Part 3

Merlin and Ellie stopped their physical relationship but continued to be very close. They were more than just sorcerer and apprentice because after centuries together, they each knew the other extremely well. During the mid-1800s their travels took them to France where Merlin took on another apprentice, a very powerful young wizard named Oran. He became a part of their little family and they were quite happy for the next few decades. Merlin told Oran all his Arthur stories and his adventures from his original life and Ellie loved hearing all the stories again and again. The Arthur stories were her favorite but she also loved to hear the ones about his knights. The bravery, loyalty, and friendship that Leon, Percival, Elyan, Lancelot, and Gwaine shared astounded and impressed her thoroughly. When Merlin spoke of them, his aura beamed with pride. When he spoke of Arthur, it absolutely swelled with light like the sun.

Oran became a constant companion to both Merlin and Ellie, which was why the two of them were devastated when Oran was killed by a rogue sorcerer hunter in Budapest. Merlin had had to say goodbye to so many people, but that didn't make loss much easier. Ellie was absolutely heartbroken. Oran had become a brother to her. Merlin wished he could have sent away Oran in the Lake at Camelot in one of the old wooden boats, like he had done for most of his loved ones. It was a painful experience, but it was one that felt right when it came to saying goodbye to a friend. Merlin and Ellie held a small memorial, just the two of them. Unable to stay, and unable to track down the elusive sorcerer hunter, the two packed up as they'd done so many times before and left.

The dawn of the 20th century found Merlin and Ellie living in Florida. Merlin was finding that his Arthur dream was occurring more and more often. So much so that he thought they must be a sign. He was even now having dreams that featured Kilgharrah, offering him the same prophecy as he had at Arthur's death—that Arthur would return again when Albion's need was greatest. It seemed to serve as a reminder. As if he could ever forget. These signs encouraged Merlin, of course, for he thought that Arthur's return would be soon. He and Ellie hastily made their way back to Albion, England, both increasingly excited. The two of them had visited Albion fairly regularly throughout the years. Though Merlin liked to travel the world, he could never stay too far away from Arthur's place for long. He always had to return to constantly check, just in case. He had faith though, that when the time came for Arthur's return, he would be there. After all, it was his destiny. And he was happy to be there for Arthur until the day he died, no matter how long that may be.

Merlin and Ellie's sense of time was different from the average person, as they'd expanded their lifespans. Decades didn't seem very long for them anymore. There was no telling when Arthur would make his return, but because of his dreams, Merlin thought it must be soon, within the century.

They remained in Albion for the century, which felt like settling down. They were no longer traveling around, being nomads, but had essentially made a permanent home. They'd made and gathered money throughout the years, so rent wasn't an issue but sometimes either one of them held a job just in case. Albion was a hotbed for sorcerers, though the normal residents were unaware. The magical community was all underground of course but Albion seemed to be their meeting place. Mostly every sorcerer ended up here at some point in their lives. Merlin tried to stay under the radar as he was pretty well-known to sorcerers. Ellie herself had gained a reputation, too, as a very strong healer. She could heal most wounds and could eradicate minor illnesses. She was happy to help those who needed her, though she rarely used her power on non-magical people anymore. In today's age, people were not accepting and unbelieving of any such power. If she weren't careful, she could reveal herself to the population, as well as the rest of the magical community. Such an occurrence could cause worldwide uproar, panic, and religious fervor. Nobody wanted that.

By the time the 21st century crept up, Merlin became extremely anxious and Ellie became worrisome and restless. Merlin had been sure Arthur would return before the end of the 20th century. He broke down several times throughout the 2000s when Arthur still had not returned. Ellie became increasingly worried about him. Some nights Merlin spent entirely at the Lake, the sight at which Arthur would return. He would sit and stare at the water for several hours and sometimes would not come home until Ellie came and got him. She wouldn't say much, would just pull him up by an arm and lead him home. Sometimes she sat him down when they returned home and presented him with a large cup of tea or coffee. She sat with him until he decided to retire to bed.

One time, in 2010, Merlin hadn't been home for many hours. Ellie had left for work in the morning at 7:00am to find that Merlin had risen early and left for the day. When she returned home in the evening Merlin was still not there and her aura abilities told her that no one had been in their flat since she left. She hoped that he had been doing things all day, visiting fellow sorcerers, getting or trading things at the underground sorcerers market, etc. Something other than wallowing at the Lake. She began to worry when she readied for sleep and he still hadn't returned. She heard the door of their flat creak open and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked out of her room and Merlin spoke immediately.

"Willie's been hearing things," he said abruptly.

Willie was a fellow sorcerer, not very powerful but always equipped with information. He seemed to know everyone and everything about them. This was not an accent of his power, but more of a town gossip trait.

"Uh..." Ellie replied, "Yeah, I expect Willie hears a number of things."

Merlin looked her in the eyes seriously.

"Things about a sorcerer hunter."

Immediately Ellie thought of Oran. "A...a sorcerer hunter?"

"Yes, and not just one guy, but several guys. Women, too. A group of people."

"Who are they? What are they doing?" her voiced pitched higher, thinking of Oran.

"Apparently this group has been amassed and they want to eradicate sorcerers."

"What, are they like religious extremists or something? People thinking magic's evil? Do they even know what they're doing?"

"Well, they've been said to have brutally murdered many sorcerers."

"God. Why haven't we heard about sorcerer murders?" she asked, shocked.

"They were in rural or poor places, mostly. The deep south in the United States. Slums of Asia. Jungles of Africa. Other places, too."

"What's Willie heard? Are they coming here?"

"He thinks so. No one around here seems to know much though."

"It doesn't sound like these people are amateurs."

"No," Merlin said seriously, "Ellie, these people have even prosecuted children. Murdered them right in front of their families. It's like Uther all over again, except in group form."

"Merlin," she asked carefully, "do you think this means...?"

"Albion's greatest need?" he finished, "I don't know, maybe."

Recently Ellie had wanted to suggest that they go on exploring the world again. After all, they'd spent all this time in Albion and Arthur had not yet made his return. But now this... could this be the time of Albion's greatest need? Would Arthur be rising soon?

A couple of years passed and Merlin and Ellie tried preparing for anything that could be upcoming from this sorcerer hunting group. Willie sporadically heard bits of gossip from other, smaller magical communities but there was not much to go on. Still, the group's existence was apparent as was their purpose.

Ellie quit her shop job and devoted her time to studying various volumes of Merlin's ancient texts that had been gathered over the years. She also poured over newer books and websites, searching for anything that could aid them should they face a fight with the sorcerer hunters. They were confident in their magical abilities but it seemed like the hunters were preparing for something for years. Whatever they were willing to put that much time into must be something major. Merlin and Ellie had no idea what to expect.