A/N We've hit 200 reviews! Thank you guys so much! I am so happy right now! You guys are awesome! The reviews from last chapter blew me away. Last chapter was the most reviewed chapter of this story and I loved reading each and every one of them. So, thank you guys! Unfortunately, we are winding down. There is only one chapter after this. I am sad that it is ending but I have had a blast writing it and reading your responses to it. :)

Thanks to Cattie V for the beta!

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It would have been so easy for Uther to slip into his lonely world of pain, oblivious to everything around him, and he would have too, were it not for the unbelievable power that Merlin displayed. The overwhelming magnitude of it rooted Uther in reality and he, along with everyone else in the courtyard, watched in awed amazement as Merlin unleashed his mighty power.

The otherworldly roar that burst from Merlin's throat, was something Uther had heard before, but not for many many years. Not since the night of Arthur's birth when Balinor had called the dragons to come to his aid. Uther knew how a drgonlord received his powers and the fact that Merlin was calling the dragon's only confirmed Balinor's death, not that Uther had any doubts about that anyway. His breaking heart made it undeniable.

The dragons answered Merlin's call and began to take care of the army Azrial had brought with him. Uther could feel nothing but relief at that knowledge. Those terrible men wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore.

Then Azrial all but boasted about killing Balinor and for a moment, Uther saw red as his anger overshadowed his pain and he wanted nothing more than to snap Azrial's neck and he probably would have tried but then Merlin spoke.

"You have made a grave mistake. One which you are going to pay dearly for. This I promise."

Uther was taken aback at the raw fury in the normally gentle boy's voice. In that moment, Uther Pendragon felt a shot of fear race up his spine and he was suddenly very glad that he and Merlin were on the same side.

Suddenly, Uther felt as if the very air around him had become charged as a great power rose up in the immediate area. And if Uther, who had no magic to speak of, could feel it then it was astounding indeed.

Azrial seemed to feel the power as well and he finally began to show some fear before he uttered one word.

"Emrys."

No. Could it be? Could Merlin be the one the prophecy, that Balinor had told him about many years ago, spoke of. The one who was prophesied to be the most powerful sorcerer that had lived, did live, or would live?

Yes. Uther knew that it was true. He didn't know how he knew but he did. Merlin was Emrys, there was no denying it. And, of course, Balinor would be the one to father the greatest sorcerer to ever live. That thought brought with it another realization. If Merlin was Emrys then Arthur...

"Oh, My Brother. Our sons are something else," Uther whispered.

He was distracted from his thoughts as Merlin suddenly began speaking in a voice as old as time itself and just as powerful.

"Your evil and corruption have gone on long enough. You have dirtied the powers of the old religion with your greed, hatred, and your love of causing others pain. You have not only hurt many and disgraced magic but you have changed the balance of the world with your deeds. The balance must be restored and there is but one way for this to happen."

If Azrial had looked afraid before, he looked terrified then.

"You have had far too many chances to redeem yourself," Merlin said as Azrial began to shake his head, "but you chose to use your magic for selfish and harmful means instead of to help others and benefit the world. You must now pay for your evil ways. The balance must be restored and justice must prevail."

Then Merlin threw his head back and spoke in a language that Uther could only assume was the language of the old religion. It was impossibly old and full of power and yet the king didn't feel fear this time. In fact he felt something else entirely.

He felt peace and security as he, Arthur, and Sir Leon and the other injured knights were surrounded in wondrous blue light. It reminded Uther of Balinor. In the past, the king had felt much of the same peace and fierce protectiveness from Balinor when he had cast shields around the king. This was similar except it had a distinct Merlin quality to it and it was about ten times more powerful than anything Uther had ever experienced.

Suddenly, the already thick clouds became thicker, the sky, unbelievably, darkened even further, and thunder roiled angrily through the air. In the next moment, a bolt of beautiful yet terrible lightning arced through the air lighting up the previously dark courtyard just long enough for those present to witness the death of the man who had caused so much pain to so many.

Uther watched as Azrial crumpled to the ground and felt some small level of satisfaction at the knowledge that at long last the monster was dead.

"It is finally over, Balinor. Your sacrifice was not in vain," Uther whispered to the still form in his arms.

Now that the battle was finished, Uther's grief returned with a vengeance to crush him along with the reality that they were all safe at last but Balinor, his closest friend, confidant, and family member, was not there. After all they had endured and survived together, they would not get the safe, permanent reunion that they had both desired for so long. Instead of celebrating Azrial's defeat, Uther had to say goodbye and mourn the loss of his brother. the other half of his soul.

A gentle rain replaced the downpour of moments before. It fell lightly on the king, bringing with it an inner peace that soothed his aching heart and relieved him of his unbearable grief.

Uther sighed in relief as his chest loosened and he felt that he could truly breathe once more. He knew that it was a short respite, likely a result of disbelief and shock at the surreal reality that he suddenly found himself in. Or perhaps the numbness was only just then starting to set in.

Either way, he knew it was just a matter of time before the reality of it all would come crashing back down on him again and he would have to accept the truth: his life as he knew it was over. Then he would have to deal with the grief that would return when his heart completely shattered beyond repair. But for the moment, he would savor the absence of turmoil within himself and simply breathe for as long as he could before his chest once again refused to expand and he resumed feeling like he was slowly suffocating.

That all changed, though, when, suddenly, something happened. Something that would cause his heart to leap with joy and never again ache with such overwhelming pain.

Without warning, Balinor's back arched as he gasped loudly and hungrily sucked in a deep lungful of air. He greedily gulped in air as he desperately sought to provide his starving lungs and body with necessary life-giving oxygen.

"Balinor?" Uther asked in hesitant disbelief.

Balinor's eyes flew open and he looked up at Uther a moment before gripping the king's arm and squeezing it gently as his breath continued to come out as ragged panting.

"Balinor!" Uther cried and tears of joy streamed down his face as he hugged Balinor tightly.

"Uther," Balinor whispered breathlessly as he returned the embrace reveling in the fact that he was alive and no longer cut off from those he loved.

As Uther knelt there on the cobblestones, holding his brother in his arms and listening to him breathe, he felt his heart begin to beat again and he felt complete once more as that tether between Balinor and himself became present and he was whole again. The one who held the other half of his soul was alive and their hearts once again beat together in a harmony that neither could achieve without the other.

Uther leaned back and looked Balinor in the eye, a world of communication once again passing between them. Then Uther tipped his head forward until his forehead rested against Balinor's and closed his eyes.

"Thank you, for coming back to me," he whispered.

"Always, My Brother," Balinor replied. "Always."

)()()(

As the last bit of gold faded from his eyes, Merlin's energy seemed to drain away leaving him feeling tired, but for the most part, it was a good kind of tired. It took a minute for his mind to catch up with him, but once it did,Merlin stood in stunned silence as the last few minutes washed over him. His father was alive, Azrial was dead, and not only had Merlin been powerful enough to kill him but the young warlock now possessed more power than anyone who had lived, was alive, or ever would live. Now it wasn't just a story that Kilgharrah told him. It wasn't just a prophecy. It was real. He was Emrys. He had felt that power and he could still feel it, there deep inside of him waiting to be called forth again.

The magnitude of it was so great and yet he had had no trouble controlling it. In that moment, when his powers had been unleashed it was as if he was completely connected to all of the magic around him. It wasn't like he was a part of all of the magic in existence but it was as if he could see it all, the magic in the Earth, the air, even in the dragons and other people around him (albeit in extremely small amounts).

He was a creature of the old religion and in those moments when his magic had completely filled his entire being he could feel the old religion itself and the memory of its magnitude took his breath away. He had never felt so powerful or in control before. In those final minutes he had given himself over to the old religion and when he did, suddenly everything had made perfect sense and he knew what had to be done and how to do it.

He turned and looked at Azrial's body. He had killed a man, and yet he didn't feel the guilt he always thought he would feel if he ever had to kill someone. He had had no choice. In order to keep everyone safe, save countless lives, and restore the balance of the world it had to be done. Azrial brought it on himself with the choices he made. It was justified and the powers swirling in the world around him refused to let Merlin accept anything less.

In the last few minutes alone, Merlin had experienced many firsts. His first time to command the dragons, his first time to fully use such power, his first time to kill someone, and his first time to revive someone.

He turned back to where his father sat alive and well where he had laid dead just minutes before and Merlin felt a surge of gratitude towards the old religion for giving him his father back.

Balinor looked up and met Merlin's eyes, jarring the young warlock out of his thoughts. Merlin returned to reality with a jolt and he launched himself forward and ran to his father's side.

"Father!" he cried as he fell to his knees beside Balinor and threw his arms around him.

Balinor wrapped his arms around Merlin and hugged him tightly. After a moment, he released him and hugged Arthur who had finally picked himself up off the ground and made his way (albeit quiet a bit slower than Merlin had, after being slammed into the wall and all) over to their father and knelt beside his brother.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Arthur said as he sat back.

"So am I," Uther added from where he still knelt on the other side of Balinor, "but how? You were dead. How can you even be alive much less completely healed?"

Balinor turned and looked Merlin in the eye.

"Why don't you ask Merlin? He is the one who brought me back."

"How?" Arthur asked, looking at Merlin in amazement.

Arthur didn't doubt for one second that it was true. After witnessing the level of power Merlin possessed, he could believe that his brother could do just about anything. He just wondered how.

"He has power over life and death," Balinor answered.

"When Father was... killed," Merlin stumbled over the word, "it upset the balance of the world and balance must be kept but in order to bring someone back, a price must be paid, a life for a life."

"Azrial," Uther said in understanding.

"Yes. He made his choice. He chose to be evil and he chose to upset the balance. The old religion had to set it right and Azrial had to be punished for his crimes. So his life became forfeit," Merlin explained.

"Well, I can't say I'm sorry. He brought it on himself. I'm just glad it's finally over," Arthur said.

"So am I," Merlin agreed.

"I think it's safe to say that we are all glad that it is finally finished," Balinor declared.

"So Merlin, what did it feel like to be a dragonlord?" Arthur asked excitedly.

"It was amazing. I suddenly knew their language and it was like we were..." Merlin trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Kin?" Balinor suggested.

"Exactly!" Merlin exclaimed. "It was like we were kin."

"You are kin, Merlin," Balinor said with a laugh. "Dragons and their dragonlords are kin."

"Oh, well that explains a few things," Merlin said.

"So, can you still control them?" Arthur asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," Merlin admitted. "Now that Father is alive... I don't know."

"Can you still sense them?" Balinor asked.

Merlin was quiet a moment.

"Yes, I can," he replied.

"Try calling them," Balinor suggested.

Merlin concentrated a minute before throwing back his head and roaring in the dragon tongue. Mere minutes later, Kilgharrah swooped over the castle walls and landed in the courtyard.

"You called, Young Warlock?" Kilgharrah said with a slight smirk (or what passed for a smirk for a dragon) and an amused twinkle in his eye.

"I did it! I can still call them," Merlin cried.

"Does that mean you aren't a dragonlord anymore, Father?" Arthur asked.

"Balinor is still a dragonlord," Kilgharrah assured. "A dragonlord's powers may be passed from father to son only in death, but once a drgonlord receives their powers they can never be taken away. Balinor's brief death gave Merlin the powers of a dragonlord but just because Balinor died and Merlin inherited his powers does not mean that Balinor forfeits his dragonlord powers. And just because Balinor lives again does not mean that Merlin is deprived of his new-found inheritance. They are both dragonlords, and the first father and son to have their powers while they both still live. Indeed, this entire family is a great and legendary one at that," the dragon said almost musing to himself. "Emrys, The Once and Future King, and the fathers that sired them. Yes, this is a family that will achieve great and wondrous things, together."

He lifted off from the ground and flew over the castle walls, shouting one last thing over his shoulder.

"And I look forward to witnessing it all!"

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Epilogue: Long lost princes deserve a ceremony to welcome them home.