Notes: This is the longest chapter yet. Fair warning, I returned to a full (and insane) work schedule last week, which may affect the timeliness of updates. But I'm still greatly enjoying this happy little AU and working on some outlines for future chapters (I swear there's a plot developing...somewhere). I hope you all enjoy it as well. :) So, onwards to Camelot…


Camelot was quiet this late in the day, but the few people on the streets stopped to stare in shock as their king rode calmly by.

Merlin knew that, on some level, Arthur hadn't truly expected to see Camelot again, and he seemed to be drinking up the sight of it now that they were here, quietly savoring the moment as they rode through the city. Still, he couldn't help but notice that Arthur gradually quickened the pace as they grew closer to the citadel; he was obviously eager to see Gwen and reassure himself that all was well.

As they emerged into the courtyard, trotting up to the palace entrance, Guinevere rushed down the front steps with Leon and Percival following closely behind. Arthur had barely brought his horse to a stop and dismounted before Gwen threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. They clung to each other tightly, and Merlin could see Gwen shaking with suppressed sobs.

Merlin tore his eyes away from the couple, giving them both a moment to compose themselves as he looked away, sliding out of his saddle and snatching up the abandoned reins of Arthur's horse. He led both horses aside and handed them off to a stable hand with a quick nod and a muttered thank you.

When he turned back, the king and queen had hardly moved. Arthur still held Gwen tightly against him as she gasped, trying to hold back tears of relief.

"You're alive," she whispered. "I never gave up hope, but all I could think was that I'd never see you again and…"

"Shhh." Arthur stroked her hair gently. "I'm fine, Guinevere." He drew back to look at her. "See? I'm fine." He reached out to brush her cheek with one hand, wiping away a few stray tears. Then he bent down to kiss her tenderly, holding her close.

"I love you," she said softly.

"And I love you. More than you know," Arthur replied. Gwen's smile lit up her entire face, her joy infectious. She kept her eyes on Arthur and gave him another deep, lingering kiss. This time, when they parted, Gwen took a step backwards and, with one last smile to Arthur, she turned aside to face the others.

"And you," she said, turning to Merlin, whose eyes widened in surprise as Gwen pulled him into a hug. He quickly glanced at Arthur before returning Gwen's embrace. She gave him a tight squeeze, then let go and looked up at him with the same joyous smile. "I will never be able to thank you enough for what you've done, Merlin."

He tensed slightly, but put on an innocently clueless smile, one he'd practiced many times over the years. Gwen had never called him on it before.

"Oh, you know me, my lady. I was just doing my duty," he said lightly, feeling strangely uncomfortable under the queen's gaze.

"Yes, Merlin. I do know you." She looked him in the eyes, her voice serious. "I know you better than you think."

As her words sunk in, Merlin knew he was about two seconds away from panicking. Again. He wasn't ready for this, didn't want to face it. His mind, working on long-ingrained habits, was already whirling for some excuse, some lie to put her off. But Gwen reached out and grasped his hand, holding him in place.

"I mean it, Merlin. Thank you. And I'm so glad to see you both well."

Merlin could only stare at his oldest friend as she smiled up at him, until he realized she was right. She really did know him. And there was no anger there, no suspicion, only genuine affection born out of years of friendship.

The fear evaporated as he felt his own happiness bubbling up inside of him. Merlin took the hand that still held onto his own and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently.

"Never have I been so proud to call you my queen… and my friend."

Gwen blushed at his praise, but she also squeezed his hand. "I'm pleased, Merlin. And grateful."

He nodded. "Me too."

They both suddenly became aware of the three men watching them curiously, and Merlin would have been embarrassed if he wasn't so incredibly happy. Arthur reached for Guinevere, drawing her back to his side and wrapping an arm around her waist. Merlin, cast a look at Leon and Percival, seeing confusion there, but it was quickly dismissed, as neither of the knights seemed capable of understanding what had just happened. Merlin had to resist the urge to laugh.

It was Leon who finally broke the moment, addressing Arthur. "Sire, it's a relief to see you alive."

Arthur nodded. "Thank you, Leon. I'll admit, it was a bit doubtful there for a while."

Leon hesitated for a moment before asking what was clearly on his mind. "And Morgana… is she really dead?"

"Yes," Arthur said, sneaking a look at Merlin. "She is."

"Then we have truly won," Leon said solemnly. It was a staggering realization for them all, and Merlin supposed it would take a while for the reality of their situation to sink in.

"And what of Camelot? Is the city secure?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, sire. Our forces returned to Camelot after the battle was won," Leon said. "Most of our troops remain in the city and at the ready. I have several patrols scouting the outskirts of the city, as well as the plains around Camlann. They have orders to engage with any Saxon renegades they find. At the very least, we should be able to drive the remaining Saxons up north."

Arthur nodded. "And the men?"

Leon instinctively knew what Arthur was asking, and nodded sadly. "There were casualties, of course, but… it was not as bad as I had expected. I can have the official lists brought to you whenever you're ready."

For a moment, King Arthur looked as though he felt the full weight of his kingship resting on his shoulders. He took a deep breath, silently mourning all of those who had died for him and his kingdom.

It gave Merlin pause as he looked around them, a sudden horrifying thought seizing hold of him.

"Wait…" he said. "Where's Gaius?"

Gwen immediately saw where his thoughts had taken him and rushed to head them off.

"No, Merlin, Gaius is fine, I swear. He's with Gwaine at the moment."

Merlin took a deep breath. For a moment he'd thought….

"How is Gwaine?" Percival asked. His voice was heavy with regret and something akin to grief.

"There's been no change," Leon replied, shaking his head.

"Gwaine?" Merlin asked.

He saw the guilt flash across Percival's face. "When we went after Morgana," he began haltingly, "we couldn't stop her… I was knocked out, but when I woke… Morgana had taken Gwaine. She tortured him for information. That's how she knew where the two of you were heading."

"Gaius says that his condition hasn't worsened since you brought him back to Camelot," Gwen added. "But he still shows no signs of waking. There's little else Gaius can do but wait."

"No," Merlin muttered. "That can't be right." He turned to face Percival. "What were you thinking going to confront Morgana? How could you act so foolishly?" Percival flinched at the accusation, but Merlin took no notice.

"Merlin," Arthur said, the warning clear in his voice. But his tone barely penetrated Merlin's thoughts. Merlin's mind was spinning and his heart pounding as he turned away, his flash of anger doing little to mask his worry. They'd come so far, been through so much… but Merlin didn't know that he could take one more loss. Certainly not like this.

"I have to go," Merlin said, his feet already carrying him towards the castle entrance. "Maybe I can do something…"

This time it was Arthur's hand that restrained him. "Merlin…"

"Don't try to stop me," Merlin said, his voice low. He tried to pull away, but Arthur's grip remained firm on his arm.

"I'm not. But Merlin, are you sure you're up for this?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're exhausted and you're not thinking clearly and," he paused, frowning, "from the sounds of things, there may not be anything that you can do.

The soft, worried tone was not what Merlin had expected. He'd thought Arthur was going to object to him using magic, even to heal a friend. But apparently, that wasn't it at all. On some level, Arthur was actually concerned for him. That was enough to make him slow down just a bit, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"I know that. I do. But, please, Arthur. I have to try."

Arthur nodded. "All right. Go. We'll be there shortly."

Merlin didn't hesitate, taking the steps two at a time, and hoping that he wouldn't have to bury yet another friend.

He nearly flew up the stairway and to the tower in a matter of minutes. He burst into Gaius's chambers, throwing the door open with a bit more force than was strictly necessary. It was enough to make Gaius jump out of his seat at the table.

"Merlin!" he exclaimed, rushing over to him. He'd pulled Merlin into a hug before he had a chance to say two words, but then Gaius quickly drew back to look Merlin over, clearly assessing him for any signs of injury or, perhaps more significantly, any sense of defeat or despair that he might find in Merlin's eyes. Apparently, he saw neither. For a long moment, they simply looked at one another, both painfully aware that Merlin's next words would alter their lives irrevocably.

Merlin didn't even know where to start. But he didn't need to, as Gaius was in no mood to be patient.

"Merlin, are you all right? What happened?" Gaius asked, his hands still resting on Merlin's shoulders.

"It's a long story, Gaius. A really long story." Gaius looked at him pointedly, one eyebrow raised. "I couldn't…" Merlin started, then stopped. "Arthur's…" Merlin shook his head as he tried again. "He's alive, Gaius. We… it was so close." Gaius patted his back, silently encouraging him to continue. "Morgana found us, and I… I stopped her. But I couldn't save Arthur, and we weren't going to make it to Avalon, so I called Kilgharrah. In the end, he saved Arthur, not me."

Gaius couldn't hide his surprise as he thought through what Merlin said. "But that would mean…"

Merlin nodded. "Yes, he sacrificed himself for Arthur. Because he knew it was what I wanted." There was no way Gaius could miss the grief and guilt in Merlin's voice. Even now, Merlin wished Kilgharrah's sacrifice hadn't been necessary, but he was too grateful to wish it undone. And he felt guilty for that too.

"But then, where's Arthur?" Gaius asked.

"With Gwen," Merlin said, waving a hand vaguely back the direction he'd come from. "He's fine. At least, I think he's fine. You should probably check him out. But first, where's Gwaine? Percival said he was injured, that Morgana did something to him." Merlin glanced around wildly, searching for the injured knight. If it was as serious as they claimed, he must have been taken to Gaius's chambers.

"I had him moved to your room so I could keep an eye on him," Gaius said. Merlin nodded in understanding, ready to move until Gaius stopped him. "Merlin, he hasn't woken."

Which was a bad thing, Merlin knew – possibly a very bad thing.

"What did Morgana do to him?"

Gaius hesitated, but he understood that Merlin needed to know. "It was a nathair."

It felt as though all the air had suddenly been sucked out of Merlin's lungs. Of course, Morgana would stop at nothing to find Arthur. But Merlin always felt his heart clench when he thought of magic being used to inflict pain in such unspeakable ways.

"But I don't understand," Merlin said, struggling with his words. "When Morgana used the nathair against Elyan… he survived. What's different this time?"

Gaius sighed. "It's hard to say, Merlin. Her magic has grown since then; perhaps she had more control over the nathair's power. Regardless, Morgana was determined and Gwaine is stubborn. You know he wouldn't have given in easily."

"Well, I'm not giving up either." Merlin turned and stalked off to his own room, taking the stairs quickly. He stopped at the sight before him, Gwaine lying on his bed, so still and silent. Gwaine was never this silent.

Merlin moved to sit on the edge of the bed, looking Gwaine over and trying to get a sense of his injuries. The strange part was that his wounds didn't seem that severe, not enough to reduce him to this, wasting away in his sleep.

The sound of footsteps signaled that Gaius had followed him. "I've tried everything I can think of," Gaius said softly. "But his injuries are beyond my power to cure."

Merlin nodded in acceptance, already reaching out with his magic to assess Gwaine's condition.

"Can anything be done?" Arthur's voice caused both Merlin and Gaius to jump. They turned quickly to see the king standing in the doorway with Gwen still at his side. Both Percival and Leon hovered in the background, looking equally worried for their friend.

Gaius looked at Arthur, overjoyed at seeing the king alive and whole, but Arthur didn't even spare him a glance, keeping his gaze firmly on Merlin.

"I'm not entirely sure what's wrong," Merlin said. "But…" Merlin trailed off, suddenly acutely aware of his audience. But Arthur nodded and Merlin found himself focusing on only two things: Arthur wanted him to use magic and Gwaine needed his help.

Focusing all of his attention on the injured knight, Merlin took a deep breath. He placed both hands over Gwaine's chest and felt the magic flood through his veins.

"Ic þe þurhhæle þin līcāre." Merlin's eyes turned gold as the magic flowed from his hands and into Gwaine's body. Distantly, Merlin thought he heard Gwen gasp.

But all he saw before him was Gwaine, still as death. He waited a moment, knowing that healing magic was not always instantaneous. But even as he waited, he knew that something wasn't right. This was the work of dark magic, not a physical injury. Which meant a traditional healing spell might not be enough.

He looked up and saw that Arthur and Gwen were standing against the near wall, while Percival and Leon watched from the door. He blocked out the look of utter shock on Sir Leon's face, the confusion, the slight look of… betrayal? Fear? Disgust? Merlin didn't want to know what it was. He focused on Percival instead.

"I need to know everything you can tell me about what happened to him."

Percival frowned. "I already told you… Morgana… she… I don't know anything else. I heard him screaming. When I got there Morgana was gone and he was barely conscious."

"But he was awake," Merlin pressed. "Was he aware of his surroundings? Did he say anything?" Percival still frowned in confusion. "Percival this is important. I need to know."

"He said," Percival took a breath. "He said that he failed. That's it. He lost consciousness right after I got to him and I brought him straight to Camelot."

Merlin swore under his breath, cursing Morgana for what she'd done.

"Merlin, what are you thinking?" Gaius asked.

"That not all wounds are physical or visible to the eye." He saw Gaius frown, and caught a glimpse of Arthur's curious gaze, but he turned back to Gwaine.

Gathering his thoughts, Merlin began working on a different spell, putting all of his energy and determination into the words.

"Tō þisne mōde ic forgiefe frið."

Again, he felt the magic flow into Gwaine, but this time it left Merlin feeling drained. He hoped that was a good sign. He only had to wait a moment to find out, as Gwaine's eyes slowly opened. The knight groaned, his bleary-eyed gaze settling on the person closest to him.

"Merlin?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Gwaine." Merlin smiled. "You just can't keep yourself out of trouble, can you?"

"Nah, you know me." Gwaine closed his eyes against the light, frowning in discomfort. "Where've you been? Haven't seen you since the Valley of the Fallen Kings."

"Yeah, I had some stuff to do. I should tell you though, I kind of lost your sword."

"I'll get another." Gwaine's eyes opened again. "Merlin," Gwaine's voice dropped to a broken whisper. "I think it's my fault. I'm sorry… but Arthur's dead because of me."

Merlin opened his mouth to respond, angry at the self-recrimination in Gwaine's voice. But he never had the chance.

"Sir Gwaine, if I ever hear you speak like that again, I'll have you thrown in the stocks." Arthur's voice startled Gwaine, forcing him to shift his focus from Merlin to the figure who now stood at the other side of his bed.

"Arthur?"

"Yes," the king said, more softly. "So first off, I'm not dead. And second… it was never your fault. I know you would use every last ounce of strength to protect me. Whatever happened, you did not fail me. You never could."

"But how…"

Arthur shrugged. "Magic."

Merlin nearly choked, but no one seemed to notice.

Gwaine simply looked puzzled, as though he was trying to work out if Arthur was making some odd sort of joke. The effort seemed to exhaust him and he clearly had difficulty keeping his eyes open.

Arthur relented, giving Gwaine a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it at the moment. Just rest for now."

Even if Gwaine wanted to object, he wouldn't have been able to, as he was already drifting off to sleep.

"Will he be all right?" Arthur asked.

Merlin looked up at him and nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he was suddenly painfully aware that all eyes were focused on him.

"Good." Arthur said, letting out a sigh. He leaned back against the wall, looking as exhausted as Merlin felt.

"Are you all right?" Merlin asked.

Arthur glared slightly in response.

"You keep asking me that, Merlin. You're starting to sound worse than a nagging nursemaid."

Merlin ignored the insult. After all, he'd heard worse. "Arthur, let Gaius look you over. He needs to check that wound."

Arthur shook his head. "I'm fine, you idiot. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Somehow, Arthur's stubbornness annoyed Merlin more than the silly insults and he felt his temper flare.

"No, Arthur, technically speaking, you're not fine. You almost died yesterday. You were minutes from death, so don't tell me you're fine." He saw Gwen stiffen at the thought of Arthur's brush with death and Merlin instantly regretting his words. Lowering his voice, he tried again. "Just let Gaius check you out, as a precaution. Please?"

They stared at one another for a long time, each challenging the other, before Arthur finally nodded.

"All right. Fine. You keep an eye on Gwaine while I talk with Gaius."

"Thank you," Merlin said.

The king rolled his eyes, but followed Gaius back into the main room, Gwen hovering at his side each step of the way.

Merlin watched them go, then looked back to Gwaine. He would be weak for several days, but he would recover. Seeing Arthur had probably helped; Gwaine needed to see living proof that he hadn't failed the king. He'd spent days wrapped in guilt, as the dark magic of the nathair twisted his mind and tormented his spirit. Merlin shuddered slightly. Some things were worse than physical pain. He knew that only too well. While Gwaine might still struggle with lingering guilt, at least now he was free from the grip of dark magic and heart-wrenching despair.

"Merlin," Percival spoke quietly, now standing at Merlin's side. "I'll sit with him. You could use some rest yourself."

Merlin nodded and stood, as Percival moved a chair to the bedside and settled down to watch over his friend.

Merlin made it as far as the doorway, stumbled slightly, then sunk down to sit on the last step. He decided he might as well stay there, quietly surveying the physician's chambers. Arthur was sitting at the table, enduring a thorough interrogation from Gaius. Merlin suspected that only Gwen's grip on his hand kept Arthur's impatience in check.

From his current perch on the step, Merlin could keep an eye on everyone, but to be honest, he felt too tired to move. He dropped his head into his hands, rubbing at his eyes to push away the weariness.

"Here," Leon said, startling Merlin yet again. Leon held out a cup of water. Merlin raised an eyebrow, but Leon just offered a weak smile in response. "You look like you could do with something stronger, but I doubt Gaius would approve."

Merlin chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right." He took the cup and drank gratefully. When he'd finished, he set the cup on the step beside him and turned to survey Sir Leon. The knight looked a bit uncomfortable, but he made no move to back away, gave no sign that Merlin's presence caused him any unreasonable amount of concern. Merlin was half-surprised he hadn't called the castle guards by now.

"Are you angry," he asked hesitantly. "About what I did?"

Leon seemed surprised by the question, but he didn't pretend to misunderstand.

"No. Why would I be?" Merlin waited Leon out, and the knight continued with a sigh. "You forget, Merlin, that I've been healed by magic myself. It would be hypocritical of me to condemn you for such an act when I owe my own life to magic."

To be honest, Merlin had forgotten. Now he recalled how the druids had healed Leon from a mortal wound years ago, before Morgana's first occupation of Camelot. At the time, Leon had seemed uncomfortable discussing it, though that was understandable, since King Uther had been furious to learn that one of his best knights had been saved by magic. Still, Leon hadn't exactly given the answer Merlin needed.

"But what if I'd used magic to do other things?" Merlin asked cautiously. "To kill, even?"

Leon kept his voice calm and direct. "That's war, Merlin. And killing is killing, whether you use magic or a sword."

His words made sense, but Merlin was also confused. Of all of the knights, Leon was the one most likely to hate magic. He'd been raised in Camelot. He'd served Uther. Merlin had a hard time believing he could react so calmly.

Seeing his hesitation, Leon placed a hand on his shoulder and continued. "Arthur and Gwaine are both alive because of what you've done. You saved their lives. I, for one, do not care what means you used to do so. I only care that they are alive." He smiled reassuringly at Merlin. "You and I have one thing in common. We would both ride into the mouth of hell for Arthur. As far as I'm concerned, your loyalty to the king is the only thing that matters."

Leon smiled one last time and then walked over to join Arthur and Gwen. When Merlin looked up, he saw that Arthur had been watching them closely. Their eyes locked, and Merlin got the impression that Arthur had been keeping an eye on him, as though he felt the need to monitor the knight's reactions to the newly revealed sorcerer.

Arthur broke eye contact as he turned to answer another question from Gaius, and Merlin let out a deep breath. He looked around the room again, surveying the people surrounding him, and shaking his head in shock.

Everyone knew.

He had a feeling he would wake up tomorrow feeling as though the sun had grown brighter, as though the whole world had opened up before him and his dreams were all about to become reality. But for now, he was too stunned to really believe his good fortune. After so long, all of this seemed like too much to hope for and a small, frightened part of him was just waiting for something to go horribly wrong.

Considering his history in Camelot, Merlin knew that sooner or later, someone or something would decide to screw with his life. But whatever the next disaster would be, he sincerely hoped it could wait until morning.


By the time Arthur had answered every possible question and Gaius had finally pronounced him perfectly healthy, Gwen had ordered a servant to bring a full dinner to Gaius's chambers. Percival wasn't leaving Gwaine's side, and no one else seemed in a hurry to leave either, so it had seemed like the best course of action. Besides, it was clear they all had plenty to discuss.

Of course, that discussion would apparently have to take place without Merlin, who was currently sacked out asleep on the spare cot in the corner of the room.

Arthur had kept an eye on him as he talked with Leon, worrying slightly about how Leon would handle the revelation of Merlin's magic. Arthur wanted Merlin to handle this on his own. It was his secret, and he deserved to tell their friends himself. But that didn't mean that Arthur wasn't ready to jump in and back up his friend if the need arose.

Yet Merlin had apparently handled it just fine. If anything, Leon seemed to be taking the whole thing in stride. Arthur shouldn't have been surprised. Of all of his knights, Leon was the most level-headed, the calmest, and the one most likely to think before he acted. It was one of the many reasons that Arthur had relied on him for all of these years.

And now, Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, and Leon all sat around Gaius's table eating together, for once ignoring the formalities of rank and station. Leon and Gwen updated Arthur on all that had gone on in Camelot, including Eira's treason and execution. In turn, Arthur explained what had happened to him after the battle of Camlann. He left out some of the details, of course, glossing over a good deal of his interaction with Merlin, but it was enough to tell them that Merlin had been determined to save him, and had forced him to rethink most of his life in the process.

Eventually, they all sat in quiet contemplation and Arthur found his gaze returning to Merlin.

"Gaius, are you sure he's all right?" Arthur asked, nodding to where Merlin still slept.

Gaius had to smile at Arthur's concern, knowing that only a few days ago, Arthur had refused to even speak to Merlin. "I'm sure he's just tired, Arthur. And I suspect that healing Gwaine didn't help matters any. Just let him sleep, for now."

Arthur frowned. "Does using magic always tire him like this?"

"Not usually, no, although it would depend on the spell and how long Merlin tried to maintain it. If I'm right, Merlin probably hasn't slept in days. And if he was already exhausted, the healing spell might have pushed him too far."

Arthur shook his head, feeling muddled and confused. "I'm starting to realize that I know almost nothing about magic. Nothing practical that is." He rubbed one hand down his face, feeling for all the world like his entire life had been turned upside down. "I suppose from now on, that will have to change."

Gaius nodded. "Yes, Arthur. It will." He smiled in that fatherly way that Arthur remembered from when he was a boy. That smile had always put Arthur at ease, reassuring him that all was well. "But you don't have to learn any more tonight. There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow and the day after that."

"He's right," Guinevere said. "I'm sure there will be much to discuss in the coming days. But for now, Arthur, the most important thing is that Camelot is safe, Gwaine will recover, Merlin is well, and you have been returned to us."

Arthur smiled at his wife and leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

"You're right, as always."

Gwen stood, holding out her hand to Arthur. "Come on, Arthur. Let's leave Gaius in peace. We should all get some rest. Everything else will work itself out in the morning."

They all agreed. Leon excused himself, Arthur and Gwen retired for the evening, and Gaius even convinced Percival to leave for the night, assuring him that Gwaine would be fine and he could return in the morning to check on him.

Before Gaius retired, he checked on his patient one last time, seeing that Gwaine was sleeping deeply. But before he lay down for the night, Gaius noted that Merlin's sleep was not so peaceful. The young man seemed disturbed, fidgeting in his sleep and breathing irregularly, with his eyes rolling behind closed lids. Gaius moved to his side, retrieving an old quilt and spreading it out over him. He silently wished that whatever nightmares plagued Merlin would, for once, simply take the night off.

Coming to a quick decision, Gaius leaned over Merlin, speaking in a low voice, "slæp īn frið." Merlin stilled, his breath evening out. Gaius smiled and hoped the simple enchantment would grant Merlin a peaceful sleep, if only for a short while.