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Merlin was running late. Again. He was supposed to have picked up his girlfriend Morgan for dinner at her brother’s house. Arthur had moved into a new home and dinner was his housewarming party.
Morgan smiled as he pulled up to the street outside her flat. She’d been waiting there ten minutes but said nothing of that as she opened the door and climbed in the car. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and they were off again. “What was it this time?” she asked.
“Gaius wanted me to look at the latest figures one last time. For a guy with a successful business he’s awfully insecure.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “He just trusts your opinion, that’s all. Besides, you’re the only family he has left and he isn’t getting any younger.”
“True.”
They spent the rest of the trip chatting about inconsequential matters. By the time they pulled up at Arthur’s house, they were fifteen minutes late. Gwen, Arthur’s girlfriend, waited for them at the open door. “What was it this time?” she asked.
Merlin and Morgan looked at each other and laughed. “Gaius,” Merlin replied.
Gwen smiled. “I should have known. Come on in.”
As the couple walked inside, they looked around the spacious open floor plan. The living area blended into the dining area which blended into the kitchen seamlessly. Arthur poked his head out of that last room. “Oh, you’re here. Now we can start,” he said.
Merlin smirked, took Morgan’s hand and led her toward the beautifully-laid table. Gwen’s work, no doubt. Arthur didn’t have a creative bone in his body. “Everything looks gorgeous, Gwen,” Morgan commented.
“Hey!” Arthur protested. The other three laughed.
“Well sit down,” Gwen said. “He may not be able to decorate but he can cook . . . wth a little help.” She winked and everyone sat.
Dinner proceeded without a hitch. They talked on several different topics as they ate. Arthur got a good laugh out of Merlin’s anecdote about Gaius. They all knew the old man from their younger days and considered him a grandfather even though the other three weren’t related.
After dinner, Arthur offered to give the others a tour of his new home. They accepted and he began showing them various rooms—the office, the bathrooms, two other bedrooms, and finally his bedroom.
As Merlin entered the room, a strange, clear note rang in his head and he winced. Morgan noticed and asked, “Are you all right?”
He shook his head. “Just a little ringing in my ears.” Then he looked at the wall above the bed. There sat a sword on display. Only it didn’t look like it had been purchased at a Ren faire booth. This one held an otherworldliness about it and seemed to beckon him toward it.
“Arthur,” he interrupted whatever his friend had been saying. “Where did you get that sword?” He nodded toward the bed.
“Oh that? It’s something my father had on display at the mansion. It’s been in our family for generations. He gave it to me just before I moved in.”
“It’s gorgeous.” Merlin quit resisting the pull the sword held over him and stepped toward the bed. “May I?”
“Sure.”
Merlin climbed onto the four-poster bed and walked over to the wall. The note in his head intensified and he winced again. He reached out to grip it by the hilt, and the moment he touched it a shock hit him. Visions danced before his eyes—he saw himself and Arthur dressed in the clothing of medieval times. Arthur looked like a knight while he looked like a peasant or servant (the word came to him). This Arthur and Merlin rode horses, sat at campfires, argued, bantered, and just talked. The thought came into his mind—these were memories, not dreams. He grew surer and surer of that fact and opened his eyes.
He was laying on the bed, surrounded by three kneeling people, Arthur, Gwen and Morgan—no, Morgana. They looked at him with concern for a few moments before their words started to make sense again. “What happened, Merlin?” Morgana asked.
“I—I . . . saw things.”
“What sorts of things?” Arthur wanted to know.
Merlin sat up and looked into his eyes. “You, me and plenty of others. Only not here . . . Arthur, you were the King! A—and I was your servant. Then you died. Gwen, you were there too, and you, Morgana.”
“Morgana? Merlin, you must have hit your head a little harder than we thought,” Morgana said.
“No, I promise it’s all real. Gwen, you were the Queen. Morgana and I were powerful magic-wielders, and I protected Arthur, only he didn’t know until later, after he married you . . .”
The other three looked at each other in concern. Merlin, who often prattled nonsense, was making even less sense than usual. “Maybe we should take you to the A&E,” Gwen said.
“No! I mean, no, I’m fine. Look, we’ve been reincarnated, all of us. We were those people. Touch the sword and you’ll see.” Arthur, Gwen and Morgana gave him wary looks. “No really. Just take down the sword and touch it. All of you. You’ll see.”
“Merlin, I don’t think . . .” Arthur started.
“What could it hurt? If I’m speaking nonsense, nothing will happen and you’ll all just feel stupid. But if I’m not . . . well, you’ll see.”
“Okay,” Arthur replied, hesitant. He got up from the bed, went into the bathroom and came back with a towel. He grabbed the sword’s hilt with his toweled hand and rested it on the bed between them. “Ready ladies?” They nodded. “All right. Now.”
All three laid a hand on the sword and as one, they fell back. Merlin caught Morgana before she fell off the bed. The other two lay next to each other. All looked asleep.
After about ten minutes, Arthur roused. “Merlin!” he said after opening his eyes. “I died, but I’m here. I guess you were right after all, eh?”
Merlin smiled. Morgana and Gwen came to at about the same time. They pointed at each other and said together, “You were the Queen, I was the Queen!” Then they laughed. When they caught sight of the men’s faces, they laughed even harder.
As their laughter died down, Arthur asked, “So what now? What places do two magicians, a King and a Queen have in this world?”
“I don’t know,” Merlin replied. “But there has to be some reason why we’re all here. And if we’re all here, maybe the dragon’s back too . . .”
“Dragon? Merlin, is there something else you didn’t tell me—?”
Merlin’s eyes had flashed gold and Arthur found his lips sealed, literally. “I’m a dragonlord. There. I’ll seek out a dragon and ask why we’re here, but that’s about all we can do besides research the news for world-altering events.”
“I’m with you,” Morgana said.
“Me too,” Gwen added.
“Mmm mm mmm!” Arthur tried through his stuck-together lips.
“Oh, sorry.” Merlin flicked his hand at Arthur, who glared.
“That’s a pretty good plan. So, do we live our lives as normal?”
“I think we should. Research on the side. And for crying out loud, put Excalibur in a safe place!”
Gwen smiled. “Dessert, anyone?”