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“Come on, Merlin, or we’ll be late for the tour!” Gwen shouted over her shoulder as she ran ahead of him. Merlin sighed, already regretting his decision to accompany his friend on what she deemed “A both fun and educational journey through the past…”. Her words, not his. He would rather have stayed home to continue his binge-watching of Sherlock, one of his favorite shows by BBC. “Why do we need to hurry again? It’s not like anyone’s going to be waiting for us there, or anything.” Gwen turned to him, and raised an eyebrow. “We need to hurry Merlin, because it starts at two fifteen, and I don’t want to be late.” Merlin sighed again. “Okay, okay, I’m hurrying.” “Good.” and with that, she spun back around and proceeded towards the museum. Arthur really wished he wasn’t here right now. I mean, he never liked these things. Getting dragged around by his father’s assistant, shown what to do, and how to manage his father’s company. His father, Uther Pendragon, owned most of the large franchises and buildings in the area, including the Museum of Medieval History. Which was where he was now. Morgana was his father’s assistant, who had been put in charge of showing Arthur around what would soon become his “empire”. Morgana was tall and thin, with pale skin and green eyes. Her hair was long and dark, her imposing figure intimidating to most. As totally interesting as all these explanations were though, he was steadily getting more and more annoyed. All the - “Now make sure to remember…. Your father expects you to…. This is how blah blah blah is supposed to be run... “ was really getting on his nerves. Arthur was seriously tired of being the sole inheritor of the largest enterprise in the city. The two continued on, passing through a corridor filled with paraphernalia and brochures containing information on the Renaissance. As he walked by an exhibit featuring some famous artwork, Arthur’s mind began to wander. ‘Being rich is definitely not what it’s cracked up to be. Ugh… If only I could get away for a few minutes-”Thur… Arthur, did you hear me?” Uh-oh, Morgana did not sound very happy with him. He must have zoned out for longer than he thought. “Yes, I did hear you, sorry, I was just reflecting a bit on what you said.” ‘Heh, nice save Arthur’— “Oh, really? Then what did I just say?” Morgana quirked an eyebrow. Arthur refused to acknowledge that he panicked, just a little at that. In a rare moment of inarticulateness, he said “Err, I think I just heard an alarm going off over there! I’ll go check it out!” He ran off in a random direction, wanting to get away from the soon-to-be fuming woman. Suddenly, a thought struck him. “Hey, Morgana!” He yelled over his shoulder. “Just tell my father that I wanted to see how things work on my own! You know, like taking initiative!” At that, Arthur disappeared around a corner, trying not to hear the furious shout of “Arthur!” behind him. This “tour” was crap. Merlin seriously didn’t know how Gwen was getting so much enjoyment out of it. The tour guide was this bored looking guy, who just pointed to things and said what they were in a monotonous voice. But there Gwen was, with a glint in her eyes and a smile on her face when she saw the display for women of nobility. “Oh, Merlin, are you seeing this? The women were so beautiful! Their clothes look so expensive!” Gwen turned to him,eyes sparkling to an almost blinding degree. Merlin shrugged, but couldn’t suppress a smile after seeing her expression. “You know those are just mannequins, right? The women didn’t actually look like that.” Gwen just huffed, and turned away. “Oh look, Merlin! The tour’s moving!”Merlin didn’t hear her though, as he had wandered over to a display on the knights of old. It was partially concealed by a half wall, separating the section on nobility from another corridor leading off to the side. The brunette was so engrossed by the exhibit, that he didn’t notice Gwen’s call, or the tour moving on. He kept walking, slowly moving around the knights, and closer to the royals. As he past a somewhat alarming figure of a king, he came to stop in front of a mannequin of a prince, or what they supposed a prince from the middle ages would have looked like. Hmm, it’s surprisingly handsome for a mannequin. It had a blonde wig, and painted blue eyes, and attractive features. All of a sudden, he found himself thrown into what felt like a memory.A young man with corn silk hair, and crystal blue eyes. The same man, laughing. A voice, suspiciously like his own calling out, ‘Don’t be such a clotpole!’ That man, lying in-what he supposed to be- his lap. Looking up at him; saying ‘Thank you.’ That beautiful man, the light leaving his eyes. His own tears. Merlin was jerked out of the pseudo vision - was it a vision?- by a voice to his right. “Hey, you there. Do you know what part of the museum we’re in? In relation to the entrance, I mean.” Merlin turned to see who was addressing him. His jaw dropped open when he was faced with the exact same man from his strange vision a moment ago. ‘What? The same man? That can’t be possible. No way.’ A bemused look crossed the stranger’s face. “What? Have I got something on my face?” Arthur was confused. How did he manage to get lost in —what would soon be— his museum? And now, when he’s finally found someone who can help him, they look at him like he’s grown another head! ‘Oh, come on!’ The boy he had run into was just standing there, gaping at him. He was a bit shorter than Arthur was, with dark hair and blue eyes. He had pale skin, and his ears stuck out just a bit. Arthur couldn’t help but find him cute. “What? Have I got something on my face?” That seemed to startle the other boy out of whatever daze he was in, as he shook his head, and his expression cleared. “I’m sorry, you just ah...reminded me of someone.” Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Well. I was just wondering if you knew where we were in relation to the entrance. It seems I have gotten myself a bit turned around.” He watched as the other boy suddenly looked around himself, as if just noticing where he was. “Oh bollocks!” He looked around a bit, then back at Arthur with a shocked expression before he laughed. “I’m sorry, whoever you are, but It looks like I’m lost too. My tour group seems to have left without me.”Arthur mentally face palmed. ‘Great. The one person I find, and he’s lost too. Well, at least he’s cute.’ At realising what he just thought, Arthur tried to ignore the (obvious) adorableness of the brunette in front of him. “Since we’re both stuck here for the time being, might as well introduce myself. My name’s Arthur.” Something sparked in the other boy’s eyes at that. Or was it just his imagination? Arthur studied the other boy’s face for a moment, trying to figure out why he was acting so strangely. The brunette seemed to realise that he hadn’t responded, and hurried to do so. “I - it’s nice to meet you. My name’s Merlin.” Merlin smiled sheepishly, and extended his hand to shake. Arthur nodded, and accepted his hand. ‘Merlin… Like from the tales of king Arthur? The wizard Merlin? Strange. And he had a weird look on his face when I introduced myself. And when I asked him for help earlier.’Arthur jokingly asked, “ What, like the wizard Merlin? From the fairy tales?” He tried to laugh, but it died away when he saw the small, perturbed frown on the other boy’s face. Merlin shifted, and there was something strange in his eyes. Arthur’s brow furrowed. “Uh, Merlin?” Merlin startled, looking at him with wide, icy blue eyed. He looked down, before muttering, “Yeah, something like that… “Though, weren’t the tales of King Arthur more than just fairy tales? I always thought there was something more real to them.” The brunette had looked back up at this point, and was staring directly into Arthur’s eyes. Arthur tried to deny that they had an effect on him. Arthur thought about that for a moment. “Hmm, I guess you’re right. There is something a bit different about tham, isn’t there?” And there was. Arthur had been raised not to believe in fairy tales, but he couldn’t deny that he had always found something different in King Arthur and his wizard, Merlin. Something almost familiar. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, to find the other boy, Merlin, asking him a question. “So, what do you propose we do?” Merlin looked at the blonde in front of him expectantly. When he received no immediate answer, he straightened, and said, “Arthur.” That got his attention, and Merlin watched him shake his head. “Sorry. I was just lost in thought, I suppose.” Arthur took a moment, seemingly trying to remember what Merlin had said to him, before adding, “ I’m not sure what we should do. Try walking around a bit, I guess.” He shrugged, before turning to look around at their surroundings.Merlin followed suite, and moved to stand next to Arthur. They turned to each other, seemed to come to some sort of silent agreement, and turned to one of the many hallways leading out, into the rest of the museum.
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Arthur wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. It felt strange to be lost in a place owned by his father. ‘At least I have Merlin.’ He tried to ignore the little voice inside his head, snidely telling him that he didn’t even know Merlin, and that it was weird to find such comfort in him.Arthur -ignoring the voice- found that having someone else with him helped to quell the negativity of the situation.They were currently standing in a round room, with a high, domed ceiling. They had been wandering through hallways for the past hour, peering into rooms and other corridors as they passed them. Arthur was standing towards the front of the room, where they entered. Merlin, however, was in the middle, staring up at a large stone statue of a knight on a horse. The brunette turned slightly, meeting Arthur’s eyes from across the room.“Just how large is this museum, exactly?” The question came as somewhat of a surprise to Arthur, who was expecting something different. Merlin turned back to the statue, resuming his study of it.For once, Arthur wished he had cared to listen to any of the things Morgana or his father had told him. He didn’t know. He relayed this to Merlin.Arthur’s temporary companion sighed. “Well, at least we know that it’s bloody huge.” Merlin said, turning back to face him, and taking a few steps forward. Arthur looked down, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry I don’t know anything helpful.” He glanced back up, and was surprised to see a smile curling Merlin’s lips. His face must have betrayed his confusion, because Merlin laughed.“Hey,” the brunette said, “It’s fine, at least we’ve got each other, right?” Merlin’s hopeful expression, coupled with his optimism, was welcoming to Arthur. He smiled back, and moved past Merlin to look at the statue. There was a plaque in front of the statue, and it read: A symbol of the noble knights of Camelot. These knights are told to have been brave and humble, their noble deeds recognized by all. Arthur studied it, and looked back up at the knight on his horse. It was very detailed, showing even faint scars on the face, and tension in the brows.Merlin stood next to him, and brought him out of his musings with a question. “It seems familiar somehow, doesn’t it? I don’t know what it is but…” Merlin trailed off, still looking up at the knight. It did. It did seem familiar, and Arthur wanted desperately to know why.The pair left the room with the domed ceiling and the statue of the knight. They had gone through so many different rooms and hallways, both agreeing that they should have found some sort of exit, or restricted ‘ Employees Only’ section by now. Neither had had any more strange visions (memories?) and they were exhausted.After another while of walking,they came across a room with a clock. It read 5:43, and upon seeing it, Arthur groaned. Merlin looked at him, concerned, and asked what was wrong. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” Arthur exclaimed, turning towards him. Anxiety made his face scrunch up, and worry was clear in his eyes. “The museum closes in seventeen minutes, and we’re nowhere near finding the exit!”Arthur was obviously very distressed. He was panicking, and he was scared that they would end up stuck in this place indefinitely. Merlin was quick to try and placate him.“Hey… hey! It’ll be alright. Surely someone will patrol around, if not tonight, then in the morning, right?” Merlin was hopeful. Someone would find them, they had to. When Arthur shook his head ‘no’, he deflated. “The museum is closed tomorrow, Merlin, No one will be here in the morning, and even if someone did come around tonight, we have no way of knowing that they’d check here, or anywhere besides the main hall.”Merlin wasn’t sure what to say to that, that much was obvious. Arthur couldn’t help feeling guilty, though he knew he had no real reason to. Nevertheless, he wanted to something, anything, to make Merlin feel better about this situation they were stuck in. He took a moment to think of something, come up with an idea.“...Hey Merlin, come sit with me.” Arthur had decided. He walked over to a wall near them, and sat down. At Merlin’s questioning look, he patted the floor next to him. When Merlin hesitated still, he added, “Look, we obviously don’t know where we’re going, and if we keep wandering around aimlessly, we’ll either end up going in circles, or we’ll pass up anyone who might actually still be here.” He sighed. “I figure the best we can do is just sit tight in one spot, and wait it out.”Merlin seemed to consider this, giving in. Sliding down the wall to sprawl next to Arthur, he sighed. “What are we going to do, Arthur? I mean, It’s been fun getting to know you, and this will be an interesting story to tell one day, but we have no food. No water. And it will be like this ‘till day after tomorrow.” Merlin seemed almost unsure about his next words. “ I’m scared, Arthur. I know it’s stupid and silly, and we’ll probably only be here another day, but I’m scared. I just can’t help it. Gwen will have gone home by now, and doubtless she’s worried about me. But other than her, no one will know that I’m missing, or have any idea as to where I am.”After this outburst, Merlin fell silent. Arthur wasn’t sure what to think. He didn’t think Merlin silly for being scared. He was scared too. But he was determined not to dwell on it. They would be out of here after tomorrow, after all. Sure they might be hungry and thirsty, but they weren’t alone, and Arthur took that to be a blessing.It was with these thoughts that Arthur and Merlin sat, silent in the corridor, until the lights went out, signalling the final closing of the museum. Although they knew it couldn’t be much later than seven, neither boy could help feeling tired. They had spent the better part of the day wandering the museum, and they were exhausted.In the quiet darkness of Arthur’s father’s museum, the two boys succumbed to sleep.
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Merlin woke to the sound of tapping feet. Eyes bleary, he yawned and stretched his arms out above his head. Blinking away sleep, he looked up at the source of the tapping. It was Arthur, eyes darting about, practically bouncing from foot to foot. "Arthur," Merlin started, "What--another yawn--What are you doing?" Arthur looked down, the bounce-tapping stopping as he considered the question. After a moment, he seemed to remember his plight and grimaced. "Oh nothing, Merlin. I just really have to piss after a whole day and night of no bathroom." Merlin snorted, and eyes smiling, he slowly stood up, before offering Arthur his hand. "Well, let's go find it, then."A short time later, the duo finally stumbled upon a bathroom. The door, of course, was locked. "Great!" Arthur all but roared, "It's locked! Better face the other way, Merlin, I'm about to just go on the wall!" Merlin, startled, barked out a laugh. "Wait! I've-I've got a pin here somewhere!" He started digging around in his pockets and reaching behind him for the back of his shirt. After a few moments of stumbling around, he pulled something out, and shouted, triumphant.Merlin grinned and turned to the bathroom door. "See, Arthur? I found it!" He held up the pin for Arthur to see, and proceeded to stick it into the lock, messing about with it. After some moments of absolutely nothing, Arthur was ready to actually just pee on the wall. Just as he undid the button on his pants, a small click sounded from the door, and Merlin turned to him, grinning. " I did it! Look, Arthur! The door's open." Arthur couldn't help but smile back, Merlin's joy contagious.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After the 'Hilarious Bathroom Incident' (as Merlin dubbed it) the two returned to their previous hallway, deciding (unspoken) that after something so personal as using the bathroom, they were comfortable enough around each other to talk about themselves. They shared with each other their pasts, their families, their hardships, and their dreams. Hours passed by without them even noticing, and after some time spent sitting in that hallway, they got up to explore the museum some more.The second to last vision to occur to either of them came around noon. The pair was inspecting --on Arthur's part, Merlin was entranced-- an exhibit depicting the burial of ancient knights on the battleground, a sword stuck in a mound of earth - grown over with plant life - the fallen soldier's helmet hanging on the hilt. As Merlin gazed upon the sword, flashes of blonde hair and blue flashed once more through his mind. He started, having forgotten the strange vision he had seen before. Confused and bewildered, he turned to admire the nearby exhibits, leaving Arthur standing in front of the sword.Unbeknownst to Merlin, Arthur had succumbed to a similar vision to the one he (Merlin) had before; one of dark, dark hair, eyes that glowed gold, and words whispered in a language he had never heard before. All of a sudden, his name was called, and the vision drifted slowly away, the beautiful smiles fading, and the bright joyous laughter ringing empty around his skull. Arthur jerked back, shocked out of his momentary trance, and he mourned the loss of those sweet memories--memories? yes, that seems right-- as they were all but obliterated from his mind. "Arthur!" was called again, and the man in question turned to the source of the call. Merlin was standing in the doorway to the room they were in, looking for all the world like a miracle had just occurred. He had a giddy, almost unbelieving smile on his face, and was gesturing wildly for Arthur to come closer. "Come on! I thought I heard someone! They must be coming to get us." Arthur did what he was bid, and came to stand in the doorway. It did indeed sound like someone was coming to get them, as faint voices were heard from some distance away.Arthur was overjoyed, he was going to be able to go home, take a shower, and forget this ever happened. But... did he want to forget? He looked over at Merlin, who was still staring expectantly down the hall. Merlin... A shiver ran up his spine, and suddenly--he remembered.
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Arthur's mind was swarmed with memories--memories he was sure he shouldn't have; until they all clicked into place. Of course, he should have these memories. They were his. His from the past; long, long in the past. And Merlin! Merlin was in them! Sweet, wonderful Merlin! Oh, he couldn't fathom how he had forgotten; he had been a King--a great King, all thanks to Merlin.His face must have betrayed his confusing mix of emotions because he was pulled out of his reverie by Merlin. The other boy looked confused, and a bit worried. "Arthur, ar-are you alright?" When he received no response, he tried again, "Arthur?" That spurred a response and the newly restored Arthur turned to him. Upon laying eyes on the dark-haired boy, Arthur's breath caught. There he is...Merlin. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he tried to wrap his head around what was happening."Merlin? What--it's you." Merlin stared up at him, concern present in his eyes, even as his mouth laughed. "Of course it's me, who else would it be?" Arthur was at a loss for words. Did Merlin remember him? Did he know? "Merlin, I-do you--" Merlin tried to understand what he was saying, confusion prominent on his face. But before Arthur could complete his thought, shouting voices were heard, and Merlin spun around to face the hall. Around a corner came over a dozen people, among them Morgana, and what he assumed to be a group of security personnel. The oncoming group spotted them at once, and the shouting increased in volume and frequency. Merlin took off like a shot, towards a girl in the throng he could only guess was Gwen. Arthur tried in vain to grab Merlin's arm, desperate to see if he remembered, or if he could get him to remember, but Merlin was out of reach, running to his friend as Morgana and the security team surrounded him.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMerlin didn't know what had happened. It had all gone by so fast; one moment he was staring up at Arthur's face--a face so full of emotion he thought it was going to burst-- and the next, he was outside of the museum, squinting up at the glaring sun. Gwen was next to him, worrying and fussing over him, trying to make sure "For sure" that he was alright. A thought occurred to him. "Gwen," she stopped her fussing and looked at him, "Gwen, where's Arthur?" She looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on her. "Oh, you mean that boy you were stuck with? He's right over there," she pointed in another direction. "He wasn't mean to you, was he? Because if he was, I have a few words for him." She rolled up her sleeves and started steadfastly toward the blonde. Merlin only barely managed to catch her. "No! No, he wasn't mean to me. He didn't hurt me, Gwen, really. It's just, it's just I was thinking, about the museum, and-and there's something missing. He must have seen something or something, Gwen--his face..." Merlin didn't complete his thought, too focused on Arthur and the thing that was missing. He left Gwen and started towards the blonde, certain that he would the missing something with him. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, he reached him. "Arthur-" He started but was cut off by a man suddenly shoving him aside. He saw Arthur look towards him; to see who had called his name, and his (Arthur's) eyes widened when he saw what was happening."Hey! Don't shove him! That's Merlin! He was with me in the museum!" The man--security, probably--issued an awkward apology before backing off. Arthur turned back to Merlin, an expectant, almost hopeful look on his face. "What? What is it, Merlin? What do you need?" Merlin shuffled his feet, not quite sure what to say. "Arthur, what happened in there? What changed? You-you have something that I don't." When Arthur offered nothing but bewilderment, Merlin grew frustrated. His hands came up in a jumble of confused, irritated gestures as he tried desperately to communicate his thoughts. "I mean--you, your face-- it was different." Arthur was obviously still confused, but he seemed to be getting something. After a moment of tense waiting (on Merlin's part, Arthur was just focused), he seemed to make some connection as understanding dawned on his face. "Oh," he said, "I remembered." Merlin didn't get it. "What? You remembered what?" Arthur smiled, then, and it nearly knocked Merlin off his feet. "I remembered you."xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMerlin looked both shocked and confused. Inside, Arthur's heart fell a little. He didn't seem to be remembering. He sighed. "Anyways, Merlin. I'm glad we got out. I'm glad you were there too, so I didn't have to be alone. Thank you." Arthur smiled again- a little bitterly this time -and turned to start walking away. He didn't see the blank look on Merlin's face that quickly turned to shock, then blinding clarity. He couldn't see the rush of emotion, the crazed thoughts running through the other's head. All he could see was the ground in front of him, and Morgana waiting a few meters away. But-- he did hear Merlin call his name, and he did hear the sound of feet on pavement, and he felt the arms wrap around his middle. And he felt more than heard the muffled, "I remember-" and the wet warmth of tears soaking through the back of his shirt. He could feel it when his world slid into place.