Magic Waves

Picks up right at the end of S5 X 13

Ch 1: Magic Returns

It was an ordinary day as Merlin walked past the Lake of Avalon – though it had long been called by another name, which Merlin had not bothered to learn or remember. He was on his way back to his cottage after a trip to town for a few groceries which filled bag he had slung across his body, a water bottle poking out of the top for easy access as he walked. The big trucked blared past him, blowing some hair into his face. Oh, how things had been so much quieter back in the old days.

As he passed the lake, he paused briefly in remembrance, before shouldering his bag firmly and continuing on. He hadn't gone further than a few steps when it happened. It felt like a quiet rustling, like all the trees leaves were blowing the same wind, but it was more than that. The ground beneath him was vibrating and the grass was quivering. To Merlin, it was something he had not felt in centuries. The Earth felt alive. Merlin turned toward the magic and soaked in the feeling of it. The sensation didn't last long, before it passed and fizzled out. The earth returned to its dead dormant state like it had never happened.

To Merlin it had been like a tidal wave of magic echoing out from a single epicenter. Merlin could hazard to guess by the direction it came, that the magic had radiated out from the crystal cave, south of his current location. Merlin had taken care that the crystal cave remained secret through the centuries with numerous illusions and enchantments. The crystal cave had its own natural defenses to keep people out, but with the recent upgrades in technology and imaging, Merlin hadn't wanted to take any risks in its discovery.

Merlin turned away from the direction of the crystal cave as the last bit of magic fled. Something was happening and he hoped to whatever gods there may be that he was right about this as he hurried toward the shores of the lake beside him. He reached the water's edge and stood keeping watch, waiting, earnest eyes searching the waters. An hour – and then two – passed by slowly with no change in the lake's surface. Merlin sighed heavily and closed his eyes against the heartbreak as a single tear trickled down his face and dropped onto the water.

With his eyes closed, Merlin didn't notice the ethereal blue beneath the surface that shot from where his tear had splashed down to the depths of the lake.

"Merlin."

Merlin could never forget the voice that whispered to him out of the lake. He opened his eyes and looked around, stopping when he saw the face under the surface staring back at him with the loveliest smile he had ever seen. Freya smiled and nodded to him gently as Merlin sank down to his knees.

"Freya -" Merlin choked out. He hadn't seen the face of his beloved in many years, though she had also lasted through the centuries, immortal like he was, as the Lady of the Lake.

"Shh, Merlin. I'm afraid I don't have much time. The magic wave wasn't strong enough to give me more than a minute or so. You must listen carefully, for even now, the cycle is repeating itself. Magic will return. Arthur will return. But Merlin, you must listen to me. You cannot seek him out until he comes for you. You must stay away. If you encounter him too soon or interfere, history will repeat itself completely."

"But Freya, I-" Merlin started to speak.

"No! You have to do this. Destiny must be completed this time, but all paths have a way of falling short and this is the path you must not choose! Please Merlin, I know how much Arthur means to you. I would not ask this of you unless I knew that the consequences would be severe."

"Alright," Merlin sighed. "I will wait. I've waited this long, a little longer won't hurt will it?" He chuckled softly.

Freya smiled gently at the poor jest. "Merlin, I am being called back. I will always love you. I will see you again when the time is right. Until then my heart is yours."

"I love you too," Merlin said and reached down to place his hand hovering against the surface of the water. Freya reached up mirroring his hand as she faded away.

Merlin took a deep breath and looked out across the lake one last time before getting to his feet and heading back to his cottage.

He had lived at this cottage near, but just out of sight of the lake, for many years. He had renovated the cottage many times over the years, keeping up with technology, installing plumbing and electricity and air conditioning and heating as each amenity became available. The outward appearance of the cottage, stone walls trellised with ivy had not changed though in a long time. A small satellite dish on the top of the house served as a reminder of how different things were now. The cottage consisted of a kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom, living room, and a study. Merlin entered his house and shrugged off his coat and hat, placing them on the coat rack by the door. He walked into the kitchen and emptied his bag of groceries – placing them appropriately in the pantry and fridge. He then turned to the crock-pot on the counter and scooped himself a helping of the warm vegetable stew that he had thrown together before leaving for the store. He walked into his study and sat down at his desk to eat. The events of the night had brought back old memories and as he ate his stew, he couldn't help remembering a similar dish and a group of mischievous knights stopped for the night in the woods. A sad smile came to his face as he recalled Arthur handing him his dinner after the teasing.

Freya said to wait longer, but that Arthur would be returning soon. 'Soon' to an immortal being had a lot of meanings. Merlin could only hope that it wouldn't be too much longer.

Merlin's study was a wonder of things from across his 1500 years of life. He had tried to organize his things chronologically around the walls, but he'd never been very good at keeping his personal space clean, so the mess had jumbled together. Stacks of books and items covered every bit of space in the room little paths for walkways through the clutter. One whole wall was covered in books – ancient looking books and new books. Famous titles and magic books mixed together on the shelves. On the far right wall was a table of glassware, with herbs and other items around it. Chemistry and science had allowed him better understanding of the potion's compound, but they had no answer for the magic. Mixed in between was a collection of items that looked like someone had taken the National Museum, shook it up, and then dumped it into this single room. Medieval weapons and technology sat side by side. A printer and a laptop sat on his desk next to ancient texts. He looked around his study as he moved the empty bowl out of the way and pulled the book on the desk closer toward him.

It was his journal – a record of hundreds of years. Of course, after so long this wasn't the only journal. A bookcase to the left held the other volumes of his journals. Journaling had helped him keep the years and memories straight. It also helped ease the loneliness when he read back on his many friends across the years and the great adventures he had. Most of the time, the entries were not important – musing over the day's activities, thoughts about other experiments he could try with certain spells or potions. Today, though, the entry was important. He reached for his pen then realized it was lying across the room on his chemistry workbench. A flash of gold brought the pen zooming back to his waiting hand. He didn't always do magic for little things, but his old bones were tired from standing out at the lake and he didn't feel like walking across the room to retrieve the pen. As he opened the journal, he saw the date and blanched. Of course. Only today, would such incredible events happen. It was the 1500th anniversary of his dearest friend's death. He normally remembered such things as he walked by the lake, but today he had been distracted. Maybe he wouldn't have to wait too long. He finished his journal entry and chuckled as he thought of the teasing the prat would give him about keeping a diary.

Standing up from his desk, Merlin closed his journal and walked back into the living room. He clicked on the telly. The news came on, interrupting the silence. Merlin was about to go back to the kitchen to wash his dish, when the sight of the events on the news made him pause. Images of mass havoc flashed across the screen. Mass vehicle accidents, plane crashes, fires. And not just in one place, but everywhere around Britain. Merlin sat down heavily on his couch – bowl forgotten – and watched the news. Breaking news came in that the destruction was not just in the UK, but across the world. Everywhere across the globe, destruction was apparent in the failure of electricity and technology at exactly 4:17 pm GMT. Exactly when the wave of magic had passed by as he walked near the lake. He'd always known technology and magic didn't mix since the first time he had tried to turn on a light bulb with magic and it had exploded. And as things started to piece together, Merlin could guess that if he had a watch all those years ago, 4:17 would have been the time when Arthur had closed his eyes and breathed his last. Maybe 'soon' wasn't too far off now.

Deep in the heart of Wales, a new mother sat up in bed in a hospital and was handed her newborn son by her husband. It had been a long, complicated labor, but she and the baby had survived and both were healthy. She was unaware of the chaos in the world outside the hospital and only knew that the power had failed in the hospital right as her baby was born. The doctor came over to the couple and asked, "What are you going to name the child?"

The mother looked up at the doctor and then back down at her son, "His name is Uther. Uther Pendragon."

A/N:

Got ya! Bet you thought it would be Arthur. Don't worry. We're going to skip ahead some. Who wants to see Uther grow up anyway? Ugh. His only benefit is bringing Arthur into the world.

So this is my first Merlin fic and actually the first thing to write in a while. Criticism/thoughts are encouraged. I'd love to hear what you all think about it.

Disclaimers: I don't own Merlin. I took the idea of magic vs technology from the Kate Daniels novels by Ilona Andrews. I don't own that either. (This isn't a crossover! Nope! Just thought it was a clever idea.)