Right back to the Starting Line.

Chapter 1

Colin pulled up his shiny white car to a dying park in the middle of an over expensive French city. This place would have to be the most ugly, brown, dead, over grown park he has ever been to. Perfect.

You see, Colin here was looking for something that contrasted with France's beautiful and romantic stereotype, he travelled all over, just to find this. Just to take a photo. Yeah, Colin's a professional photographer.

2016, almost 800 years since Merlin last saw Camelot at its finest. Since he last saw Arthur. Now, the once noble and morale people of the world were… well let's not crazy but over enthralled about everything. A girl sees a caterpillar? She better take a photo. A guy witness a cloud move? Oh! Put it on the internet. Everything is getting recorded and documented in 2016 better than any other of the years that Merlin has lived through. Not that he minds, that is his job nowadays anyway.

Merlin goes by another name now, Colin Morgan. He found that his name makes people giddy around him, because of the 'Arthurian' legend stuff. Merlin found some of the points wrong but that was perfectly fine. Even if it meant he was remembered to look like Dragoon the Great than his actual amazing self. Learning what society thought of him was fun and came with some plusses. He had his own TV show and everything! Thank you, BBC.

In 2016, Merlin was a well-respected photographer, historian, scientist, scholar, known traveller and Friend of the Crown of England. Yes, there is such thing. Merlin was happy with what he has become and found that waiting for Arthur in this century was easier than the last. New things invented and all. The technology was overwhelming and the medical advances made him wish Gaius was here just so he could see his expression.

He was living in France at the moment. Well, sort of living. He was on a job with his other 'war photographer' friends, Bradley and Angel. (yeah, yeah, I know I'm just changing the actor profession to photographer ok). Yes, he was a photographer, it's not that weird for an immortal to be ok, it may sound like a boring job, but if you think about it all he does it take photos of things that wouldn't happen in everyday life for the rest of society to see, so he gets to travel around the world. It's fun really.

Though not everything changed, he still wore his infamous grin and red neckerchief, though the piece of cloth around his neck was fitted and not just a 'piece of cloth' anymore. He still had that charm that would make anyone his friend. But now, he had better clothes and comfier beds. Wearing a blue-grey T-shirt, black denim jeans, and dark hiking boots, Colin stepped out of his rental car and readjusted his neckerchief. Gently gabbing a hold of his Nikon D500 camera that was dangling around his neck, Colin looked around and picked the perfect spot to take a shot.

Not many things shocked Merlin anymore, except for the fact that many people believe that magic doesn't exist, poor warlocks that have to go around a world that refuses to acknowledge magic! They are magic. Yeah, there are more warlocks now than ever, but not as many sorcerers now that he thinks about it. And then there were people who did believe in magic, but it was cards and illusions that anyone could do to manipulate the mind. So, when he was pulled aside from a particularly dark part of the park by an odd-looking lady telling him to "follow" he just went with it. Maybe he could get another photo. She pulled him by the arm into an alcove garden, which was placed where trees and bushes hid it. This must be the middle of the park, he thought. It was actually quite mysterious, all dark except for the blotches of light that made it through some less dense trees, so he took a quick snap.

"Listen, old one," she started, which got merlins full attention. He did not look old at all! He looked like he was in his 20's at the least! Ugh rude, "some lands maybe be united but not all of Albion, you must go back! Fix this! It is your duty!"

She was just speaking nonsense to Merlin, and adding to her 'oddness' she had an accent he didn't recognize. Plus, she must know who he was or she wouldn't have said Albion, so this really strangely dressed lady knew about the magic community.

"The land will be untied, I promise, just when the King Arthur Pendragon returns." he tried to explain, but her grasp of his arm just tightens, to the point that makes him wonder if she was like a body builder or something under all the robes and scarfs. She must be at least sweating. She shook her head furiously.

"No! Now!" she screamed/ more like shouted but her voice was so high it sounded like a scream and pulled him behind her, further into the alcove garden, and disappeared. Inconspicuous. Ominous. Huh, Merlin thought to himself, that wasn't the oddest thing that has ever happened. He thought back a couple years, not that long ago, in 2004.

He knew a couple of guys, well at the time he thought he knew just one guy but that perspective was changed, they were both named James. Apparently, they were separated at birth. But even so, the TWINS grew up to be police officers and marry a sweet lady named Linda. No, not the same lady that would be weird, two different women. Although they had no idea of each other's existence they-

Merlin was cut short of his flash back when he heard a sizzling sound, like something was burning. He was still in the little alcove area, for some absurd reason, and seeing as the sound was coming from that area, curiosity got the better of him. Hey, he's immortal, if something went wrong like; I don't know – the alcove blowing up – then the worst thing that would happen would be his camera getting fried. Which isn't desired either, he loved this camera.

Creeping closer and closer to the sound, he thought maybe it's not such a good idea. That odd-looking lady probably has something to do with this... sound. Oh! Maybe it is the lady. Merlin shrugged, but continued walking anyway. Immediately regretting that decision, a blinding white light flashed before his eyes, rendering him unconscious. The last thing he remembered thinking how cliché this seemed and that he should have taken a photo.

Waking up with a start, Colin looked around his surroundings. Bush, forest, trees, lake. Wait! He recognised this place, the lake of Avalon. But, well that was nowhere near France. Did he teleport? Was that what that white light that probably damaged his eyes was? That wasn't any type of teleportation spell he knew of. Maybe it was a stun spell, then the odd-looking lady teleported him? That was a valid explanation of what was going on.

He crawled to his feet and dusted off his back. He still had everything on him, camera – check, phone – check, wallet – check, keys – check, Taser – check. Why did he have a Taser on him? 'Because 2016 is a dangerous place and if the 'immortal' doesn't want a bodyguard then he will have a Taser' he remembered prince William say to him. So, he had everything, good. Taking out his phone, he tried to call Angel, but failed miserably as there was no service.

"Great." He said to himself, kicking at the dirt below his feet. He thought it would be best to look for a road, so, he started heading in the opposite direction of the beautiful lake he has always loved.

Now, don't take this the wrong way, but Colin here has almost fully forgotten about the facts of Camelot. He remembers the feelings and emotions that he felt, those would never leave him. But the facts in his mind are all messed up. He couldn't even remember Sir Kay, or wait, did he exist or was that the legend? Taking the Arthurian Studies class at uni was a bad idea. He just took it because he knew it would be easy to get more points overall. He wasn't completely sure if he was going the right way to Camelot or not. But it's better to keep moving than to stay in one place and doing nothing.

"Find people, get a call, catch a ride, then I'm in the all clear." Colin said to himself, making a mental plan.

"MERlin!" Arthur shouted out to the wilderness. He was annoyed, not worried. Certainly not worried, this was merlin he was talking about. The 'Knights of the Round Table', as Gwaine insists on calling his most trusted knights, Merlin and he were out in the forest training, not that far away from Camelot. Why were they training in a forest instead of a perfectly good training ground for the Knights of Camelot? Because newbie, wannabie noblemen (nobleboys Arthur called them) were there currently being seen over by Sir Owen, in trials for becoming a knight.

So, this band of merry men were hiding, so to speak.

Better than being asked the same question over and over again by kids. Hi, my names such and such, you're a knight, right? Do you think I could be one too? Honestly, no one cares kid.

So, back to the present, Arthur shouted out his frie- manservants name. It's been a full 10 minutes since he had gone to retrieve an arrow that he shot, and still hasn't come back yet.

"Do you want me to look for him sire?" Sir Elyan offered. Arthur was about to accept that offer when Leon answered.

"No need, I think I hear him now."

Leon was right, he could hear Merlin's voice, it was coming closer and closer. Arthur let out a breath he did not know he was holding.

"-ou'd think she'd teleport me someone nice, but nOoooo00o, I'm in a muddy bush. These are new boots dammit." Yup, it was definitely merlin, talking to himself once again. Wait, teleport?

Now Arthur was worried, he started heading swiftly to Merlin, teleportation was magical. He noticed that the knights must have caught onto this fact too because they were right behind him.

They turned past a relatively thick bush to meet merlin, hands on the hilts of their swords and ready to help their friend. But when they caught sight of him they stood there, staring at his strange attire, the box thingy strapped around his neck, and the mannerism of the man, as he stared right back at them – jaw to the ground shocked.

"Merlin, mate, are you ok?" Gwaine asked cautiously, looking around him and his friends.

Merlin looked incredulously at Gwaine, made some sounds that could be taken as words if one really tried, then promptly fainted.