Arthur woke to blinding sunlight and immediately rolled over, pulling a pillow over his head. Merlin's insistent voice penetrated the pillow, though; "Come on, sire, rise and shine!"

About to make some sardonic remark, the king suddenly remembered the events of the past few days. He sat up, staring at his servant. Merlin was busy tying the drapes back; he glanced over his shoulder, grinning. "Up and at 'em!"

Refusing to show that he was somewhat disheartened by Arthur's lack of reaction, Merlin loped across the room to the table. "Your breakfast is ready, but you have a lot to do so I'm thinking I might just eat it instead . . ."

This still excited no rejoinder from Arthur; the king threw aside the blankets and climbed out of bed silently, watching Merlin with an expression that his servant couldn't interpret.

As he helped his friend dress, Merlin didn't have much to say; he tried once to start one of the insulting back-and-forths that the two usually exchanged, but Arthur's retort was half-hearted and Merlin wisely didn't push it.

Arthur settled at the table as he normally did and Merlin began to serve him breakfast, but the king finally came out of his withdrawn mood to say vehemently, "Merlin, how can you just go about like nothing's changed?"

"Nothing has, sire." The wizard shifted.

"Not for you, I suppose." Arthur scowled. "But to me this is – this is – this is earth-shattering, Merlin!" The king struggled to find the words he was looking for. "I can't just take this in stride and move on, Merlin."

His servant greeted the last statement silently, waiting for Arthur to carry on – which he did. "Merlin, after everything they've suffered at Morgana's hands, the people won't, can't, just accept your magic, just like that!" He shook his head. "I'm not sure I can, for that matter."

Merlin stared at his feet dejectedly. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, Merlin. I don't know." Arthur rose from his seat and paced to the window to look out restlessly at the goings-on in the courtyard. "Really, I have no idea what to do."

A long, crushing silence inundated the room until Merlin suddenly stated, "I'll leave if you want me to."

Arthur took a moment in forming his response. "Merlin . . . I don't want you to, truly I don't . . . but I think maybe that would be best."

Merlin blinked several times in rapid succession, his eyes still cast down. Arthur watched him mutely. Realizing that the king was waiting on a response, the wizard glanced up; he gaze flickered to Arthur's face briefly. "Okay."

"Merlin." The king sounded almost as miserable as his servant felt. "Look, I don't want this to be, you know, permanent."

"What do you mean?" Merlin glanced up.

"I don't know." Arthur crossed the room, coming toward him again, and sat despondently on the edge of the table. "I just need to think everything through for a while, Merlin. And I can't . . . I can't, I don't know, uphold all the laws against magic while harboring a sorcerer at the same time."

"Change the laws." Merlin muttered.

"But Merlin, I'm not convinced I should!" Frustrated, the king slammed his hand down on the table. "I believe you're a good person, Merlin, I do, but I just can't accept that magic is good! Not yet, I can't."

" 'Course not." Though he knew Arthur's beliefs were wrong, Merlin understood where his friend was coming from. Having been raised his entire life believing that magic was evil, and having seen the suffering inflicted by many who wielded it, changing wasn't easy for Arthur. The young wizard shrugged. "I'll leave."

The king lifted his eyes and they stared at each other for a poignant moment. Then Arthur gave a single nod of his head. Feeling tears coming on, Merlin left the room and, once out of sight, made a beeline for his own chambers. Bursting through Gaius' door a moment later, he bolted past a bewildered Mordred and took the stairs to his room three at a time, slamming the door behind him so hard that its hinges were nearly torn loose.

A few minutes later, Mordred entered the upstairs room with a soft knock to find Merlin trying stuffing a couple of identical, long-sleeved blue tunics into his pack. The young knight closed the door and leaned against it, stating softly, "Arthur told you to leave."

"I offered to." Merlin didn't look up.

Mordred nodded. There was a long silence as Merlin aggravatedly dumped everything in the satchel out onto his bed and started packing it all back in again. The wizard was obviously trying to vent his frustration on his clothes, but it wasn't helping much.

"Are you angry at him?" Mordred questioned.

"At Arthur?" Merlin glanced up for a second. "Of course not. I'm just, I don't know . . ."

"He'll come around." The younger of the two promised.

Merlin sat down on his bed and leaned back against the wall. "I know. I'm just afraid it'll take him years."

There was a pause, then Mordred questioned, "Do you trust me now?"

The magician gave a small smile. "Yes."

"I never understood why you didn't trust me before." The knight commented. "I thought it was because I had magic, but I didn't know why you'd mistrust one of your own."

"It was foretold to me, years ago, that you would kill Arthur." Merlin explained.

Mordred frowned slightly. "That could still come to pass."

"You were destined to kill him in the battle of Camlann." The wizard rubbed his face with his hands. "Arthur was going to die, but you changed both your destinies."

"I didn't do anything, though. I still stabbed Arthur. It was you that changed his destiny – you saved him."

"Maybe." Merlin shrugged tiredly. "I don't believe I could have saved him, though, if you hadn't saved him first."

"I guess we'll never know." Mordred folded his arms, changing the subject. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know." Merlin shrugged glumly. "I'm going to find Aithusa. After Kilgharrah, he's the last dragon alive. He needs me."

"Arthur may try to hunt him down, too." Mordred commented.

"Maybe." Merlin eyed the boy inquiringly. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

"I'd like to stay here, if Arthur will have me." He glanced at the floor.

"He will." The older boy assured him. "He'll probably even make you a knight again." He paused. "What about your magic?"

"What about it?" Mordred queried.

Merlin tipped his head. "Well, I mean . . . I don't know."

"I'd like to become a better warrior – I don't want to need magic." The Druid stared vaguely at the wall. "I admire you, Merlin, but I'd rather rely on my skill with a sword than magic."

The wizard nodded understandingly, shoving a red neckerchief into his satchel. Mordred glanced down at it, amused. "Do you ever wear anything different?"

"Yes!" Merlin replied defensively. "I wear . . ." He paused as it occurred to him for the first time that all of his outfits consisted of a red or blue long-sleeved tunic and a red or blue neckerchief. He finished the sentence with, " . . . different things."

Mordred grinned. "Right."

His depression somewhat dispelled, Merlin finished packing while the young knight looked on. Swinging the satchel over his shoulder, he glanced around the room. "There's a lot here."

"Really?" Mordred looked around dubiously.

"I keep things under the bed," Merlin grinned in spite of himself. "I have a book of magic and a Sidhe staff, and things like that. I don't need them, though – I'll leave them with Gaius."

Mordred nodded mutely. Merlin turned toward him, offering his hand. "Look after Arthur for me."

"He doesn't need it." The boy shook his hand firmly.

"He does, though." The wizard grimaced dryly. "He's going to be relying on you and the other knights more than ever."

"Now that you won't be around to help him." Mordred put in.

Merlin shrugged. "Good luck putting up with the clotpole."

"The what?" The knight blinked.

"Don't call him that if you don't like mucking out stables." The older boy warned.

"I won't, don't worry." Mordred stood aside to let Merlin pass, then followed him down the stairs.

"You'd better stay here and rest some more." The young wizard advised.

Mordred nodded. They stared at each other for a moment, then Merlin turned his back. "Goodbye."

He closed the door behind him and started down the hall, trying to ignore his gloom. He had to see Gaius before he left.

The physician was still at work in the infirmary. Seeing the pack Merlin carried, he stopped what he was doing. "Are you going somewhere, Merlin."

"I'm leaving." His ward kicked halfheartedly at the tile. "Arthur thinks it's the best thing to do."

Gaius' face fell. "Where will you go?"

"Dunno." Merlin shrugged. "Here and there. Maybe back to Ealdor."

"I'm sure a man of your skills will find something significant to do." The elderly man remarked, then added meaningfully, "And I don't mean just your skills with magic."

"You taught me everything I know." Merlin succeeded in summoning a smile to his face. "I'll miss you, Gaius."

"And I you." The healer responded gravely. He hugged his apprentice gently, then drew back. "I'm sure Arthur will change his mind."

"Eventually." Merlin shrugged. "If someone doesn't kill him before he can, without me around to watch his stupid backside."

"Now that Morgana's gone, it seems to me his chances of surviving long without you are significantly greater." At the pained look this extracted from the boy, Gaius amended, "Not that he doesn't still need you."

"We'll see." Merlin backed away. "Goodbye, Gaius."

"I'm proud of you, Merlin." His mentor told him unexpectedly.

Giving a last, small grin, the wizard turned and loped away, feeling himself choking up. On his way down the stairs into the courtyard, he passed Gwaine; the knight caught him by the arm, stopping him. "Where are you off to, Merlin?" When the boy didn't reply immediately, looking down at his boots instead, the knight added conspiratorially, "If it's anywhere interesting, maybe I'll come along. All we've been doing since we got back is paperwork – I'm ready to explode."

"I don't think you can come this time, Gwaine." Merlin broke away and started down the steps, wishing his voice wasn't threatening to betray him.

"Why? Where are you going?" The knight stared after his friend, puzzled, as Merlin crossed the courtyard.

From his window, unseen, Arthur Pendragon broodingly watched the lonesome figure of his closest friend disappearing through the gateway.

A few minutes later, almost out of the city, Merlin heard the clatter of hooves behind him and moved to the side of the road, out of the way of whoever was cantering up from behind. The horse danced to a stop behind him, though, and a familiar voice stopped him. "Merlin!"

"Gwen?" He turned. "What are you doing here?"

"Gwaine told me you were leaving. Where are you going?" She swept down off her steed and approached him anxiously.

"I don't know. Arthur told me I need to leave, though."

"What?" Gwen was dismayed. "Why?"

He watched her countenance. "Gaius told you about me?"

"Yes." She took a step closer. "Merlin, that doesn't change anything!"

"Arthur doesn't see it that way." He scuffed one boot on the cobblestones.

"You told him?"

"Yes." He shrugged. "I'm glad I did, but . . ."

"Let me talk to him. I'm sure he'll change his mind." She pressed.

"It's not that." Merlin shook his head. "He'd let me stay if I wanted to, but he just needs to figure this out for himself."

She stared into his face, unsure what to say.

The wizard took her hand. "Just do one thing for me, Gwen."

"Anything." She promised.

"When Arthur is ready to accept me again, tell him to come find me."

"When will that be?"

"Months, years, who knows?" He sighed. "I'll wait, though."

She nodded. "I'll tell him."

He let her hand go and stepped back as if to continue on his way.

"Merlin." She stopped him. When he met her eyes, she smiled. "Thank you for everything you've done, Merlin. I won't forget."

"Forget me?" A lopsided grin cracked his dejected face. "I'd like to see you try."

And with that, Emrys, the last dragonlord, defender of Camelot and Albion, guardian of the once and future king, vanquisher of the last high priestess, the greatest sorcerer that ever lived, went on his lonely way.

MERLIN
will return

Okay, so a few things...

First of all, I know, this ending is really sad. BUT it's not the permanent end... I'm starting a season 6. I'll have at least the first part of episode 1 posted by sometime tomorrow (Tuesday). I'll post a link to it on here so the people following this story will know when I've got it up.

Also, one of my reviewers (thanks guys! :D) commented that the part where Arthur says "so you're not an idiot; that was another lie" doesn't seem right (that's in chapter 5 or 6, I think). I sort of agree with that, actually; when I saw the episode I thought that was a bit off, since Arthur doesn't really think Merlin's an idiot, he just likes to say that. I almost didn't put it in, but I sort of threw it in at the last moment. Should I take that out? I'd replace it with something that fits in better.

And there was something else...but I forgot what it was. :) Please review!

EDIT: As of now, my season 6 episode 1 is part way done. Go to the next page for the link. :)