU did. Also the death sentence was forbidden centuries ago. Can we sit now? I understand you have questions. I'd like to answer them, if you want. And can you please stop ogling her?" Merlin was pouting. In favor of annoying Merlin, Arthur decided to listen to him. Because that pout was familiar.
"Oh, but why Merlin. Jealousy doesn't suit you at all.", Arthur ruffled his hair, but Merlin rolled his eyes.
"Please, Arthur. The max you'd ever get out of that relationship is one lifetime. You'll come back sooner than you'd like to admit. You never get enough of me. Otherwise you wouldn't seek me out so much with that stupid clock of yours."

That had Arthur shut up. He really wanted to argue – but since he literally didn't know anything about what was going to happen – in these dreams or where ever they were -
"You mean, you wouldn't mind, if I did?", Arthur said, almost biting his own tongue, as they sat down to wait. Yes Arthur. That was the question you should be asking a man you have no relationship with whatsoever. 'Is it okay, if I cheat on you?' He mentally slapped himself.

Merlin just chuckled. "You and I have an agreement, actually. Neither of us knows when you'll come and when you'll go, because every time you use that clock it sends you somewhere where your heart wants you to be. 
It means you jumble in time a lot. Sometimes you know more, sometimes you know less than before.
And sometimes I wait for a couple of decades until you arrive. Though the longest were perhaps forty years. And that was because you decided to live out Gwen's clock for a change.
I still saw you then. But she only has one lifetime for you. I have hundreds. So it's fine. I can wait."

Arthur stared at him and slowly sat down at a free table, while they waited for their order. Merlin wasn't done, apparently. It seemed like he wanted to make this very clear to Arthur, as he sat down on the opposite side to Arthur. Ready for an interrogation.

"We decided we'd let each other have our fair share of relationships with people we trust. It's some kind of open relationship. I mean – it would be cruel if I had to spend a century waiting for you, all alone. Missing you while my friends marry and die eventually.
You told me that you don't want that for me.
I think the time with Gwen was the only time we ever used it though. You may not want to hear it, but you are high maintenance.
It's nice to have some alone time, when you disappear for eight years. In that time I get travel, see new things. Gather information to tell you about. All that stuff. 
Also – I spend most of the time with Freya, when you were off courting Gwen. Spend some time with a lake goddess, you see. Do that still sometimes when you leave."

Arthur's mouth dropped open. "So – we really are a thing then?", he asked. Because for some reason, his mind could both imagine it and fail to believe it.
Merlin laughed. "Yeah. Kind of. It just – happened at some point. I think it was bound to happen. Our destinies were always connected. Two sides of the same coin. Soulmates if you so like. So yeah. We are."
Merlin smiled at him.
"So – you like me then?", Arthur asked. Flabbergasted, because this was getting really, really ridiculous.
It HAD to be a dream. No sane person would think this was real! HIM, with MERLIN, of all people!

Merlin snorted. "Dude, every time it was legal, YOU proposed to ME. The twentieth time was a bit weird, to be honest. But you ask me every time, anyway, whenever it's legal. Lately they changed the law again. So we technically could get married again. Sadly, now you're just a prat again."

Arthur pouted. Until he realized something that should have stood out to him like – minutes ago. 
"Wait. I'm married to Guinevere? The servant? MORGANA's servant?"
Arthur had always expected himself to get married to Morgana. The entire kingdom had talked about nothing else, each time they saw them waving at each other. (Never mind him getting to marry Merlin. Repeatedly, so it seemed. That was a worry for another day.)
He never wanted to. Never liked the idea. Morgana was like a sister to him. The older they got, the more certain he was about those feelings. That didn't mean his father couldn't still decide their future FOR them.
The idea that he married Guinevere was a relief in that area. But Arthur also didn't see how that could ever happen.

Merlin noticed his sudden mood swing, but grinned at it amused. 
"You wouldn't want to marry your own sister now, would you? And you love Gwen. Though I suppose you don't know that yet."

Arthur's shoulders dropped. "Why on earth are you even telling me this? Aren't you afraid you'll change the past or something?"

Merlin snorted once more, receiving a couple of random glances from strangers eyes. Then again, their entire conversation was strange as hell.
"Yeah, no. Not really. You're stubborn. You still think all of this is your subconscious trying to tell you something.
If that were true, you're doing a very terrible job at listening to it.
I'm not going to tell you, you're wrong, because you wouldn't believe me anyway.
Besides, I don't want to risk that you don't seek out the clock anymore. I mean – you're already crown prince. And you just started spending time with me. If you stopped now, then I would never see you again. 
You'd never have lived any of those lives with me. I don't want that. I want things to stay like this. Even if it started with me seeing you die. 
Or for you – with seeing ME die. I guess that makes us even."

Arthur looked at Merlin with a tilted head. This was his subconscious? Maybe that made sense. If maybe Merlin represented everything he cared about – like the people of Camelot. 
And his doubts regarding magic and his fathers opinion. 
His fears of the future. Of dying. Of aging perhaps. 
Maybe, deep down Arthur was questioning whether or not status or gender should define you as a person. That's why everyone here was dressed so well. It shouldn't define whom you're in love with. Maybe Arthur liked both men and women and was now meant to realize and accept that.
Arthur had never thought of it like that, but the whole being in love thing didn't seem like something one could just decide for themselves.
He stored that information away for later and swore to himself, should he ever fall in love with a man, he would not feel embarrassed about it. Apparently, it was completely normal. It still shouldn't distract from his responsibilities as future king of Camelot.

What had Arthur wished before he touched the clock? A simple life. Without responsibilities, without fear or a destiny that awaited him. 
Maybe he had given himself a way out just now. He should take this chance at a normal life.
His grandmother had told him after all, these lives were his reward for what he would accomplish as king. A life where he was allowed to live, where he couldn't in his own. Apparently, Merlin was willing to provide that for him.

"So – how long do you think you're staying?", Merlin asked, as the waitress finally arrived with their vanilla ice cakes and steaming drinks. 
Somehow, Arthur wondered why her bright smile was less addictive now than it had been ten minutes ago.
Merlin, however, looked at him with those hopeful eyes again. He WANTED Arthur to stay. Despite his initial disappointment at seen Arthur be... so ... young?
Arthur bit his lip. It didn't matter how long he stayed, did it? He would have been gone for only an hour. And Arthur was curious about this loud and noisy world. He'd like to see it, before his inevitable death.
When Arthur would return to Camelot, he would die. Which wasn't exactly something he was looking forward to.
"I think a couple of weeks could be nice?", he said uncertainly. But the beaming look in Merlin's eyes relaxed him.
Yes. Arthur did deserve some time off. Get his head in order. Live a little.

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

Later that evening, Merlin pulled Arthur in the direction of one of those metallic carriages. 
At first, Arthur wasn't sure if he wanted to get in. But decided, that whatever a "taxi" was, couldn't kill him, if this was a dream. 
Merlin's comment only confirmed his theory.
"Oh, don't worry Arthur. If you die, you'll just wake up back in Camelot. It's happened before."
That wasn't exactly reassuring, but it did the trick.

The car, as Merlin had called it, had seats comfortable enough to suit a king. So Arthur did try to get comfortable. Until Merlin reminded him to put the seat belt on, while telling the man in the front where to go. The guy nodded, as he tapped on the wheel in front of him and started fiddling with a little picture frame that looked like a miniature map.
He moved with his fingers on the light source and it MOVED. Arthur stared at it in fear. Was that magic, too?

"What is a seat belt?", Arthur asked, instead. Merlin blinked at him, before he smiled.
"Oh, right. Just watch." There was a click, before Merlin was suddenly straddling Arthur's lap, much to his own irritation. He grabbed at something behind Arthur's right ear and pulled down a black rope thingy. Then he tugged it into a small box next to Arthur, until it clicked once more.
Arthur blinked, not expecting to be tied up all of a sudden. He was about to comment, when Merlin did the same with himself on his own seat.

"What are they for?", Arthur asked, eyeing the driver cautiously, who send Arthur annoyed looks.
"They are for safety.", Merlin explained. But before Arthur could ask what that meant, the driver finally drove off. So sudden and fast that Arthur felt himself being pushed back into his seat. 
He blinked, as a headache already formed in his head. And suddenly he was glad to be tied up. He'd certainly fall out of this carriage, if he weren't.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it.", Merlin said with a smile and left Arthur alone with his thoughts as he directed his attention to a small black box that he took out of his pocket and started tapping on it.

Arthur wanted to comment how rude that was, when he realized that his mind was spinning endlessly. Arthur rode horses on a daily basis. He wasn't used to vehicles. No less 'cars', as Merlin called them.
And his mind kept reminding him that the whole thing was too fast and dangerous.
Arthur grabbed the handle at the door, unsure how to open the thing, but Merlin waved a hand. Even without seeing it, Arthur knew Merlin had used magic. And he also knew that Merlin had locked him in, before he could open the door.
Arthur's knuckles turned white against the handle he was holding on to.

It felt like an eternity, while the surroundings blurred passed him, until he was finally allowed to leave the cursed thing. When he stepped outside, the door opened by Merlin for him and weak on his knees, Arthur took a deep breath of not so fresh air and wondered how he hadn't thrown up just yet. His mind was swirling and he felt like someone was compressing his lungs, wanting him to hurl out his breakfast.
He felt like shit.

"Come on.", Merlin said, after he paid the driver and went ahead to show Arthur where they were going this time.
'There' was a very large building. Made entirely of glass. Or was it just one side of the facade. Hard to say when you could only see the one side.
"What the hell is that?", Arthur asked. Mesmerized by the whole thing. That shit was either magic or expensive as hell.
Merlin smiled. "It's where we live.", he said amused.

"In that thing?", Arthur asked, failing to hide his shock. The building was larger then the castle of Camelot. And looked far too complicated to be build by only men.

Merlin grinned. "We have an apartment in there. Best part about being immortal: you have all the time in the world to get a lot of money. You and I did some business in the past. Now we have a whole bunch of money to spend on apartments and houses. We have a house in almost every part of the land. And some other countries too. 
You don't need to worry about a thing. Now come on."

What about this life was 'simple'?

With that they entered the building. The doors opened by themselves! 
"Magic.", Arthur whispered, more to himself than to Merlin. But Merlin laughed anyway. He seemed to laugh a lot more than in Arthur's time, now that he thought about it.
He looked... free?
"Yeah, no. I told you. People don't believe in magic nowadays. I'm pretty sure I'm the last warlock left."
Merlin sighed. Something sad mixed into his happy expression. 
Arthur blinked as he realized how much these reactions bothered him already. This feeling was not knew to him. He had that reaction in his own time on multiple occasions.
Merlin always looked as though he was hiding something. This Merlin however, Arthur knew this Merlin would answer him any question he had. He was expressing himself more, it seemed. He also seemed much more certain of himself.
So Arthur followed him through the bluish room into some kind of metallic box. What was it with people and their random magical boxes?
Without further explanation, Merlin pressed a button and the door closed shut. Panic rose within Arthur as the box started to rumble. He reached for his sword that wasn't there, trying to steady himself as they went up up up. Or was it down? Arthur couldn't tell. The room had no windows. And if Merlin kept watching him with that amused smile, arms crossed, trying to stifle a laugh, Arthur didn't notice until the door open once more.
With wide eyes, Arthur stared, as the room seemed almost identical to the one they had entered, but the sight out the windows was entirely different.
No one could get that high up in such a short time. Not even with stairs!
"Merlin, what is going on?" How did they get here? Did they fly? Was that a metal dragon? He didn't say, because he knew his lack of knowledge was embarrassing at best. Really, after this whole concept of time travel, he shouldn't be so surprised.

"It's called a lift, Arthur. Or an elevator, if you so will. We could have used the stairs. But we live on the top floor. That's too far up to walk.
So, come on. I'll show you our room."

Arthur didn't fail to notice that Merlin kept saying "we" and "our" and "us" whenever he referred to his living quarters. 
It made something itch in his blood. Like Merlin was trying to tell him he belonged here. That they belonged together. It was a bit much for him. 
Arthur was used to be ignored by his father. To be overlooked by the people he loved most. He's never been told he belonged anywhere. He was always reminded that he had a responsibility. Or, how his grandmother had said it, he had no life of his own. As his life belonged to the people of Camelot.

He's always had a responsibility and he still does. But here he was. And Merlin offering him a place to stay. To be. To live. He offered him time. Freedom. Space. Opportunities.
Apparently love too, but Arthur wasn't quite sure what to think about that yet. In fact that last one bothered him quite a bit.
He wasn't even sure if he was supposed to run from him or if he should let things develop on their own. Merlin seemed to know what he was talking about. What he wanted from Arthur. He also seemed to know exactly what he would get. 
Apart from the kiss – he hadn't forced himself on Arthur. And that seemed to have been a misunderstanding, too.

Since they had some kind of "open relationship" as Merlin called it, Arthur trusted that Merlin would treat him respectfully. Would respect his choices. He must, if he allowed Arthur to step out of their relationship.
'We're not even together.', Arthur reminded himself, even though he knew this was apparently the future.
It was all so confusing. He didn't have any feelings for Merlin. And it didn't help, when his mind said 'yet' to that.
Merlin took off his jacket, as the door to the apartment closed behind them. To reveal a shirt with a skull on it. Arthur blinked at the sight. 
He'd seen colored shirts like this on the street, but hadn't had the chance to actually appreciate their designs.
It almost distracted him enough to not notice the whole mess that this place was in. 
Some kind of organized mess. Books and something that looked like parchments were spilled all around. It couldn't be parchments, though, because they were much too white and clean cut to be that. Also too thin.

"Say, Merlin. Doesn't this world have cabins?"
Merlin snorted at his comment, as he picked up some of the square parchment rolls and folded them. He FOLDED them! Arthur nearly hit Merlin for that. Parchment was EXPENSIVE as hell. You didn't just BREAK it!

Merlin shrugged as he made room on the couch for Arthur, where even more books and even clothes hung around without a care in the world. 
"Nah, I'm just messy.", Merlin said, shrugging. He went to put the books up a shelve that had more than just books in it. There were small objects on there, too.

"What are those?", Arthur asked, as he followed Merlin to the shelf, to pick up some kind of golden goblet.
"Gifts. From you. From where you traveled. From where our future or past selves traveled."

"How many are there?", Arthur asked in wonder. Because he now noticed the entire room was filled with these useless objects.

"I don't know. I never counted them.", Merlin shrugged once more, leaving Arthur behind to pick up another few books. Some laundry too.
Arthur nodded slightly, still staring at these wondrous objects.

Then he remembered that this was a dream and nothing more. 
Whatever his mind was telling him. Asking him to do – preparing him for something. Arthur had no clue. But when he looked out the giant window to look over the city that was about as giant as his own kingdom – if not bigger – he decided that maybe all his mind wanted to give him was some peace and quiet.

"You can go and look around if you want. I'll sleep on the couch tonight. Should you be confused or – well – if you don't know where or how to use the bathroom. - Don't hesitate to ask."

Arthur turned to look at him. Wondering what that even meant. What the hell was a bathroom? Was it a whole room just to bath in?
Not even Arthur had that in his own chambers at home. They brought the bathtub to him. And the water. And the soap. And the towels.
"You're letting me sleep in your bed?", Arthur's asked. Then he wondered, if they had any servants. If they were as rich as Merlin implied, then surely they had servants, right?

Merlin shot him another grin. "Unless you want to share?", he said. With a serious kind of sarcasm that made Arthur chuckle in discomfort.
"Oh come on, Arthur.", Merlin rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like I'm going to jump you. I was joking. You're not ready for that yet. I know that. It's fine. Take however much time you need."
This time, Merlin put his hand on Arthur's shoulder, squeezing it, while sending him a reassuring smile.

It wasn't reassuring at all. Because the implication was that at some point, Arthur WOULD share a bed with Merlin. With his servant.
It was expected of him. It was the kind of pressure that builds up over time. And the seeds were already taking root in his mind.
Merlin sighed. "Arthur. Calm down."

When had Arthur started breathing so hard? This was ridiculous. This was just a dream. His own dream. Why was he feeling so powerless all of a sudden? He was the prince of Camelot!
For god's sake, he should be calmer about this. He shouldn't be so worked up about it!
But all of this was so much! The new sights, the headache from getting tortured in that magic box, the travel from the ground towards the top of a tower in only a few seconds, the idea of being in love with MERLIN of all people... The not knowing if this was real or not. Knowing he would die, once he woke up, not knowing if this was something his mind desperately wanted him to understand.
It just... it was overwhelming.
If Uther were to plan an arranged marriage, that would be one thing. That would be duty, that would have a purpose. But what Merlin was implying - was love. 
Real love. How could he expect any of that from Arthur? Arthur had never been in love before. Not really at least. He didn't count Sophia. 
He didn't even know what love was for god's sake. 
Arthur was panicking about literally nothing. Why was he panicking? Stop panicking!

"Arthur! Arthur. Calm down. Calm – come on sit down.", Merlin guided him to the couch. Slowly, carefully. With a calm voice as though they had done this many times before.
Arthur complied, if only because his legs were about to give out. 
Oh, how he wished to say that this was the result of being confronted with a new strange world. What would he give to pretend this was about the fact that he left Camelot in peril. The dead knight waiting to lift his sword above Arthur's head and nothing more than the imminent promise of certain death.
But no. He was panicking because of – love. Because of Merlin. Because Merlin loved him and expected Arthur to love him back. If not now, then in the future.
"Arthur – listen to me carefully. Breath with me."

Breathing, right. Air. What was air again? Arthur continued to comply. Waiting for Merlin to do something weird. To come too close or go away entirely. Both options that Arthur couldn't bare right now. Merlin did neither. He just waited for Arthur to match his breath.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?", Merlin asked, trying to read Arthur as though he had done so several times.
Arthur opened his mouth. Unsure how to voice any of this in front of the man himself. It was frustrating. And embarrassing. Arthur felt shame, he felt fear, and he didn't want to hurt Merlin.
"You're not panicking because of me are you?", Merlin asked. Suddenly he looked like he remembered something.
"You do know that I'm a sorcerer, right? You hinted at it at the coffee shop. Is that it? Should I – I can not use it if it bothers you so much.", Merlin suggested and Arthur felt the sudden desire to pummel him. No. This was not about the magic. Though, Arthur felt another pang in his gut area, it probably should be.

But this was a dream. And dream magic was not dangerous. Hadn't been so far. At least Arthur wanted to believe that.

Arthur opened his mouth again. As he very intelligible explained: "You love me." God Arthur had not wanted to say it like that.
Merlin froze, his eyes widening.
"Yes I do. We already talked about this." Then he seemed to remember that too. "Oh. Right. You told me about that. In another life. You're panicking because....
Oh, Arthur. I was joking before. I'm not expecting you to fall in love with me."

Arthur looked up incredulously at that. "You literally told me that we are a thing! How can you NOT expect it to happen, when you already have memories of it!"

Merlin sighed, but smiled, as Arthur's breathing finally calmed at Merlin's promise. And oh, how Arthur held on to that promise.
"Yes I do. But, Arthur. I don't exactly know if when. And I won't force you to feel anything for me. It's going to take a lot of time. The Arthur that loves me is not you. I will wait for HIM.
You literally have all the time in the world to decide what you feel. 
To even start feeling at all. You are so much younger than me right now. You must realize that you're barely 21, while I'm already over a thousand years old!
What I feel for you and what you feel for me are two entirely different things. Our feelings develop on entirely different timelines! 
I have memories of you being in love with me. That implies that it happens at some point or another. It doesn't say that you have to feel that way right now. And it doesn't mean that you will be forced into it. And I promise you, I have never forced you to feel anything for me.

I won't do anything that you don't approve of. Just like I know you won't do anything that I don't approve of. You never did."

"But Brian said -", Arthur tried weakly.

Merlin laughed. "Brian always tries to set me up with someone. He does that all the time. Don't listen to him. What is or isn't between us is between us. No one else has a say in it.
By the way, he knows NOTHING about our relationship. It's far too complicated for people to understand who can't even believe in magic."

"You said we're in an open relationship.", Arthur commented, finally feeling himself calm down a little.
"Yeah. Only for Gwen and Freya, as far as I know. Don't worry your big head over things that haven't even happened. Take your time. I have always been your friend first, and I will not change that now.", he smiled. 
And silence settled over them for a few moments.

"I thought you are my servant."

Merlin grinned, almost nostalgic at that. "Yeah. I guess, at this point, the two of us aren't even friends yet, are we? Maybe try seeing me for who I am, before you decide what you feel."

Arthur stared at him with unblinking eyes. And then said something he had never thought he's ever say out loud.
"We are friends."
It was a small thing to admit, all things considered, but the admission fell heavy from his shoulders.

That alone send Merlin's eyes glistening with something that remained unsaid. "I'll go work on my school project now. You can watch me or sleep or – whatever you want. Just don't wander off on your own. I'm afraid I may not find you, if you do."

Merlin shot him another smile. And for the first time since they were in the coffee shop, Arthur found himself looking into Merlin's eyes. Well, not looking, he had looked before. He was seeing them for the first time. 
They were dark blue. How had he not known that before? Or was this a dream thing?
He exhaled a deep breath, before he nodded and Merlin ruffled his head. A gesture that usually happened in the reverse. Maybe, Merlin had picked it up from Arthur. He felt that he didn't mind it all that much.
It felt less lovey dovey and more like Merlin reminded him of their impossible age difference.
Like he adored him.

On the desk sat yet another giant box. Flat, like a painting, but it radiated light. 
And whatever Merlin did had the pictures moving and talking. Not that Arthur knew what he was following there with his distracted mind.
Eventually, it all lulled him in.

The clicking sounds of whatever Merlin was doing pulled at Arthur's mind. Forcing him in and out of his thoughts. 
So Arthur curled up on the couch further, hugging himself within a blanket that lay scattered on the floor in front of him. 
Arthur had to think. He had to breath. And he had to consider what to do next.
Because, hours were passing by. Despite all that Merlin said about time being irrelevant in here, Arthur couldn't forget about the knight that was waiting to kill him. 
Arthur couldn't be entirely certain that the time thing was real, even though he wanted it to be.
And he did have to face the knight eventually. But if it was true and he could live a whole life here, then going back now would be wasting his opportunities. He would be shortening his life for no reason.
At some point, Arthur fell asleep. And if he dreamed something – then Arthur didn't remember what it was.