Merlin woke up to a foggy morning, and to tell the truth, he felt like the weather reflected his state of mind perfectly. It took him a while to piece together where he was and why, and he started wondering why Arthur wasn't there. He wasn't too worried; there was a fire that was slowly going out, and some of his things were missing. But, he needed to see him alive to fully believe it.

"I thought you'd sleep longer, so I went to bring more wood," he heard a voice behind him.

So it was real. He bolted up and turned around a little too quickly, which made him dizzy, but he shook it off. His face showed many things at once, but mainly joy and relief. There were tears in his eyes and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, but he had no clue what to say.

Arthur didn't know either. He wanted to thank Merlin, but he couldn't find the right way to do it, ordinary words didn't seem appropriate. His eyes were glistening with tears too, which wasn't what Merlin saw every day. He couldn't be sure if they weren't just his imagination. But in truth, they were very real.

The king walked to the fire and dropped the wood nearby. Then, he stood in front of the warlock, looked him in the eye, and squeezed his shoulder. Merlin grabbed his arm and smiled widely. Maybe it just wasn't the right time for talking.

They started fixing the fire, sat around it, and ate a small breakfast. The silence was full of things to be said, but at the same time it was comfortable, made of mutual understanding.

"How is your wound?" asked Merlin, finally breaking it.

"Almost healed," replied Arthur and repeated what Anhora told him about how well Merlin led the circle. "They were all impressed," he finished and yawned.

The warlock only picked up on his friend's tiredness, instead of taking the compliment, and said:

"I'm sorry, my nightmare probably kept the whole forest up."

Arthur's first instinct was to laugh. Only Merlin could worry over something like that, in a situation like theirs. But then he realized that though the apology was kind of silly, there was more to it. He would feel uneasy too if he exposed himself like that.

"I almost said you're an idiot," he started, and his friend chuckled. "But I thought it might bring back bad memories. You do know that death is worse than a night with little sleep, don't you?"

"Not really, I've never died," argued Merlin, just for the sake of it.

"Some things don't change, you'd rather die than agree with me," laughed Arthur. "But really, what I was trying to say is that I'm grateful that you agreed to go through with it. And… for everything. I may regret saying this later, but you can keep me up all you need."

"Well, the truth is, I do agree, death is also worse than a nightmare," admitted the warlock. "And Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"The memories aren't that bad. I do enjoy your clotpole side, a bit."

"Shh, listen," whispered Arthur, as he grabbed Merlin and dragged him behind a large fallen tree.

He had to be careful for them both, as Merlin could barely concentrate on walking, let alone watching out for danger. He felt as if he was in two realities at once, and neither of them was very pleasant. Going forward was both exhausting and frustrating. Avalon wasn't that far from Camelot, but because of him, their pace was unbelievably slow, and he couldn't help being annoyed at himself.

And the other world, which he was at times sucked into, brought back the most frightening side of the forest. It wasn't as real as the nightmare, and he was able to somewhat control himself, but still, pretty disturbing.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention. Anhora said that if we need help on our way back home, the help will appear. Look," said Arthur, interrupting his solemn thoughts. He pointed toward two unicorns coming out of the bushes. Apparently, the creatures were their ride home.

When carrying humans, unicorns weren't as fast as horses. However, they managed to get them to a glade that was around three and a half hours from Camelot, at least at their current walking pace. Since the creatures left and it was almost dark, they both decided it was best to camp there for the night, despite their eagerness to get home.

That time, the nightmares weren't as ruthless, but still disturbing enough to make Merlin feel as if he didn't sleep at all. His face was flushed, which suggested he had a fever, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Looking at him, Arthur considered telling him to go back to sleep for a while, after all, it was only two hours or so after dawn and they were relatively close to Camelot. But he realized that it was probably a better idea to get him to a real bed as soon as possible. He just couldn't bring himself to suggest it was time to go…

Before he did, they both heard something again. It sounded like horses, but not many, probably two or three. To be safe, they hid behind nearby trees. However, that day the morning was sunny, in more than one way. Who they saw riding onto the glade made them sprint out of their hiding, with Merlin completely forgetting about his tiredness.

"Leon! Percival!" they shouted together, feeling a bit as if they were home already.

In his long career as a knight of Camelot, Leon had many happy moments. Countless victories, including beating immortal armies and magical creatures, or winning despite being vastly outnumbered. There were quite a few reunions like that one too. But he could hardly remember ever feeling so relieved.

He spent a better part of the last few days in or around the castle, which became a very depressing place. Everyone was terrified that they might have lost their beloved king. And they weren't sure if it was more reasonable to expect Arthur to return, or Morgana to try to violently claim her throne, after having killed her half-brother.

And on top of it, Leon couldn't do a thing to help. Being one of the king's closest knights, he was used to acting rather than sitting around and waiting. It was hard to bear, especially since he wasn't only eager for news about his king, but also about two people he cared about.

"Si-," he started, but quickly realized it wasn't the time for using titles. "Arthur! Merlin! I think I've never been so pleased to see anyone!"

Both him and Percival jumped off their horses and rushed to the king and his servant. The four men patted each other on their backs, their smiles reaching all the way to their eyes. Leon grabbed Arthur's forearm, and the king returned the gesture. Then, the knight ruffled Merlin's hair.

"So, what happened to you two? I thought you were wounded, Arthur, but it's Merlin who looks sick," noticed Leon, looking at them questioningly.

"I'm not sure how much you know. Anyway, at the risk of sounding insane, I will give you the short version," said the king, and told them about Merlin being a sorcerer, winning the battle for them, and killing Morgana. He also recounted how they both taught he was dead, how the warlock summoned the healing circle, and that now he had to pay the price.

Everyone stared at him wide-eyed. Gwen and Gaius didn't tell anyone else about Merlin, so it did sound insane to Leon and Percival. As for the warlock, he didn't expect the king to be so upfront. Not to mention, he kind of forgot that people other than Arthur would find out too.

"We also rode here on unicorns," he added after a while, hoping to take off some of the tension.

Leon didn't find it funny though. Or rather, he didn't even hear it, busy fighting a battle in his head. Unlike most of the king's closest knights, he was a nobleman, and he'd been taught certain values throughout his life. Both his father and his former king felt very strongly about them. Then again, maybe he was too quick to accept them, did he ever think them through? There was no person as loyal to the king as Merlin, and by the looks of it, if it weren't for him, they would all be doomed.

He looked at the warlock and saw the same kind face that always cheered him up, even if it seemed more tired than usual. Then, he glanced at Arthur and saw his pleading eyes, as if he desperately wanted his knights to take it well. And right then, he realized that what mattered was his two friends, of which one happened to be his king, being alive. And himself, Percival, the queen prevailing too. In his heart, he knew how the person who made it happen should be treated, regardless of his methods.

„I knew you were brave, Merlin, but it seems you were much braver than I could imagine. Thank you," he said, bowing his head.

The warlock smiled at him shyly, feeling grateful for his acceptance. He noticed that Percival was very quiet the whole time though and asked, „So, what are you two doing here alone? Did we miss anything?"

He did want to know because he could sense something was up. But all the excitement, and then nervousness, must have gotten to him. He went paler and started swaying a bit.

„Why don't you tell us on the way? Can we take one of your horses?" he heard Arthur saying, and felt an arm supporting him.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Well, you know us, sire, it was hard to sit and wait. We pretended to ourselves that we needed to do an additional patrol, and we hoped to meet someone else than Saxons," admitted Leon.

Arthur nodded his head. Of course, he would do exactly the same. But both he and Merlin realized that there was someone more hotheaded than any of them, and that he was missing.

"Makes sense. The only thing that doesn't… Where's Gwaine?" the king asked, fearing the answer.

Percival wanted to disappear, but he was an honorable man, and he knew it was his question to answer.

"We did something… really bad. If Morgana killed you, it would be on me," he said, feeling ashamed.

"I'm quite sure that whatever you did, it would be on her," assured Arthur. "What happened?"

And so, Percival told him about how they wanted to set a trap but instead fell into one, how Gwaine was tortured, and eventually forced to give out their location.

Before Arthur could react, Merlin sat up a bit straighter and asked the only thing that both of them could think of:

"How is Gwaine?"

"Alive, but barely. Gaius said that there was some sort of dark magic used that he can't reverse," said Leon quietly.

Arthur put his hand on Merlin's back. He knew that Merlin and Gwaine were close. He was worried about Gwaine. And he also felt bad, because he realized that Merlin will have, and want, to try to fix this, even though he could barely sit in the saddle. Of course, Merlin was already planning on it, but first, he turned his head and looked at the king. He wasn't precisely seeking approval, he wouldn't let Gwaine die without trying. But he wanted to make sure they were on the same page. Arthur nodded and said:

"It seems like the guy I'm traveling with might be able to help. But for now, keep it to yourselves, and what I said before too. When everyone gets better, we will discuss what to do."

Neither he nor Merlin had time to contemplate it, but the situation was a bit problematic. Telling the whole court what happened, and what had been going on for many years, would undoubtedly cause chaos. It had to be done in the right way.

"And, Percival," he added after a short pause, "I'm not saying it was very… strategic to go after a high priestess, just the two of you. But I would do the same. No, we've all done more or less the same each time we challenged her. If anything, it's my fault."

They all looked at him, surprised.

"I'm not sure if it's the time to go into this, but I will try," he started. "When I was my father's knight, he was ignoring magic, denying it. He wanted to show his dominance over it so much, he didn't see he kept sending us to certain death. Like him, I also haven't tried to understand it, I thought I could face it with a sword, and that's what I taught you. We only got away with it thanks to Merlin."

"Believe me, I'm not the lucky charm when it comes to Morgana. I'll tell you the whole story later," the warlock admitted. "But in the end, she's only dead because she followed us, and we are all alive. That's what matters, so maybe it's not the time for feeling guilty."

Arthur wasn't completely convinced, but he was grateful that his friend helped him talk Percival out of his guilt. Also, of course, he recognized every tree and every rock that they were passing, and he knew that they were only about half an hour from Camelot. Perhaps, it indeed was the moment to feel good. With that thought, he tried to lighten up the mood a bit:

"We left out something important, Merlin. He killed Morgana with my sword. It seems he can do it all now."

In the last few days, every time the bells rang, everyone in the palace run to their windows. Well, not everyone, because some were glued to them almost all the time. But it was only now that what they saw made them race down the stairs, all the way to the courtyard. People were tripping, losing parts of their dress, and generally looking more foolish than they ever allowed themselves at the court. Not everyone loved Uther Pendragon, or rather hardly anyone did, but his son was a different story. It would be difficult to find one person in Camelot who didn't pray for their beloved king to come back, or who didn't feel moved when they finally saw him riding toward the palace.

But of course, no one loved him more than his queen.

"Arthur! Merlin!" Gwen was at the front of the crowd, running to them with tears streaming down her face. "You're really back! And alive!"

When Arthur kissed and held his wife, everything started to seem just a little bit simpler. He had been sure he would never see her again, never touch her, kiss her, hear her beautiful voice. As if she was reading his mind, she whispered:

"I feared I'd never see you again."

"Me too. No, I was sure I wouldn't, I thought I was dying, I even said goodbye to Merlin. I still can't believe he managed to save me," Arthur blurted, letting off some of the tension. "It was bad, worse than ever before. But I'm as good as new now."

"We were fools, weren't we?" she laughed, looking at the warlock, and frowned. "Is he okay? He looks worse than you."

"No, but he will be. He had to agree to something to save me. I'll tell you later," said the king sadly.

They broke away, then shared one more kiss, and Gwen ran to Merlin. She hugged him and looked for words that would show how she felt, but for a long time, she couldn't find any. Finally, she took his hands, looked him in the eye and said:

"Thank you, Merlin. For bringing my husband home. You are the greatest friend anyone could wish for."

Arthur, who was standing next to her, thought that she could always express how he felt better than him.

"I might have helped along the way, but it was actually him who dragged me home," answered the warlock, apparently not used to all the praise.

"Sire, maybe you could teach your court some manners. They wouldn't let an old guy pass through the crowd!" they all heard someone shouting. When they looked at his face, it was clear that he was just masking how moved he was to see them.

"Gaius!" both Arthur and Merlin rushed to him, and the latter hugged his guardian.

Of course, as a physician, Gaius quickly noticed that something was off with the boy, the man, he treated like his son.

"I was so worried about you both. You can't imagine how glad I am to see you alive. Are you alright though?" there was so much to say, Gaius hardly managed to limit himself to what seemed the most important.

"I am. Merlin will be," explained Arthur, his tone suggesting he felt bad about the outcome. He lightly touched Gaius'es back. "We will tell you everything, but not now. Gwaine is in your chambers, isn't he? We should go there first."

"Yes, he is. Of course. Wait, what about Morgana? We were ready, as much as we could, just in case," said the physician, though he was laughing inside at the absurd idea of being prepared to face her without the only person that could defeat her.

"No need. Merlin killed her. Let's go. Stay close, maybe my court will part this time," instructed Arthur, jokingly, as Gaius breathed the sigh of relief and briefly embraced the warlock one more time, his look saying well done.

Merlin intended to trail behind Arthur and Gwen, but the queen had other plans. She gave her right hand to Arthur and her left one to Merlin. Again, Arthur admired how she always did the perfect thing, one he would not think of.

Note: I have a lot of action planned for this story, but for now, it was important for me to give the characters the chance to have some important conversations, which I've always wished they had. And there will be some more of that too.

Also, thank you for your reviews, Vanvdreamer and Gingeraffealene :) And to all of you who decided to follow/fav this story.