Merlin fic: The Turning Point (Final Part)
Part 1 | Part 2
Word Count for this part: 2,939
A Golden Future
Arthur woke up in his bed. The cloak was still on him, so he removed it. He folded it carefully. After climbing out of bed, he set it aside on top of his wooden chest. He felt the need to treat the Cloak of Invisibility with reverence. Its powerful magic had prevented Death from taking him after all.
He could tell from the sunlight coming through the windows that it was early morning.
Looking to his bedside table, he saw the golden box Artemis had gifted him was still there.
“Hello, Arthur,” one of Merlin’s echoes appeared as Nathan had said one would.
Arthur guessed that this echo was Edmund at ten years old, the same age he had been in the portrait.
“Edmund, right?” Arthur asked. The boy nodded. “You’re here for the cloak?”
“Yes. I’m glad your encounter with Mercy went all right,” Edmund noted. He walked over to collect the cloak before Arthur could get it for him.
“She started crying,” Arthur remarked.
“Oh well, she does that a lot. It wasn’t you. She just--”
“-gets lonely sometimes?” Arthur finished, recalled what Mercy had said to him.
Edmund nodded, shrugging. “Nathan’s the only one who doesn’t get anxious around her. He visits her every so often,” he told him.
Of course, only an immortal man would visit the specter of Death with no fear of the encounter, Arthur thought.
“Who owns that cloak anyway? Nathan said he borrowed it.”
Edmund looked down at the cloak in his hands, smoothing down the material reflexively. “It’s a family heirloom. It has been passed down for generations within that family. Ignotus Peverell was the one who made the cloak. As you can expect, he was a remarkably powerful sorcerer to have created such an extraordinary cloak. He’s the youngest brother in that story Mercy told you about. The brother who lived a long life and only then did he shed his Invisibility Cloak. The story’s a bit of a fairy tale, but Ignotus was a real person. I should know. I met him,” he put in, smiling fondly. “Fascinating man, Ignotus was.”
“So who owns the cloak now?” Arthur was curious to know.
“Oh it’s in the Potter family now. Surnames change over the years, of course. Harry Potter is the cloak’s current owner.”
“Hermione’s husband?”
“That’s the one,” Edmund confirmed. “Oh, and Nathan wanted to tell you that it’s best to not tell your Merlin too much about his future. Especially about Nathan’s immortality and his inability to age. Actually, the less you tell him, the better. You don’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Arthur’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. “But then isn’t it a bad idea that I know all this?”
“No, you were meant to go through this whole experience,” he reassured him. “Since you usually remember your past lives later in your incarnations, learning this future information isn’t detrimental to you. For me, it’s hard enough getting my memories back so early on. It would be even worse if I had such future knowledge in my original life - think how hard it would be for my first incarnation! It was difficult enough being reincarnated. That first reincarnated life would’ve been worse if I had known too much,” Edmund explained. “Your Merlin needs to go through his own journey. He’ll figure out what needs to be done. Not knowing about the future won’t hurt him, trust me,” he reassured Arthur.
Arthur nodded, still feeling uncertain, but despite that, he did have faith in Merlin. Everything would come to him in time.
Edmund moved over to the bedside table and pointed to the golden box. “What Artemis gave you - it can provide you with protection, you know. The girl who conjures the dragon is just a cover for its true purpose,” he told Arthur. “The box is like a good luck charm, a magical one.”
“She did tell me it had more than one use… but what? Do I carry it around with me?”
“Oh no. If you keep it by your bedside, then the box’ll protect you that way. When your Merlin isn’t nearby. And also, you can turn it into a ring, so you can wear it. And it’ll protect you that way as well. Artemis didn’t tell you about the protection bit because she thought you might be offended at needing magical protection. I know how prideful you can be.”
Arthur sighed. “Yes, okay. But how I can turn the box into a ring? I don’t have magic. It’s not possible,” he argued.
Edmund’s brown eyes twinkled. “Oh, but you were borne of magic. That makes the impossible a little more possible.”
He directed Arthur to touch the box and then think about the box being a golden ring.
Raising his eyebrow, still in disbelief about being capable of accomplishing such a feat, Arthur did so anyway.
Arthur was startled when the golden box did change into a ring of the same color.
Edmund looked pleased as Arthur put the ring on his finger. “See, it worked. You can turn the ring back into a box the same way you made it into a ring. Artemis created the box so that you could do that. She’s brilliant with stuff like this. The ‘Our Lady Artemis’ wasn’t her idea though. The designer she was working with insisted, and apparently he was very convincing.”
“It doesn’t seem like her,” Arthur noted. “From my short time with Artemis at least.”
“No, it’s a bit--” Edmund began.
But he was cut off when they heard a knock on the door.
“Arthur?” Merlin’s uncertain, grim-sounding voice was heard behind the door.
“Oh no!” Edmund said in a hushed whisper as Arthur told Merlin to not come in just yet. “I can’t see him. It’s like seeing a ghost.”
“You’re an echo. With your flickering act, you could be mistaken for a ghost yourself,” Arthur said reasonably.
Edmund gave him a look. “If I were a ghost, I would haunt you. You can bet on that,” he retorted.
Arthur only raised one eyebrow at him.
Shooting a nervous look at the door, Edmund continued on hurriedly, “My memories of him are one thing, but this is different. I’ve never travelled in time to actually see the original. It’s downright eerie. Especially when he’s so young.”
“Says the boy who is ten years old,” Arthur remarked, giving him a half-smile.
He frowned. “My memories make me feel older though,” Edmund protested a bit petulantly. “I’m going. Good bye, Arthur,” he said quickly as the door was being opened.
Edmund vanished, taking the Invisibility Cloak with him.
“Come in, Merlin,” Arthur beckoned him.
Merlin came into the room, carrying Arthur’s breakfast tray.
“I must be mad for coming here after last night,” Merlin remarked quietly as he set the tray down on the dining table. He looked far too pale. “Are you going to turn me in?” He asked Arthur nervously. “No guards came into my room putting me under arrest. I figured that was a positive sign,” Merlin commented idly.
Arthur walked toward him until he was within arm’s reach. “Merlin,” he began.
Merlin turned around slowly. His shoulders tensed as he looked at Arthur.
Arthur grasped Merlin’s shoulder. “After the night I’ve had, all I can say with certainty is that my head aches. But trust me when I say I’ll keep your secret. I won’t turn you in. I’ve had the night to consider the matter and that’s my final decision.”
He saw how Merlin’s face visibly relaxed. He looked so relieved. He asked Arthur curiously, “Why does your head ache? Did you not sleep well?” He wondered.
Sitting down at the table, Arthur shrugged. He decided to not reveal anything just yet. He didn’t want to make a mess of things if he went about this wrong. If Merlin was meant to learn all of this on his own terms, then Arthur would just have to let him do so.
“Yes, something like that,” Arthur said, smiling at him. “I’m sorry for breaking the dragon carving that your father gave you. I know how important it was to you. Were you able to repair it?”
Merlin shook his head sadly. “No, not yet. I think I was feeling too worried about what you would do with me that my emotions affected my magic. But I did find this by my bedside,” he confided in Arthur.
A small black dragon statue appeared in his hand. “It looks so well-made. I’m not even sure who could craft such a thing. I like it though.”
“I agree. It’s remarkable. Can I have a closer look at it?” Arthur asked.
Merlin gave him the dragon.
If Arthur’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, then that dragon statue looked nearly identical to the bigger live dragon he saw in that memory with Myrddin. The dragon who he named Arthur or Artie - neither name Arthur found particularly well-chosen. He wasn’t too happy with the prospect that one of Merlin’s incarnations decided to name a dragon after him. Arthur could easily admit that he didn’t exactly have friendly feelings toward dragons. But since Merlin was a Dragonlord, Arthur felt resigned to accepting how important dragons were to Merlin.
Arthur found the word ‘Young’ on the dragon’s belly. Nathan must have left the dragon for Merlin.
“Do you see this?” Arthur inquired of Merlin. He pointed out the word to him.
Merlin nodded. “Yes, ‘Young.’ I didn’t know what to make of it. Why? Does it mean something to you?”
Arthur shook his head. “No. I’m just as puzzled as you,” he told him. Then he sighed, relenting a bit. He didn’t want to completely lie to Merlin like this. Merlin would then accuse him of keeping secrets from him after Merlin had revealed such a big part of himself. That would make Arthur hypocritical. He couldn’t have that. “I - there are things I discovered during the night that I wish I could tell you, but it’s better that you don’t know. Not yet at least. Believe me, you will find it all out in time.”
Merlin gave Arthur a weird look. “I don’t understand.”
Arthur grabbed his hand and he placed the dragon in Merlin’s palm. He closed Merlin’s fingers over the small statue so that it was cocooned in there.
“I just want you to live a good life,” Arthur said sincerely. “You’re important to me, Merlin. Don’t forget that.”
Merlin smiled genuinely at him. “I won’t. Thank you, Arthur.”
~ * ~
Two years later, when Arthur was finally King of Camelot, Merlin had discovered that the dragon statue could come alive. It -- or him as Merlin had decided to call the dragon ‘Arthur’ much to Arthur’s chagrin - turned into a real dragon. The dragon still maintained his small size, but the accomplishment was no less impressive.
And when the dragon was lulled to sleep, he returned to his original inanimate state.
Arthur - the king, not the dragon - wondered how this little dragon was connected to the medium-sized dragon he saw with Myrddin. Who knows how things evolved over the years, with every incarnation. Like if that staff Nathan had was really the same one that the older Merlin had in his possession - what else could survive through the centuries?
But Arthur decided not to dwell on Merlin’s rather extraordinary future. It was better to focus on his life now with Merlin as his Court Sorcerer and most trusted advisor.
He smiled, shaking his head wryly as Merlin played with his little dragon. Arthur tried, and failed, to look stern and admonishing when the dragon breathed fire at a bowl, charring it a bit.
And when Merlin grinned at him, Arthur couldn’t help but grin back at him. His happiness was infectious.
With Merlin by his side, Arthur hoped to make the most of this life - to have the good memories outweigh the bad ones. Reincarnation seemed so far away for him at that moment in time. But Arthur wanted to make sure that when his incarnations remembered this first life of his, that they would recall it fondly.
~ * ~
Merlin’s successor
When Merlin was very old and nearing death, he asked for Godric Gryffindor to see him.
Merlin informed the man known for his bravery and courage that he had an important job for him to do.
It was Godric who was given the dragon ring. Merlin assured him that the ring would guide him to his first incarnation. And if the silver dragon came alive for that person then Godric would have no doubt that he had found Merlin’s successor.
Godric Gryffindor did search far and wide for the great Merlin’s first incarnation, but unfortunately, he didn’t find him in his lifetime.
And so, before his death, Gryffindor gave the priceless dragon ring to his son who continued the search.
Until one day, Merlin’s successor and first of numerous incarnations was born and discovered.
The silver dragon ring would remain the most precious thing each of Merlin’s incarnations owned.
~ * ~
Remember
December 31, 1978
“Where am I?” Arthur asked, his voice weak. He was lying in bed. Nathan was sitting in a chair by him. He looked so tired and world-weary, Arthur thought.
Arthur coughed up blood. He could feel it. He was dying.
“You’re in the infirmary at the Crystal Palace,” Nathan told him quietly.
Arthur grasped Nathan’s hand. “Before the car hit me,” he said urgently, trying to get the words out. “I remembered. Merlin, it’s you.”
“Arthur,” Nathan breathed out. “Shit. I wish it didn’t have to be like this,” he said earnestly.
“I’m sorry for not remembering sooner,” Arthur apologized.
“No, don’t you dare say that. You know how it is. You can’t change that. Just please…you’re too young. You’re supposed to die an old man. Damn it, Arthur - it’s - everything’s going to hell now. I wish you could stay,” Nathan said, covering his face with his hands.
“It’s good to see you again,” Arthur confided in him, the words coming out slower. It was getting to be more painful to speak.
When Arthur had passed away, Artemis sat by Nathan’s bedside as he stared vacantly at the ceiling in his bedroom.
There was nothing she could say. She understood how Nathan was feeling. All of Merlin’s echoes did.
~ * ~
The second female Merlin
March 23, 1980
Nathan held a six-month old Hermione in his arms. He was sitting in a chair in her nursery. It was the middle of the night, but this wasn’t the first time he had visited. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last of his visits. This was one of his responsibilities - to look after his succeeding incarnation.
Artemis and Caspian’s echoes when they were children - no more than eight or nine years of age - were with him.
“It has been centuries, Nathan, since we’ve had a female incarnation. Is she really the second?” Caspian inquired.
“Of course she is. It’s absolutely lovely. I knew that there would be another one,” Artemis said with confidence.
She peered down at her, smiling at her future incarnation as she slept on. “She’ll see the Crystal Palace, won’t she?”
“When she remembers, yeah. In less than a decade at least,” Nathan guessed.
“The silver dragon works on her, right?” Caspian wanted to know.
Nathan nodded. “Of course it does. Now stop, you’re making Artemis frown,” he admonished him.
“I’m sorry, Artemis. It’s just been so long,” Caspian tried to explain himself.
“It’s quite all right,” Artemis said, understanding his uncertainty.
Nathan took out the silver dragon and he placed it in Hermione’s small palm.
Hermione didn’t rouse even as the dragon shook itself and then it went over to one of her fingers and wrapped its tail around the tiny finger.
Artemis smiled brightly. Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes.
“I always like seeing the dragon do its thing,” Caspian remarked.
“You have a very important responsibility ahead of you,” Nathan said softly to the baby even if she was still asleep and wouldn’t have understood what he had said anyway.
Artemis and Caspian both knew though what Hermione had to do in her life. Every Merlin had their tasks to complete.
But Hermione’s responsibility was an especially interesting one.
~ * ~
Harry Potter
On July 31, 1980; Arthur’s incarnation was born. His parents were a pureblood wizard and a Muggleborn witch. His name in this life was Harry Potter.
On October 31, 1981; he was struck by the Killing Curse shot by Lord Voldemort. The deadly curse rebounded; leaving Voldemort half-dead and weakened while Harry miraculously survived with just a scar on his forehead. While the Dark Lord fled, a shadow of his once powerful self, the wizarding world celebrated a long awaited time of peace.
In his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry met Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger…
~ * ~
In the end, Harry wasn’t sure how he could have defeated Voldemort for good without Hermione’s steadfastness and foresight as well as Ron’s friendship and support.
~ * ~
At the turn of the 21st century, Harry Potter married Hermione Granger in a highly anticipated wedding. The event was held at the Crystal Palace.
~ * ~
When his first grandchild was born, Harry remembered his past lives.
Arthur’s incarnation could not doubt the truth of believing the impossible then.
Life is full of turning points. And sometimes, that one moment in time, that one decision, could lay the foundations of something far greater.
~ * ~
Word Count for this part: 2,939
A Golden Future
Arthur woke up in his bed. The cloak was still on him, so he removed it. He folded it carefully. After climbing out of bed, he set it aside on top of his wooden chest. He felt the need to treat the Cloak of Invisibility with reverence. Its powerful magic had prevented Death from taking him after all.
He could tell from the sunlight coming through the windows that it was early morning.
Looking to his bedside table, he saw the golden box Artemis had gifted him was still there.
“Hello, Arthur,” one of Merlin’s echoes appeared as Nathan had said one would.
Arthur guessed that this echo was Edmund at ten years old, the same age he had been in the portrait.
“Edmund, right?” Arthur asked. The boy nodded. “You’re here for the cloak?”
“Yes. I’m glad your encounter with Mercy went all right,” Edmund noted. He walked over to collect the cloak before Arthur could get it for him.
“She started crying,” Arthur remarked.
“Oh well, she does that a lot. It wasn’t you. She just--”
“-gets lonely sometimes?” Arthur finished, recalled what Mercy had said to him.
Edmund nodded, shrugging. “Nathan’s the only one who doesn’t get anxious around her. He visits her every so often,” he told him.
Of course, only an immortal man would visit the specter of Death with no fear of the encounter, Arthur thought.
“Who owns that cloak anyway? Nathan said he borrowed it.”
Edmund looked down at the cloak in his hands, smoothing down the material reflexively. “It’s a family heirloom. It has been passed down for generations within that family. Ignotus Peverell was the one who made the cloak. As you can expect, he was a remarkably powerful sorcerer to have created such an extraordinary cloak. He’s the youngest brother in that story Mercy told you about. The brother who lived a long life and only then did he shed his Invisibility Cloak. The story’s a bit of a fairy tale, but Ignotus was a real person. I should know. I met him,” he put in, smiling fondly. “Fascinating man, Ignotus was.”
“So who owns the cloak now?” Arthur was curious to know.
“Oh it’s in the Potter family now. Surnames change over the years, of course. Harry Potter is the cloak’s current owner.”
“Hermione’s husband?”
“That’s the one,” Edmund confirmed. “Oh, and Nathan wanted to tell you that it’s best to not tell your Merlin too much about his future. Especially about Nathan’s immortality and his inability to age. Actually, the less you tell him, the better. You don’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Arthur’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. “But then isn’t it a bad idea that I know all this?”
“No, you were meant to go through this whole experience,” he reassured him. “Since you usually remember your past lives later in your incarnations, learning this future information isn’t detrimental to you. For me, it’s hard enough getting my memories back so early on. It would be even worse if I had such future knowledge in my original life - think how hard it would be for my first incarnation! It was difficult enough being reincarnated. That first reincarnated life would’ve been worse if I had known too much,” Edmund explained. “Your Merlin needs to go through his own journey. He’ll figure out what needs to be done. Not knowing about the future won’t hurt him, trust me,” he reassured Arthur.
Arthur nodded, still feeling uncertain, but despite that, he did have faith in Merlin. Everything would come to him in time.
Edmund moved over to the bedside table and pointed to the golden box. “What Artemis gave you - it can provide you with protection, you know. The girl who conjures the dragon is just a cover for its true purpose,” he told Arthur. “The box is like a good luck charm, a magical one.”
“She did tell me it had more than one use… but what? Do I carry it around with me?”
“Oh no. If you keep it by your bedside, then the box’ll protect you that way. When your Merlin isn’t nearby. And also, you can turn it into a ring, so you can wear it. And it’ll protect you that way as well. Artemis didn’t tell you about the protection bit because she thought you might be offended at needing magical protection. I know how prideful you can be.”
Arthur sighed. “Yes, okay. But how I can turn the box into a ring? I don’t have magic. It’s not possible,” he argued.
Edmund’s brown eyes twinkled. “Oh, but you were borne of magic. That makes the impossible a little more possible.”
He directed Arthur to touch the box and then think about the box being a golden ring.
Raising his eyebrow, still in disbelief about being capable of accomplishing such a feat, Arthur did so anyway.
Arthur was startled when the golden box did change into a ring of the same color.
Edmund looked pleased as Arthur put the ring on his finger. “See, it worked. You can turn the ring back into a box the same way you made it into a ring. Artemis created the box so that you could do that. She’s brilliant with stuff like this. The ‘Our Lady Artemis’ wasn’t her idea though. The designer she was working with insisted, and apparently he was very convincing.”
“It doesn’t seem like her,” Arthur noted. “From my short time with Artemis at least.”
“No, it’s a bit--” Edmund began.
But he was cut off when they heard a knock on the door.
“Arthur?” Merlin’s uncertain, grim-sounding voice was heard behind the door.
“Oh no!” Edmund said in a hushed whisper as Arthur told Merlin to not come in just yet. “I can’t see him. It’s like seeing a ghost.”
“You’re an echo. With your flickering act, you could be mistaken for a ghost yourself,” Arthur said reasonably.
Edmund gave him a look. “If I were a ghost, I would haunt you. You can bet on that,” he retorted.
Arthur only raised one eyebrow at him.
Shooting a nervous look at the door, Edmund continued on hurriedly, “My memories of him are one thing, but this is different. I’ve never travelled in time to actually see the original. It’s downright eerie. Especially when he’s so young.”
“Says the boy who is ten years old,” Arthur remarked, giving him a half-smile.
He frowned. “My memories make me feel older though,” Edmund protested a bit petulantly. “I’m going. Good bye, Arthur,” he said quickly as the door was being opened.
Edmund vanished, taking the Invisibility Cloak with him.
“Come in, Merlin,” Arthur beckoned him.
Merlin came into the room, carrying Arthur’s breakfast tray.
“I must be mad for coming here after last night,” Merlin remarked quietly as he set the tray down on the dining table. He looked far too pale. “Are you going to turn me in?” He asked Arthur nervously. “No guards came into my room putting me under arrest. I figured that was a positive sign,” Merlin commented idly.
Arthur walked toward him until he was within arm’s reach. “Merlin,” he began.
Merlin turned around slowly. His shoulders tensed as he looked at Arthur.
Arthur grasped Merlin’s shoulder. “After the night I’ve had, all I can say with certainty is that my head aches. But trust me when I say I’ll keep your secret. I won’t turn you in. I’ve had the night to consider the matter and that’s my final decision.”
He saw how Merlin’s face visibly relaxed. He looked so relieved. He asked Arthur curiously, “Why does your head ache? Did you not sleep well?” He wondered.
Sitting down at the table, Arthur shrugged. He decided to not reveal anything just yet. He didn’t want to make a mess of things if he went about this wrong. If Merlin was meant to learn all of this on his own terms, then Arthur would just have to let him do so.
“Yes, something like that,” Arthur said, smiling at him. “I’m sorry for breaking the dragon carving that your father gave you. I know how important it was to you. Were you able to repair it?”
Merlin shook his head sadly. “No, not yet. I think I was feeling too worried about what you would do with me that my emotions affected my magic. But I did find this by my bedside,” he confided in Arthur.
A small black dragon statue appeared in his hand. “It looks so well-made. I’m not even sure who could craft such a thing. I like it though.”
“I agree. It’s remarkable. Can I have a closer look at it?” Arthur asked.
Merlin gave him the dragon.
If Arthur’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, then that dragon statue looked nearly identical to the bigger live dragon he saw in that memory with Myrddin. The dragon who he named Arthur or Artie - neither name Arthur found particularly well-chosen. He wasn’t too happy with the prospect that one of Merlin’s incarnations decided to name a dragon after him. Arthur could easily admit that he didn’t exactly have friendly feelings toward dragons. But since Merlin was a Dragonlord, Arthur felt resigned to accepting how important dragons were to Merlin.
Arthur found the word ‘Young’ on the dragon’s belly. Nathan must have left the dragon for Merlin.
“Do you see this?” Arthur inquired of Merlin. He pointed out the word to him.
Merlin nodded. “Yes, ‘Young.’ I didn’t know what to make of it. Why? Does it mean something to you?”
Arthur shook his head. “No. I’m just as puzzled as you,” he told him. Then he sighed, relenting a bit. He didn’t want to completely lie to Merlin like this. Merlin would then accuse him of keeping secrets from him after Merlin had revealed such a big part of himself. That would make Arthur hypocritical. He couldn’t have that. “I - there are things I discovered during the night that I wish I could tell you, but it’s better that you don’t know. Not yet at least. Believe me, you will find it all out in time.”
Merlin gave Arthur a weird look. “I don’t understand.”
Arthur grabbed his hand and he placed the dragon in Merlin’s palm. He closed Merlin’s fingers over the small statue so that it was cocooned in there.
“I just want you to live a good life,” Arthur said sincerely. “You’re important to me, Merlin. Don’t forget that.”
Merlin smiled genuinely at him. “I won’t. Thank you, Arthur.”
~ * ~
Two years later, when Arthur was finally King of Camelot, Merlin had discovered that the dragon statue could come alive. It -- or him as Merlin had decided to call the dragon ‘Arthur’ much to Arthur’s chagrin - turned into a real dragon. The dragon still maintained his small size, but the accomplishment was no less impressive.
And when the dragon was lulled to sleep, he returned to his original inanimate state.
Arthur - the king, not the dragon - wondered how this little dragon was connected to the medium-sized dragon he saw with Myrddin. Who knows how things evolved over the years, with every incarnation. Like if that staff Nathan had was really the same one that the older Merlin had in his possession - what else could survive through the centuries?
But Arthur decided not to dwell on Merlin’s rather extraordinary future. It was better to focus on his life now with Merlin as his Court Sorcerer and most trusted advisor.
He smiled, shaking his head wryly as Merlin played with his little dragon. Arthur tried, and failed, to look stern and admonishing when the dragon breathed fire at a bowl, charring it a bit.
And when Merlin grinned at him, Arthur couldn’t help but grin back at him. His happiness was infectious.
With Merlin by his side, Arthur hoped to make the most of this life - to have the good memories outweigh the bad ones. Reincarnation seemed so far away for him at that moment in time. But Arthur wanted to make sure that when his incarnations remembered this first life of his, that they would recall it fondly.
~ * ~
Merlin’s successor
When Merlin was very old and nearing death, he asked for Godric Gryffindor to see him.
Merlin informed the man known for his bravery and courage that he had an important job for him to do.
It was Godric who was given the dragon ring. Merlin assured him that the ring would guide him to his first incarnation. And if the silver dragon came alive for that person then Godric would have no doubt that he had found Merlin’s successor.
Godric Gryffindor did search far and wide for the great Merlin’s first incarnation, but unfortunately, he didn’t find him in his lifetime.
And so, before his death, Gryffindor gave the priceless dragon ring to his son who continued the search.
Until one day, Merlin’s successor and first of numerous incarnations was born and discovered.
The silver dragon ring would remain the most precious thing each of Merlin’s incarnations owned.
~ * ~
Remember
December 31, 1978
“Where am I?” Arthur asked, his voice weak. He was lying in bed. Nathan was sitting in a chair by him. He looked so tired and world-weary, Arthur thought.
Arthur coughed up blood. He could feel it. He was dying.
“You’re in the infirmary at the Crystal Palace,” Nathan told him quietly.
Arthur grasped Nathan’s hand. “Before the car hit me,” he said urgently, trying to get the words out. “I remembered. Merlin, it’s you.”
“Arthur,” Nathan breathed out. “Shit. I wish it didn’t have to be like this,” he said earnestly.
“I’m sorry for not remembering sooner,” Arthur apologized.
“No, don’t you dare say that. You know how it is. You can’t change that. Just please…you’re too young. You’re supposed to die an old man. Damn it, Arthur - it’s - everything’s going to hell now. I wish you could stay,” Nathan said, covering his face with his hands.
“It’s good to see you again,” Arthur confided in him, the words coming out slower. It was getting to be more painful to speak.
When Arthur had passed away, Artemis sat by Nathan’s bedside as he stared vacantly at the ceiling in his bedroom.
There was nothing she could say. She understood how Nathan was feeling. All of Merlin’s echoes did.
~ * ~
The second female Merlin
March 23, 1980
Nathan held a six-month old Hermione in his arms. He was sitting in a chair in her nursery. It was the middle of the night, but this wasn’t the first time he had visited. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last of his visits. This was one of his responsibilities - to look after his succeeding incarnation.
Artemis and Caspian’s echoes when they were children - no more than eight or nine years of age - were with him.
“It has been centuries, Nathan, since we’ve had a female incarnation. Is she really the second?” Caspian inquired.
“Of course she is. It’s absolutely lovely. I knew that there would be another one,” Artemis said with confidence.
She peered down at her, smiling at her future incarnation as she slept on. “She’ll see the Crystal Palace, won’t she?”
“When she remembers, yeah. In less than a decade at least,” Nathan guessed.
“The silver dragon works on her, right?” Caspian wanted to know.
Nathan nodded. “Of course it does. Now stop, you’re making Artemis frown,” he admonished him.
“I’m sorry, Artemis. It’s just been so long,” Caspian tried to explain himself.
“It’s quite all right,” Artemis said, understanding his uncertainty.
Nathan took out the silver dragon and he placed it in Hermione’s small palm.
Hermione didn’t rouse even as the dragon shook itself and then it went over to one of her fingers and wrapped its tail around the tiny finger.
Artemis smiled brightly. Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes.
“I always like seeing the dragon do its thing,” Caspian remarked.
“You have a very important responsibility ahead of you,” Nathan said softly to the baby even if she was still asleep and wouldn’t have understood what he had said anyway.
Artemis and Caspian both knew though what Hermione had to do in her life. Every Merlin had their tasks to complete.
But Hermione’s responsibility was an especially interesting one.
~ * ~
Harry Potter
On July 31, 1980; Arthur’s incarnation was born. His parents were a pureblood wizard and a Muggleborn witch. His name in this life was Harry Potter.
On October 31, 1981; he was struck by the Killing Curse shot by Lord Voldemort. The deadly curse rebounded; leaving Voldemort half-dead and weakened while Harry miraculously survived with just a scar on his forehead. While the Dark Lord fled, a shadow of his once powerful self, the wizarding world celebrated a long awaited time of peace.
In his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry met Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger…
~ * ~
In the end, Harry wasn’t sure how he could have defeated Voldemort for good without Hermione’s steadfastness and foresight as well as Ron’s friendship and support.
~ * ~
At the turn of the 21st century, Harry Potter married Hermione Granger in a highly anticipated wedding. The event was held at the Crystal Palace.
~ * ~
When his first grandchild was born, Harry remembered his past lives.
Arthur’s incarnation could not doubt the truth of believing the impossible then.
Life is full of turning points. And sometimes, that one moment in time, that one decision, could lay the foundations of something far greater.
~ * ~