The year: 921

[Location unknown]
Camelot,
Albion

[Merlin's POV]

The fact that Morgana couldn't hear my thoughts (if I didn't want her to) brought me much-needed joy; the revelation was like a silver lining to a dark cloud hanging over my existence. 

It's another matter that this tiny ray of joy, this silver lining, went up in smoke a moment later when Morgana turned around. 

I thanked the powers-that-be for not possessing a mortal body at the moment because if I did, the raging inferno in Morgana's eyes would have undoubtedly made me sweat. And that was something I could do without, especially since I was sharing such a confined space with her. 

Morgana was a lady. Born to be a queen and raised like a princess, where I was a nobody, not even worthy of being the carpet she walked on. 

Even now, after enduring everything that her actions and mine had put her through, Morgana hadn't once looked or acted like a commoner. Her every movement was graceful, breathtakingly so.

If I still possessed a body, I would probably have felt my cheeks burn at this moment. I dared a glance at the woman who had made my heart trip and skip beats since the day I had first laid eyes on her. I guess some things never change. 

No sooner did our eyes meet than a doubt crept inside. Had I rejoiced too soon? "Did you perhaps hear-"

"Tell me that you thought it in jest. If it's true, I will-" Morgana stopped abruptly. Narrowing her eyes, she looked through me- given our present predicament, it was not that difficult. 

"Merlin, who is that?" she asked. Her eyes which held anger moments ago, now brimmed with confusion and curiosity. 

I swirled on the spot and followed Morgana's line of sight. There, right in front of the invisible entrance to my hideout, stood a boy. He looked familiar, but as to where I had seen him, I couldn't say. His costume was brilliant gray, a shade I had never seen before. His clothes seemed out of place, and so did his boots. 

However, the most curious thing about him was that he wore an emerald amulet eerily similar to mine around his neck.

The boy stared at me as if I was a puzzle he needed to put together. His dark eyes met mine, his pupils dilated, but before I could confront him- just as mysteriously as he had appeared- he vanished. 

"Did you see that? I thought I saw..." Morgana trailed off. She wasn't someone who left her sentences unfinished. It struck me as odd. 

When I faced her again, I found her staring at me; something akin to awe swam in her gray eyes. 

"Merlin, that was you." Her voice was barely a whisper, but it had no trouble reaching me. She leaned towards me till only a few inches separated us and asked, "What kind of magic is this? Who taught it to you?"

That's when it hit me. The boy looked like me, but I was sure he wasn't me. I had never donned such brilliant colors and had thankfully never come across such unsightly-fashioned clothing. Arms naked from the elbow down and pants that left nothing below his knees to the imagination. Moreover, even if I owned it, I would not be caught dead in such delicate-looking boots, which gave the impression that they would not last a day in the palace, let alone these deep dark woods. Also, hadn't Morgana seen the belly on him? 

"That was not me," I replied. The rusty wheels in my mind turned, trying to understand what Morgana and I had witnessed. 

"It wasn't?" The disappointment in her question was tangible.

I shook my head. "No." 

The once-sweetheart of Camelot sighed, "It was stupid of me to assume that it was you. Must be a trick of light." She fell silent, then, after a moment of calm, her eyes snapped up; fixing me with a cold gaze, she asked, "Merlin, did you really trap us here and throw away the key!?"

I gulped air, "Well, I didn't throw it away. I just flung it towards Arnica."

Morgana crossed her arms over her middle and pursed her lips, "You gave the key to your freedom...our freedom, to a bird!?"

"She is a mighty eagle. A very resourceful and intuitive-" I tried to stand up in Arnica's defense, but the lady, who had inched closer to me without notice, slapped the back of my head. It shut me up for good.

Obviously, her assault didn't hurt me physically. I could not say the same for my ego, though.

"An eagle is a bird, Merlin! Do you realize what you have done!?" Morgana pursed her lips and shook her head. I waited for her to go on, but she fell silent and turned away. 

Morgana was right. By assuming she intended to kill me, I had misjudged her. It had landed us in a terrible situation. 

And had it not been for Akurra's appearance- on the same spot that my lookalike had left moments ago- I would have continued cursing my stupidity.

"Akurra?" Morgana's voice was a whisper. Her lips quivered. "It can't be-" She glanced at me and fell silent. I caught her eyes and shook my head, gesturing to her to hold her peace. She complied and kept her gaze on me for further instructions. 

I couldn't comprehend why the serpent I had been communicating with for most of my adult life seemed different. There was none of the gentle playfulness (which I am afraid I had come to love) in his fiery red eyes. Raising its head, it scanned the vicinity. It slithered closer to the oak tree and flared its nostrils, making the leaves around its girth dance. 

"Curious. Very curious." Akurra mused. It didn't sound like him at all. Lifting its spiky olive tail, which could cover the length and width of my chamber and then some, it smirked. "Merlin, I am sure I sensed you lurking here just now. Where did you go, huh?" 

Eyes glowing, it opened its jaw and breathed fire, burning everything to the ground except the tree Morgana and I were trapped in. 

The serpent laughed. "It's only a matter of time, Merlin. Sooner or later, I will find you, and when I do-" It left the sentence hanging, watching the devastation caused by its fiery breath with satisfaction. As the last embers lost their heat, Akurra curled around itself and disappeared into a green cloud of smoke.