Never would Merlin have believed that this could happen. Never would he have hoped that his magic would be accepted. Never, even in his most secret dreams, had he ever seen himself using magic in the open. He was standing in the council chamber, behind Arthur's chair, as the official court sorcerer. In his arms was the book of magic he had hidden for years. He now used the contents to protect Camelot and his king.

As he listened to Arthur talk about strategy and border disputes, Merlin let his mind wander back to the day he revealed his magic to Arthur. As Arthur was dying in his arms, he told him. Arthur had not believed him at first, but eventually Merlin convinced him. He had hoped that Arthur's acceptance of him would be instant, but it was not. Even after he saved Arthur's life, Arthur had thrown him in the dungeon for almost half a year.

Eventually, however, Arthur did forgive him. He realized that Merlin was still the silly servant who couldn't do anything right. He offered Merlin a position in his council and Merlin had taken it with more than complete willingness.

Now, in the council chambers, he stepped forward at Arthur's command and opened the book. As he read the spell, giving a simple demonstration, he could he the words float off the page and around the room. Between the letters, he saw the shimmer of magic, a bright gold that matched his eyes. Looking around at the members of the council, he saw the awed looks of the knights. When his eyes landed on Arthur, he could tell that Arthur was seeing what he saw. More than just the spell, Arthur was beginning to see the magic behind it.

After the council meeting, Merlin followed Arthur back to the king's chambers. Merlin immediately began tidying the table and preparing the king's dinner. Once the plate had been set down in front Arthur, he moved on to turning down the covers of the bed and stoking the fire.

"Merlin."

He looked up in response to his name. Arthur was looking at him with a bemused look on his face.

"Merlin, you know that you are not my servant anymore, right? Sit down and have some dinner." Arthur gestured to the chair and plate across from him.

The sorcerer smiled and sat down, picking at his food. "I don't think the knights trust me."

"Of course they do. And even if they don't, they won't do anything about it. I trust you and that is what is important, right?"

Merlin smiled little and continued eating. They finished eating in silence and went over more plans before Merlin went back to his room. He still lived in the small chamber off Gaius's chambers even though he had been offered a larger one. He couldn't relax in the huge, empty chamber.

As he set the book of magic on the table beside his bed, Merlin still could not believe that this was how it was.