//Author's Note: I do not own Merlin or the characters that are in the show. I do not own any of the song lyrics that are mentioned. Any sentences between "//" and "\\" mean it is I, the author, speaking or making a comment. Some of the story details in the beginning are inspired by a mix of other Merthur stories. Besides that, the plot is mind. I don't own most of the characters.
Gwaine is alive because he is my special bean and he deserves to live.
Also featuring Percival x Gwaine
This is a sort of Modern AU. Basically, it's a fan fiction of what I think would be season 6 of Merlin, if it were to continue.\\
"You're leaving so soon?" An unexpected voice spoke from behind the warlock.
Merlin turned to face Gwaine. He had a sad look on his face. Pretty much everyone in Camelot was upset about the death of King Arthur but Merlin was one of the most affected by the king's death. He had been the one there when he died, after all. Merlin just wasn't himself anymore. Not without Arthur. Not without a purpose.
The raven-haired man gave a small smile to his friend, "I'll be back, Gwaine. I promise."
"Good. It'll be no fun without you around," the drunkard whined.
Merlin shook his head. "You'll survive."
"I always do," Gwaine grinned.
"Besides, you have every other knight to fool around with."
Gwaine pouted, "they're not as fun as you."
A small laugh. "Goodbye, Gwaine."
With a last glance at one of his best friends, Merlin started the long journey ahead of him. But the promise Merlin gave was broken. For Merlin couldn't return. How could he? He had lost too much in Camelot. His job was complete as was his destiny. Merlin wasn't able to bring himself to go back to Camelot and before he knew it, the kingdom was gone. Everything he once knew was gone.
~~
"Merlin! Come on! We're gonna be late!"
"We're already late, Katie!"
"And we are getting more late each second you spend in there," came the response.
The bathroom door opened to reveal a young, black haired man standing inside. He wore a red shirt with a brown, leather jacket and a blue neckerchief. The young woman standing on the other side of the door burst out laughing.
"You look ridiculous!" She laughed. "Where did you even get those clothes?"
Merlin crossed his arms over his chest, an annoyed but loving smile on his face. "I dunno. I'm not even sure why I have these," he said honestly, shaking his head.
Katie laughed wildly. "Well. You definitely look like you'll fit in at the fair."
"If we ever get there," Merlin snickered.
"Right! Let's get going. I really don't wanna be late. Not that we already are, but still."
Together, Katie and Merlin made their way out of Merlin's small home to Katie's car. They were on their way to King Rick's Fair, a medieval themed place where people would go, dress up like they did back then and pretend they're from that time. Katie had convinced Merlin to go with her and meet up with her friends. She had said that he really needed to get out more often.
Merlin, Katie had noticed, wasn't very sociable. He mostly kept to himself but was a rather lovable person.
Katie had met Merlin for the first time when she went over to her boyfriend Jim's house when Merlin was babysitting Jim's younger sister Nicole.
"I find it outrageous that you have clothes like these up in that attic of yours but I don't find it surprising," Katie said as they walked out to the GMC.
Merlin chuckled, "the attic of mysteries." The young man looked over at his friend, "you got your wand?" He asked.
Katie held up a decorated wand.
"Snape's wand?"
"Snape's wand," Katie confirmed with a huge grin on her face.
Katie is a huge geek. She loves the Harry Potter series and absolutely adores the character Snape. The only reason Katie is so eager to go to this fair is because there is a Harry Potter-themed day, and it's today.
Katie wore a Hufflepuff Hogwarts school uniform and it looked rather good on her.
"We'll be meeting Jim and Colie there, I presume?" Merlin asked once buckled into the car.
Katie nodded as the car started up. "Yes we will."
Once the car was all started up, Katie pulled out her phone and synced it with the car. She turned to Merlin. "Your song, my album, or shuffle?" She gave him the three choices.
Merlin replied immediately, "shuffle."
Music from Katie's phone started to play through the car's radio. Both Merlin and Katie listened as the song began and prepared themselves for a long car ride of singing along.
Merlin relaxed in his seat as he quickly recognized the song. Katie had made Merlin watch so many musicals that were on VideoTube. Most, if not all, of them were from a certain group that made a whole bunch of musicals. The group was called Team MoonShoes.
//If you know, you know ;) \\
The song that first came up was a villain song from the musical Spacecraft.
"You gotta kick it up a notch," Merlin and Katie both began to sing, right in sync with the male voice coming from the radio. "If you're ever gonna reach your goal, you can't sit around and watch- your destiny is in your control. Go 'head and kick it up a notch if your life is at a level too low."
Katie pulled out of Merlin's driveway, leaving the small, one floored house of Merlin's behind.
"There's no attempt that you can botch when all you gotta do is just give it a go, but then again what do I know? What I see right there is a prisoner- who's sitting on top of the key! So kick it up a notch if you ever wanna be free..."
Both of them pause as three other voices come into the song. After a few lyrics, they start up again. "Life is short so- before it's over, take a chance and think it through! You'd better kick it up a notch. It's the human thing to do..."
The song eventually ended. Katie and Merlin both had large smiles on their faces. After a few more songs, they came across a sadder song that didn't match the moods of the other songs they had heard so far.
"If I believed in wishes
As silly as it seems
I'd find that hidden cave
Turn back the sands of time
And save you
If I believed in dreams
If I believed in magic
If I believed in good
I'd be the best vizier
I'd make our troubles disappear
If I believed I could
But wishes are dreams
And dreams are pretend
So science and reason win out in the end
Science says you're dead and gone forever
Reason says I'm talking to the air
But something in my heart
Some secret, hidden part
Illogically insists that you are there
Somewhere
If I believe in wishes
If I can find the key
Perhaps it's not too late to change the course of fate
Cause after all I must be pretty great
If you believed in me"
Merlin felt something in his stomach sink. He had heard the song before, yet listening to it this time made something happen. Something that Merlin couldn't quite put a finger on. It felt like guilt crossed with sadness. But it just didn't make any sense.
"Merlin, you okay? You're making the face you make whenever you think something is up..." Katie looked over at her friend, concerned.
The dark haired man didn't even look up when responding "'m fine."
Katie's lips pressed into a thin line as she didn't believe Merlin. But she just shrugged it off and let him be.
The songs that no one would understand besides theater fans continued. Merlin didn't sing along to any more of them. Instead, he looked out the window, deep in thought.
Eventually, they made it to the fair. The parking lot just outside the medieval-themed "town" was busy. People were dressed up in old fashioned outfits as if they were royalty or townsfolk. Others were dressed up as Harry Potter characters.
Katie threw her arms up once she saw everyone in Harry Potter cosplay. "I have found my people!" She exclaimed loudly, throwing a grin at Merlin, who shook his head in response.
Merlin watched as his friend skipped through the parking lot. They reached the entrance to the fair and were allowed in after waiting for a few minutes.
"Let's try and find Jim and Nicole," Merlin said before Katie could get too excited from all the stuff around her.
It didn't take long for the pair to find Jim and Nicole. Jim's a tall, young man who had bright red hair. Nicole seemed tiny compared to Jim. She is a seven year old girl who stood 58 inches tall. She had the same colored hair as her brother and would always have a smile on her face.
They were dressed up as two of the Weasleys. Nicole was Ginny and Jim was a very tall Ron.
"Where do we even start?" An excited Katie asked her boyfriend and his sister as they had both been there longer.
"Might be better if we just look around and wander," Jim answered.
Katie nodded. "Let's get started then!"