Simple Works

 I AM Missing one.

Forever Knight and Merlin so far

Schanke is repeating the same 2 or 3 days. He's either dead, drunk or drugged. Or so he thinks until he confides in Nicholas. Knight gives suggestions on what to tell him the next time through. Like tell me something about myself I have never told you so I know you're not just being super-weird. “Like tell me I suggested you go see the Nightcrawler”. He would have been to the Raven before but this is before Close Call so LaCroix would be completely unknown to him. The next loop Schanke tells him this and it piques Nick's concern, if not belief. A few loops later Nick tells Natalie Schanke's claims about looping. Natalie says the best evidence Nick could give is to show him his true face...show his eyes.

“But what happens when time resumes, just daze him?”

“Well he won't believe it, you could convince him he was drunk or hallucinating. But it strikes me the two of you working together to solve this requires you getting on the same page. And you can deal with the rest when we have a future again.”

“You believe him?”

“I think something seriously messed up is going on. He's...different. And you have to admit, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you could stop hiding...even for a day.”

“And if we wake up and time is going fine I 'daze' him after the day is over.”

Arthur wakes up one morning and lives a perfectly normal day. Merlin is on edge about something, but dismisses his own intuition. When Arthur wakes up the day repeats and no one else notices. Over three 'loops' Arthur asks Merlin what has set him on edge and what he thinks is wrong, without sharing his own misgivings. “You have a special wisdom Merlin, trust it.” Which for at least 5 loops Merlin seems to be doing exactly that. As ordered at the beginning of every day Merlin relays his findings, what little there are to Arthur, unaware of what's going on. In the course of a montage of loops Arthur and Gwen grow closer together, Arthur softens and Merlin's secret is revealed. At first by nothing but the word of the sorcerer responsible for all of this. Caleb speaks directly to Merlin while Arthur is aware enough to hear their conversation. The next loop Arthur witnesses Merlin use his magic to protect him from Caleb. The next loop Arthur wakes up and demands to know for certain whether Merlin is aware of what is going on between them. Merlin is sincerely clueless, and more than a little concerned. But not concerned for his secret, concerned that he, Arthur is losing control.

“Okay, either Caleb is a more powerful sorcerer than Emrys...” Arthur says, baiting him.

“Arthur, what in the name of anything that matters can I swear on so you'll believe me, I have no clue what you're talking about.”

“That I can believe. Look, a sorcerer named Caleb is playing a game with us. I've lived this same day over and over and over again I fall asleep any where between the dead of night to the cold gray hours of the coming dawn. I wake up and start the day over. No one else remembers. And the last time I saw something...that I would have thought was impossible.”

“I take it you saw something that made you think I was a liar. And wanted to confirm I wasn't pretending ignorance about this either. I don't deny it...by the way.”

“What can I do to make sure you just TELL me!” Arthur demands.