Once (Merlin Fanfiction, AM)

Beside the Lake of Avalon, a wizard in a red robe used his staff to help him crouch down with difficulty, gazing at his own aged reflection in the water. "Hello, Merlin," he said in the bullet-fast voice familiar to the people of Camelot. "I've almost forgotten what your real face looks like." He waved his staff, and the face in the lake abruptly changed into that of a boy. "This will be a wager that lasts a very, very long time." The young Merlin sat down and looked toward the island in the middle of the lake. It was wrapped in thick mist, and only a faint light from the top of the tower at its center stumbled through the fog and into his sight. Theme: