[Team One] Once and Future
1800 words of g-rated Kingdom Hearts crossover with Merlin (BBC) - basically what if everything was the same but Kingdom Heart's Merlin was an older Merlin from the BBC show.
Because the parallels of Riku and Sora to Merlin and Arthur could not be stopped. XD
The way they fit together was starting to become a problem.
The sugar bowl and its lid, that is.
“Struggling with the sugar again?”
Merlin grumbled, ignoring his visitor, and focused on trying to wedge a knife between the lid of the sugar bowl, and its protesting body. “That’s enough now. I have no time for your shenanigans.”
“Oh dear, it got stuck before you had your morning tea.”
Blue and silver sparkles erupted at the seam, temporarily freezing the sugar bowl’s protests. With a pop the lid came off, nearly dumping the contents all over Merlin and his waiting tea.
Merlin huffed and dumped perhaps a bit more than his usual spoonful into his teacup, swirling it quickly before the teacup could get any ideas. Motion returned to the sugar bowl as soon as he set it down and it quickly hopped off in a strop. Merlin would be lucky to get another spoonful by tomorrow.
“You were the ones who gave them life,” his visitor reminded, taking her seat at the table. She conjured up her own tea cup. The teapot obliged, pouring her a nearly full cup. Rather than mess with the sugar pot again, she drank it black.
She always was the picture of grace, never spilling a single drop on her light blue robes. Her wand rested on the table between them, though they both knew it was just for show.
“Yeah well, 600 or so of talking to yourself will do that to you,” Merlin huffed. “They eventually just start talking back.” He took a long sip before turning to regard his guest. “What brings you here today, my lady?”
Her lips twisted into a smile not often seen these days, more sardonic than gentle. “Ah, woke up in one of those moods then Merlin? Perhaps we should go throw fireballs at each other if it’ll make you feel better?”
“It might, you know.” Merlin huffed. “Though I think we’d frighten the locals a bit more than we’d need to. Besides, I’m not angry with you. You know as well as I what day it is. You can feel it, right? Even with the world shift?”
Her eyes widened for a moment before her grin turned soft and sad. “I see. No, I did not know. I’m not like you, Merlin.” Her eyes stared up at him, face as full of wrinkles as his own.
Both of them were wearing the mask of wisdom.
But Merlin had actually lived those years and earned every line. He rather thought he suited the mask. With a sigh, he set his teacup down gently. “No one ever is.”
He suddenly wished for something stronger than tea.
“Would it help to remove the facade? And speak as we are?”
“Unlike whatever magic you got going on, I actually am every one of my 2000 years of age.”
“Yes,” she grinned, more teasing now. “But we both know that 2000 years is only a fraction. You can become youthful once more if you wish.”
As she spoke, the age began to melt off her, her blue robes deepening from sky blue to midnight, her hair turning the color of the night, and her skin became as smooth as porcelain once more.
Merlin huffed. “No one ever listens to the young.” Between one blink and the next he had done the same, the change as instantaneous as striking a match. He stared into his tea, the brown wash of the water muddying some features, but he knew this form as well as his others. It was where his magic most felt right in his body.
Dark hair, blue eyes-
“At least your ears never change.”
“Not funny Morganna.” Merlin glared at her half-heartedly, setting the tea back on the table.
He had thought it would hurt less in his older form, but he was wrong.
It just hurt.
Morganna reached out to cover his hand with her own. “I am sorry.”
She had said the same 100-300-800 years ago. Merlin had forgiven her long before that.
She had been lost because of him.
And in return, Destiny had taken Arthur. His Arthur.
He took a deep breath to steady himself. “I know. Perhaps we should take my mind off it. What brings you here?”
Morgana didn’t look convinced but obliged in the change of topic. “I’ve just been to see Yen Sid. He’s worried about one of the keyblade masters. The newest one.”
Merlin nodded. “Yes. Riku’s his name.”
The poor boy had been coming around more and more ever since the restoration team unlocked that data. The computer in the corner hummed quietly, running off of the magic Merlin had embedded in the walls - completely separated from the Radiant Garden system that had gone rogue not all that long ago.
More often than not, Merlin would come home to Riku slumped over the keyboard, fast asleep while the digital version of Sora idled.
“Riku?”
Riku slept on, soft snores echoing in the small room.
Merlin sighed, summoning a blanket without bothering with his wand. It helped with some fine-tune work, especially with how overflowing his magic could be at times, but he didn’t always need it. Gently he wrapped the blanket around Riku’s shoulders.
Riku snorted and shuffled in his sleep before his eyes blinked open. “Huh?”
“It’s alright,” Merlin eased the blanket around him. “Go back to sleep.”
“Ngh…” Riku sighed. “S’ra.”
“We’ll find him.”
Riku mumbled for a moment longer before returning to sleep.
Merlin sighed, wondering if this is how Gaius felt when he found Merlin slumped over one spell book or another.
Unlike Gaius though, Merlin found that as he aged, he needed less sleep. So he gestured with his hand, a book instantly flying to land in it, and he settled in to wait.
It wasn’t long before Riku woke, jerking awake with a name on his lips.
Merlin gave him a few moments to wake up more, for the dream to fade. “Are you okay, my lad?”
Riku jerked, and Merlin saw his hand clench before he turned to Merlin with an apologetic grin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“Nonsense,” Merlin tapped the chair beside him both a request and an order. “You still look tired lad. How about you come over here to talk about it?”
Riku rubbed the back of his head. “I should go check on…”
He trailed off as he met Merlin’s raised eyebrow, and instead walked over obligingly while the teapot and teacup hopped over. Merlin hadn’t asked for them, but they always were the worst gossipmongers of his dish set.
With shaky breaths and clenched fists, Riku explained everything about his dreams.
Everything that Merlin now relayed to Morgana.
“Do you think it’s- like your dreams?” Even after 1000 years, Merlin fumbled over his words when it came to discussing Morganna and her dreams. That’s where it had all gone wrong before.
And he generally disliked something that he didn’t quite understand. Even with 1000 years to learn, the dream foresight that had haunted Morganna’s childhood continued to elude him.
Morganna hummed, taking another long sip of tea. “I don’t think so. Dreams work…differently here anyway. I don’t think what Riku is seeing is of the future. But I do think it is related to his connection to Sora. Generally, I dreamed about the people I knew and cared for. And even that grew to be shaky as I got more-”
“Delusional?”
“Divisive.” Her eyes glowed and Merlin found himself being attacked by the sugar spoon.
“Hey!” Merlin took the spoon away from the sugar dish, holding on to the impromptu weapon. “So not foresight but more… forewarning?”
Morganna nodded. “Sora’s heart is calling out to him, sending him pieces of what Sora himself sees, but I think the reason Riku can’t find him is because they’re not in the same universe.” She drained her teacup. “I’ll know more once i speak with Riku directly. But with the link in their dreams-”
“Wait-” Merlin glared at her. “In This universe. You think Sora-”
“It’s the only explanation for no one being able to find him so far,” Morganna shrugged. “I’ve looked for any piece of his dreams with no luck.”
“So… another universe…”
Merlin’s passage from his universe to this one was- honestly Merlin wasn’t sure how he managed it. He just couldn’t be there anymore.
Waiting.
Instead, he woke in this universe, on a World that had its own Arthur - Wart- but no Merlin to guide him. And Wart had been so young, younger than Merlin had been when he first met Arthur.
Merlin had used his magic to search the entire world, accidentally alerting a powerful sorcerous in the area to his presence, but no other Merlin was waiting to meet his destiny.
So, Merlin made it his mission to do it right this time. And he succeeded.
(Fish, squirrels, and sparrow adventures notwithstanding. Education was an important part of ruling afterall.)
Now this Arthur was building his own Camelot and had no need for Merlin to be there to guide him.
Leaving Merlin to wait once more.
“How can Riku even-”
“The same way I did,” Morgana said simply. “The way you skipped over.”
“The final world?”
Merlin wasn’t sure, and Morganna never said, but he got the feeling that The Final World was somewhat related to Albion.
He wondered if he could see his Arthur there.
But the way for him was blocked. Not even in his dreams did he find it.
No matter how hard or how long he had tried.
A hand on his own startled him out of his melancholic meanderings and he looked back at a face that was once again old and withered but kind.
Morganna had been granted a second chance in this universe, and maybe that's why Merlin ended up here-a chance for them to repair bonds long broken.
And like him Morgana had ached to make up for the mistakes in her past, helping people realize and achieve their dreams, instead of trying to change her own fate.
Merlin in particular liked the part with the pumpkin carriage.
Between one inhale and the next, he shifted back into his elderly form.
“I’ll get Riku there,” Morganna promised. “He’ll be able to bring Sora back.”
“I know,” Merlin said.
If anyone could bring Sora back, it was Riku.
Merlin just wished he could do something similar to bring back Arthur.
“They usually meet up here in the early afternoon,” Merlin said, squeezing Morganna’s hand. That might be the best time to drop in and talk with him.”
Morganna nodded, then vanished in a burst of sparkles.
Merlin huffed. The sparkles were new, but he supposed Morgana- now known as the Fairy Godmother- had developed a flair for the dramatic.
Merlin waved his hand to clean the dishes, tapping his fingers on the table before standing up and heading for the door, shedding the years as he went.
For today he didn’t want to be Merlin the powerful wizard.
Today he just wanted to be Merlin, Arthur’s manservant and friend.
For one day, he would be himself. In memory of those he lost and those he hoped to find.
@Nichi, I'll tag you on discord: "In memory of those he lost, and those he hoped to find."