Something Old, Something New

20

No. This wasn't possible. He and Iris had specifically stopped this from happening. And there was no way that he was here. That was just too convenient. A case that led Merlin straight to Arthur? No. It was just someone who looked like Arthur. But he had known his name. Okay, well then Merlin was hallucinating. That was surely it. 

He couldn't be here. And yet he was. He was sitting there, blond hair shining in the fluorescent lighting, staring up at Merlin as if this was an everyday occurrence. As if no time had passed. But Merlin was still not convinced. 

Not until Arthur stood up and stared at him frankly and said, "Well it's about time. Where have you been?" If this wasn't Arthur, then somebody was doing a very good impression.

"Where have I been? In the living world!" Poor Katelyn was obviously confused, and probably thinking that perhaps Merlin belonged in this hospital ward as well, but Merlin couldn't be bothered with anyone else when Arthur was sitting on a beanbag chair in a mental ward having a conversation with him. 

"Fine," Arthur replied. "Then where have I been?" Well, that was a complicated question. And then the spell was broken. Merlin came back to his senses. He was a detective, and he was working a case, and Arthur's spontaneous returning from death was not going to stop him. He would be lying if he were to say that he wasn't just a little bit angry at Arthur. The audacity! To show up, back from literal death, and insert himself into a case that Merlin was trying to solve. What the hell? He was also suddenly very aware of Katelyn and Iris staring at him. He turned abruptly to face them.

"Do you two know each other?" Katelyn asked, trying to be as polite as possible. 

"Yes," Merlin said with incredible confidence. "This is Arthur. He and I were friends until he disappeared. I thought he was dead. He's actually what inspired me to become a police officer." Iris was suddenly reminded of how good a liar Merlin really was. He had managed to become her best friend without actually telling her anything about himself. For years. Only recently had he opened up, and who knew how much he still wasn't telling her. Part of her understood, but the other part couldn't help but feel just a little bit betrayed. Their friendship was based on a lie. 

"Oh. I'm so sorry," Katelyn replied.

"How long has he been here?" Merlin asked.

"Just a bit more than a week. I don't know much about his case. Just that he's always reading history books and...um." 

"What?" Merlin pressed. It took all of his willpower to follow when Katelyn led him and Iris a little way away. Arthur was being surprisingly smart and staying quiet. 

"When he arrived, he was going on about being King Arthur. From the myths." Katelyn glanced surreptitiously at Arthur. "And judging from what I just saw, he thinks you're Merlin." Merlin schooled his features into an expression of slight confusion.

"We used to play pretend when we were kids. He was always Arthur, as that was his name, and I was always Merlin. It was his nickname for me up until he disappeared." His voice broke on disappeared, and Iris couldn't tell if it was manufactured or not, sending her even deeper into her own frustration with him. She didn't know why these feelings were only coming up now. She had been fine before that damn therapy appointment. Sure, the nightmares were bad, but this was something new.

"Do you know his parents then? Or any family?" Katelyn asked hurriedly. This had obviously been a big question around Arthur.

"Just me. His mom died when he was very young, and his father has since passed also. There's no one else."

"I'm sorry," Katelyn replied, and she sounded like she actually meant it. Merlin shrugged. He didn't look remotely sorry.

"It's been a few years, and to be honest, we never really got along." Katelyn nodded sympathetically. Seriously, did that woman have any expressions except quiet sympathy? Iris wasn't sure why it bothered her so much. Why was anything bothering her so much?