Me: Mwahaha * Laugh's maniacally* I'm so evil making my readers wait a week to find out what happens next.
Merlin: Don't forget me! I have to wait to find out what happens as well. How can you end the chapter like that? I thought you liked me?
Arthur: I agree with the idiot, everyone hates me now.
Me: Calm down guys I will update next week like I said.
Merlin: Wait a second, aren't you leaving today to go on holiday? How will you update it?
Me: ... Crap.
Arther: Your not telling me you forgot.
Me: Well...
Merlin: How can you forget your going on HOLIDAY?
Me: I don't know... I just have a lot going on with work and school. It just slipped my mind. I'm sure my lovely readers won't mind waiting an extra week to...
Merlin/Arther: NO!
Me: Fine, Fine I will update before I leave, happy? As usual I don't own Merlin or the BBC *grumbles under her breath about life not being fair* Thanks to my beta bluedragon.77 and I hope you guys like the conclusion of the story.
Arthur stood at his widow looking at the city abuzz with life below him. It had been 5 years since that awful day when he last saw Merlin, 6 moths since his father had died making him king, and three months since he had lifted the ban on magic.
Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday other times an eternity, today was the latter. He decided to rest his troubled mind by going out to the grounds, no one disturbed him. Unfortunately he was used to being ignored by a good portion of the kingdom after the execution. A lot of the public herd what Merlin had to say both while he was fighting Zenten and before his execution and public opinion had shifted. Arthur was sure that was at least in part, what caused his fathers sickness which lead to his untimely death. Gwen and Gaius were among the many only addressing him when absolutely necessary.
As he approached the forest a figure materialized from the darkness and Arthur drew his sword. "Halt, Who are you and what business do you have in Camelot."
"Now is that any way to treat an old friend your royal pratness?" the voice said before dropping the hood from his cloke reveling his face.
"Merlin" he breathed in relief pulling him into an embrace, then smacked him on the head as an after thought. "Three moths Merlin. Its been three months since I lifted the ban why are you just now showing up? I was worried something had happened. You were screaming in the flames for ages and I wasn't sure you had gotten out in time."
"I'm sorry, it takes a while for news to travel and I wasn't exactly a day's journey away." Merlin started before a grin spread over is face and he said "Wait a second you were worried? About me? A servant?
"No, no of course not" he said trying to maintain a semblance of manly hood "It's just well… we went through an awfully lot of trouble to get you out and it would have been a shame for it to all go to waste."
"Right…" Merlin responded sarcastically. But Arthur was right in one sense, it had been difficult to find a way out of what appeared to be a hopeless situation but they had managed it somehow. He remembered it perfectly.
Merlin was sitting in the filthy hay ridden cell when he heard a noise coming from the corridor outside, he assumed it was the guards bringing him his last meal befor his execution in the morning, so was surprised when Arthur came into view. He was livid, that much was obvious.
"How could you do this to me?" Arthur demanded. "All this time you have been going behind my back. I thought we were frie... "Arthur cut of mid sentence obviously not being able to finish.
"We are friends Arthur. I just..."
"How long have you been lying to me?" Arthur pushed on "How long have you been studying magic?"
"I was born with it" Merlin told him looking anywhere but at his friend's disappointed face.
"That's possible?" Arthur asked him shocked.
"Apparently" Merlin told him gesturing to himself.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Arthur asked is a quiet voice Merlin wasn't sure he heard but his head snapped up anyways.
"Tell you what?" he asked. "That im a warlock living in Camelot? How could I have put you in that position?"
"And you think this is better? At least if you had told me I could have tried to come up with an excuse in case something like this happened. "
"Wait a second, Are you upset that I have magic or that I lied to you?"
"Merlin I heard what you and Zenten said earlier. I know my Father was wrong about magic being inherently evil if my bumbling servant is using it to protect me all the time. Don't think I haven't noticed all the strange things that I have mysteriously recovered from or that I have been able to kill mythical creatures that can only be destroyed by magic. I just thought it was just good luck. Why would you go though all that effort to save me, just to kill me at an opportune moment?"
Merlin gave him a smile "Your right, I should have told you."
Arthur smiled at him "Ok lets get you out of here." Arthur said reveling a set of keys and opening the door
"No," Merlin said "I can't.
"Why not?" Arthur asked him shocked
Do you remember Belinor?
When Arthur nodded Merlin continued "Well… He was my father."
"Your fath…"
"Yes, now please I need to finish. When Uther pursued him he didn't care about borders or who he hurt as long as he found what he was looking for. If there is one thing I learned from my fathers life, it's that you can't out run Uther. If I escape he will hunt down Gaius, my mother, Gwen, everyone I have even so much as been in the same room with since coming to Camelot. Not to mention you will be under suspicion. He will not stop until I'm dead."
Arthur wanted to deny it but he couldn't because it was true. "Then what are you going to do? Let him kill you tomorrow?"
"Not exactly, I have a plan."Merlin told him
"What can I do to help?" Arthur asked
"All you have to do is act like you are going along with this, do everything your father says. You can't tell anyone, ok? Not Gwen, not Gaius, no one"
When Arthur gave his understanding Merlin leaned in and told him the rest of his plan
The next morning Merlin was lead out to the pry
As they walked Merlin saw his mom in Gaius' arms crying. Darn it he hadn't planed on this. How had she gotten here so quickly? He knew after words he had to find a way to let her know what was going on. He couldn't let her suffer like this.
He was dragged out, and tied unceremoniously to the pry before he heard Uther start his speech. "People of Camelot for 22 years we have lived in peace and harmony secured in the knowledge that we were fighting back against the evil that is sorcery. This man stands before you for practicing magic and conspiring to bring chaos and unrest back into our lands. What do you have to say for yourself?
Merlin knew this was his only chance to try to reach Uther so he took a breath and said "Magic is neither good nor evil Sire. It depends on the person who wields it. I stand before you condemned for protecting my home and the crown prince from someone who decided to use dark magic for there own ends. I am truly sorry for what sorcery cost you my lord but punishing those with magic is not going to change the past…"
"ENOUGH!" Uther shouted enraged, and Merlin knew it was hopeless. At least he had tried.
He looked as Arthur stepped forward. They locked eyes for a moment and understanding passed in between them. Uther must have ordered him to be the one to do this, how fitting. Arthur raised his hand and dropped it. Immediately Merlin was surrounded by flames.
They licked at the hay and Merlin created a small wind to burn in a cylindrical form on the inside but not the outside so everything appeared normal to the observers but the flames weren't actually touching him. All he had to do was pretend to scream in agony (and Arthur said he wasn't a good actor). He had cast a heat repelling charm before he came out but it wouldn't hold for very long so he knew he had to get out fast. As the smoke around him finally got to a point where he was obstructed from view he took the opportunity to undo the shackles with the key Arthur had slipped him last night and let them drop to the floor. He then threw a cloth torn from his shirt earlier that day and dropped it as well. It would be all the remains the guards would find and it would be enough to prove he had been in the flames. The flames rose higher and the smoke stung his eyes chocking him. He closed his eyes and vanished reappearing in the forest right outside Camelot's borders. "Goodbye my friend" he muttered and turned disappearing as he went.
"So 5 years" Arthur said bringing him back to the present. "What have you been doing in all that time?"
"Studying," Merlin replied "Getting more control over my gifts."
"Well that's good because I think we are both going to need it when we tell Gwen and Gaius the truth. "
"Merlin turned to him genuine fear in his eyes. Im sorry my friend, but no amount of magic will be able to save us from there wrath. I'm starting to think dying in that fire would have been better"
Arthur laughed and grabbed his shoulders as they both towards the town.
"We will survive it, I mean what will Camelot do without its King and Court Sorcerer?"
"Court Sorcerer?" Merlin asked, not sure if he herd him correctly.
"Of course, Who else would be crazy enough to take the job?"
Merlin's signature grin spread across his face as as he looked around at the market and breathed in the familiar scent of the town.
"I will slowly and painfully murder you if you repeat this" Arthur mock threatened "but its good to have you back"
"Its good to be home" Merlin replied and they walked side by side towards there bright futures, destiny restored.
