Memories of a Stranger

Chapter 1

Hey everyone! This is the new Merlin story I said I would be posting! Anyway, I hope you all like it!

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A handsome, blonde man glares at me. The look in his eyes terrifies me. It's pure fury. Why does he hate me so much? I don't even know who he is! I take a small step back. Somehow, he seems to grow even angrier than before. My heart grows heavier and heavier. Then, he reaches for his sword. It glistens in the sunlight. A beautiful woman clings onto an old man and starts sobbing. Another man runs in front of him and tries to grab the sword out of the blonde man's hands, but the blonde man orders someone to hold him back. As the other man is dragged, fighting and screaming, off to the side, I realize that no one can help me. This man will kill me. Why do I feel so betrayed? I can't even try to protect myself. I'm weak and unarmed. For some reason, I can't use my magic. Why can't I use my magic? I know it's still there, but I can't use it against him. Why? I look around, but I can't find any way to escape. There are men in red cloaks surrounding me. Many of them look just as angry as the blonde man, but a few look sad. Who are they? The blonde man is standing right in front of me now. He grabs my shirt and throws me to the ground. Pain spreads throughout my body. I look up just as the blonde man is thrusting his sword down at my neck.

"ARTHUR!" Merlin screams as he finally woke up from his dream.

He started hyperventilating. For years, he'd been having dreams about a blonde man he'd never met. Night after night, Merlin would wake up screaming a name. These dreams were slowly driving Merlin deeper and deeper into a dark abyss.

"Whywhywhywhy…," Merlin thought.

Merlin clutched at his throat. He couldn't breathe. Shakily, he grabbed his knife from beneath his bed. Without hesitation, he pulled back his sleeves and started slashing at his scarred skin beneath. As his blood oozed out of his skin, Merlin started to calm down. He breathed in. He breathed out. Eventually, Merlin crawled out of bed and left his room. He quietly made his way to the bathroom. While he was cleaning his cuts, his mother walked in.

"Merlin? Did you have the dream again?" Hunith asked.

Unable to speak, Merlin nodded. Hunith's gaze lowered to her son's arms. She helped Merlin cover his cuts with a bandage. When they were finished, she enveloped him in a tight hug.

"It's okay, Merlin. It's okay," she reassured him.

With tears forming in his eyes, Merlin nodded.

"I'm s-sorry, Mum. I-I panicked and th-then I couldn't breathe…," Merlin explained.

"I know, honey. I know. You don't have to apologize. You'll get through this. It's okay," she comforted.

Eventually, both Merlin and Hunith went back to their bedrooms for a few more hours of sleep. Once the sun came up, however, they had to face the world again. Merlin slowly got ready for school. In all honesty, he didn't want to go, but there was no way he could miss his first day at a new school. As he put his giant hoodie on, he winced as his cuts protested against the movement. Merlin sighed. He left his room and stalked into the kitchen with his backpack. After eating a piece of toast and saying goodbye to his mother, Merlin left the house.

"I really hope these dreams stop soon," Merlin wished to himself.

Before long, it was lunchtime. Merlin, since he didn't have any friends yet, sat alone at the end of one of the tables. Suddenly, someone sat right next to him.

"Merlin, is that you?!" he exclaimed.

Slowly, Merlin turned toward him.

Another man runs in front of him and tries to grab the sword out of the blonde man's hands, but the blonde man orders someone to hold him back

Before Merlin understood what was going on, he spoke.

"Gwaine?" he asked.

"Who else?" the person joked.

Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Hold on. I don't know why I know your name. Have we… met somewhere?" Merlin questioned.

Gwaine's smile faltered.

"Of course we have! Merlin, don't you remember?" he asked.

"…No…?" Merlin replied. "This may sound weird, but… I've seen you in a dream. You tried to stop a blonde man from killing me… I can't seem to remember meeting you in real life, though…"

"You can't remember anything else about me?" Gwaine questioned grimly.

Merlin shook his head. Gwaine sighed.

"Well, then. I guess I'll be frank," he started. "You and I were friends in our past lives."

"Huh?" Merlin gasped, confused.

"It's the truth. You were the King's manservant and I was one of his knights," Gwaine explained, saying the word 'King' bitterly.

"There's no way that's possible," Merlin argued.

"I'm serious Merlin. Look, I'll prove it to you," Gwaine told him. "Your mother's name is Hunith and your father's name was Balinor. You have a best friend named Will. Finally, you can use magic."

Merlin's eyes widened. This person could have easily looked up the names of his friends and family, but… he had never told anyone he could use magic. The only person who knew about it was his mother. He had never even told Will.

"…How did you… know I could use magic…?" Merlin wondered uncomfortably.

"I just told you why," Gwaine said. "It'll probably take a while for you to remember everything, but you already remember some things, it seems. You knew my name before I introduced myself, after all."

Then, the man gripped Merlin's shoulders.

"Even if you don't believe me, please listen to my warning. The blonde man I tried to save you from was King Arthur. I failed. That was no dream, Merlin. It was a memory. Merlin… that was the day you died. Arthur killed you in rage because of your magic. If you see him, stay on guard. Run away if you can. Please, listen to me," Gwaine warned.

Merlin wanted to think that this person was crazy, but for some reason, he believed him. So, he nodded his head.

"Good," Gwaine said, somewhat relieved.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then, Merlin broke it with a question.

"So… if we were friends in our past lives… can we be friends in this life too?" he asked.

Gwaine gave him a hardy slap on the back.

"Of course we can, mate!" Gwaine answered.

By the time they had finished eating, it was time to return to class. The pair had found out that their afternoon classes were the same, so they decided to walk to class together. When they were about to enter the classroom, however, Gwaine suddenly stopped and grew tense.

"Gwaine?" a disbelieving voice said from inside the classroom.

"Crap…," Gwaine cursed. "Merlin, remember my warning? That applies right now."

Merlin's eyes widened as he realized what Gwaine meant. The blonde man, Arthur, was in the classroom. Merlin froze.

"Arthur… He's the man who killed me in my past life?" Merlin panicked in his head. "He's the man who caused my 'dreams'. Oh God… He killed me! He hates me! What do I do? He can't try to kill me now, right? He'd get arrested… He killed me… He killed me… He killed me…"

The blonde man appeared in the doorway.

"MERLIN?!" he exclaimed.

Merlin's panic grew worse, and he started trembling. The man before him was undoubtedly the one in his 'dreams'. Merlin fell to his knees. He couldn't breathe. He felt like he was going to throw up. Gwaine's voice was distant.

"I don't have my knife! What do I do? I don't want him to kill me again! I can't run… What do I do…?" Merlin thought.

As Merlin panicked, Gwaine was trying to keep Arthur away from him while someone was running to get the nurse.

"Get away from him!" Gwaine growled at the former King. "After what you've done to him, you don't deserve to be anywhere near him!"

"Bu-!" Arthur was cut off.

That was when the nurse, an old man, arrived.

"Everyone, back up!" he ordered. "Give the boy some space!"

The nurse began to comfort Merlin. Merlin had recognized his voice.

"Gaius…?" Merlin questioned in his thoughts.

Suddenly, Merlin felt a sharp pain in his skull.

A man who looks just like the nurse is sitting with me at a table. We're eating bread and some cheese. We're discussing what we did during the day. When I tell him about how Gwaine was chased around the castle by a chicken, he chuckles. I smile, remembering the look on the knight's face. Then there's a knock on the door.

Merlin's eyes flew open.

"GAIUS!" he yelled.

"It's alright, my boy. You had a panic attack," the nurse explained.

Merlin looked around and saw that he was now in the nurse's office.

"Gwaine already explained everything to me. Do you remember me?" Gaius asked.

"You… were… the court physician? We were eating together… and when I… d-died… a woman was holding onto you and crying…," Merlin answered.

"I see," Gaius replied. "Yes, I was the court physician. The crying woman was Guinevere. She's in this school as well, apparently. She ran into my office and told me you were in trouble. She remembers everything, by the way."

"I don't really remember her… I just remember that she was crying," Merlin explained.

"You were friends with her as well," the nurse told him.

Then, the pair heard a commotion outside the door.

"Arthur, he just had a panic attack because he saw you!" a woman yelled. "You shouldn't go in there!"

"Gwen, I have to talk to him!" a male voice protested.

The door flew open.

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So, what did you all think of the first chapter? When will Merlin get all of his memories back? What will happen when Arthur tries to talk to Merlin? Stay tuned to find out! See you next chapter (Hopefully)!