Epilogue: Eight years later
The press was gathering out front, milling about in the crowd of reporters, lights, and cameras and waiting for the first press conference of the new Prime Minister and Cabinet. Behind the scenes, things were a familiar brand of organized chaos, as the officials and their families finished final preparations and waited for their cues to step in front of the gleaming lights.
At the center of it all stood the Prime Minister himself, a small knot of his top ministers and advisors, and some family members. The Home Secretary stood near the Prime Minister's side. His reddish-brown hair had a few streaks of premature grey in it, but otherwise he was the same Sir Leon who had been Arthur's faithful and wise friend since they were boys. Only a short distance away, the Foreign Secretary and his lovely artist wife were in conversation with the Prime Minister's wife. Elaine had succeeded immensely as an artist, rising to the top of the art world in only a few short years and now was one of the UK's best-regarded artists for her ability to capture a fierce yet soft sort of beauty in the world around them. But her most famous paintings were deceptively simple, with fire and mist and lilies swirling together in an enchanting combination.
"Oliver Chevalier! What did I tell you about running indoors!" she scolded, reaching out to halt a four-year-old boy with lightly tanned skin and dark curls by catching the back of his coat.
"Sorry, Mama," he apologized, before promptly skidding off again.
"They never listen, do they?" Elaine sighed to her friend. Dr. Gwen Penduron, favorite professor of many university students, grinned fondly across the room at a pair of children. Her son, William, the little miracle that had ended a dangerous time with news of new life, was the very image of his father: handsome, thoughtful, and blond. Except for his eyes- he had his mother's deep, honest brown eyes. As he surveyed the room, he kept a protective grasp on his sister's hand. Six-year-old Jennifer was the inverse of her brother, with her mother's dark curls but her father's beautiful blue eyes that always sparkled with mischief and joy. As their mother watched, the pair dashed over to hug their uncle Elyan, who scooped up William as Gwaine affectionately twirled Jennifer around. Elyan, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, had just married a lovely girl, Isabelle, who had just ducked out of the room to take a call from her hospital. Gwen smiled to see the clear adoration in her daughter's face as Gwaine spun her around. Although he had never married or had children of his own, "Uncle Gwaine" was a favorite with all the children, and the newly appointed Minister of Defense had a particular bond with little Jennifer Penduron, as fond of her as he would be of his own daughter. He set her down as Percival, now the top official of the Department of Education, approached to greet them.
A pair of civil servants joined their group at that moment. Gwen embraced the woman like a little sister before affectionately placing her hand on Emma's round belly. Never leaving his wife's side, David shook hands with the others, glancing around in wonder that he and Emma had somehow fallen in with some of the most legendary heroes of all time. And even more amazing- they lived up to the legend.
Off in another corner, the private advisor to the Prime Minister (known by all in the political field to be quite influential in his own right) and his husband, a top civil servant, watched the group with calm satisfaction that a new golden age had been brought about, this one without the all-too-soon tragic ending. Merlin slipped his hand into Mordred's as they contentedly watched the room.
You did it, Merlin. Fulfilled your destiny, and his. Look at them all- it's all because of you, the druid commented silently. Merlin turned to face his partner. Although nearly a decade had passed since they had first found their way to each other, they both still had a boyish countenance and that familiar gleam of pure joy in life.
I still can't believe it- I have more than I ever dreamed I would. A farm boy from Ealdor- and now I'm at the right hand of a great leader, among friends, and married to someone almost as amazing as me, he teased affectionately, stealing a quick kiss from Mordred.
Don't forget a great father, too, Mordred replied in a more serious tone, nodding his head towards the corner where a pair of dark-haired children giggled with Will and Jennifer. Merlin smiled softly, recalling the day a three years ago when he and Mordred had gone to visit a children's home- a cause very dear to Mordred's heart in this life- and seen two pairs of blue eyes peeping around a corner. The headmistress had explained to them, brow furrowed in worry and confusion, how strange things kept happening around the twins. They'd already been bounced to a couple of foster homes, but no one seemed to want them. At that, Mordred's face had tightened and his hand had gripped Merlin's tighter. Then they asked to meet the children.
It took only a moment, the two men sitting across from the little boy and girl, for them to see the truth about the twins. In the perfect synch that years of trust and a shared mental bond had developed, the legendary magicians had each reached out a hand, palm up, across the table. And with a flash of gold in their eyes, a single flame appeared in each of their palms as the children gasped. Then, the moment neither would ever forget: two new voices, small yet brave, echoing shyly in their minds.
My name's James.
And mine's Alexandra. Are you going to take care of us?
Yes. For the rest of your lives, if you want us to. The twins exchanged a glance, then smiled brightly, beautifully.
Yes.
That had been three years ago. Since then, James and Alexandra (though they more often preferred Jem and Lexie) Blackwell-Mage had grown to love their young fathers and their vast extended family of the Round Table. Now eight years old, the twins were the oldest of the children of the Round Table and were quite adept both as students of magic and academic students in the "normal" world. Protective, loyal, and clever, they were certainly destined for great things.
A man stuck his head around the corner, catching Arthur's eye as he called, "Sir, they're ready when you are." The king nodded his acknowledgement and reached for his wife's hand. Looking around at his assembled friends and family, Arthur smiled slightly.
"Well, here we go. Just so you know-" he met each of their eyes in turn, starting with Gwen at his left and ending with a shared gaze with Merlin on his right- "I couldn't ask for a better group to share this with. I couldn't ask for a better family," he said, solemn and honest. With that, the Round Table turned and filed out to meet the press for the first time as the new power elite of Britain.
"All right, I'm told we have time for one more question," Arthur said, looking out at the sea of reporters. "Yes, you, sir," he said, gesturing at a man in the third row who had been attempting to ask a question for a while.
"Prime Minister, I'm sure you're aware of the nickname that's been coined for you and some of your Cabinet ministers, considering how you've worked together, your actions in the attack eight years ago, and of course the wonderful coincidence of your names." At that, the room filled with giggles, which the Round Table joined in good-naturedly and which soon subsided. The reporter continued, "What do you say to the connotations implicit in those names?" Arthur took a moment, glancing behind him at his family and friends. Merlin smiled as he saw his best friend stand up just a little straighter, holding himself like the king he truly was and always would be.
"I would say that it's a true compliment, it really is. To be compared to figures of legend- it's a little terrifying, to be honest!" he joked, causing the reporters to laugh again. "But seriously," he continued, his tone dropping and taking on that indescribable air of regality, "for me, for all of us, it's always been about a few things: trust, equality, and caring for the people. Because isn't that what the legends of the Round Table are all about?" he asked, stepping out from behind the podium and moving forward purposefully. "It's not about a single man who pulled a sword from a stone. It's about a group of people, a group of friends, who had the unique idea that every man's voice was worth as much as another's, regardless of what he had to say." Arthur glanced towards Mordred at that, who smiled with a look of understanding in his bright blue eyes. "It's about those who were given power choosing to use it by listening to their people and doing all they could to give them the best opportunities possible, from the highest-born," he glanced at Leon and Gwaine, "to the commoners who were anything but ordinary," he said, meeting the eyes of Lancelot, Elyan, and Percival. "It's about people who loved one another and could work together and teach one another to be better despite differences because of that love and respect as people," he smiled at Gwen, who sat with a queenly demeanor and a girlish grin. "And it's about faith- having faith in others, even when they don't have faith in themselves, and helping one another to find true strength and courage." With the final sentence, Arthur looked squarely at Merlin. Blue met blue as the men shared a short but meaningful glance, one filled with gratitude and understanding and a love stronger than the closest of brothers.
"So what do I say? I say that I hope we do live up to those names. I hope that we can fight as a new kind of knights, not with swords and spears, but with words and actions. That we fight for the future. The future of-" At that moment, Arthur recalled another speech he had made, so many years ago, and marveled at the realization that he had been the first to name the land he once again led- "for the future of the United Kingdom."
It is with mixed emotions that I write this epilogue and this final author's note. It has been a true pleasure writing this story, and an honor to continue the beautiful, wonderful story that the Merlin writers crafted for five incredible seasons. I hope that you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you for sharing your reviews with me, for liking and following this story, and simply for reading it. This is the longest story I've ever written, and the kindness you have received it with has truly touched my heart.
Before I go, I do have some thanks to make. I appreciate every single reader, but there are a few people I'd like to mention. Agana of the Night, faithlessducks, and AHarryPotterGleeMerlinFanGirl were my first reviewers and have stuck with me through this whole thing- thank you! To TheAlienDoctor and cvgirl, more recent consistent reviewers- thank you (especially to cvgirl for appreciating my Torchwood references!). Finally, I would be remiss if I did not single out the lovely starglen, whose detailed reviews have helped me immensely, who has kindly helped this American girl with British idioms and government, and whose discussions have helped to spark some of my best ideas. In fact, the idea for one of my favorite scenes (Arthur and Mordred's conversation on election night) would not have existed without those conversations. Immense gratitude, my friend :)
So we are now at the end. Again, I thank you for sticking with me to this point. I wanted to end with a summation of the show as a whole, so I hope the conclusion was satisfying (and for those wondering, the final words come from Arthur's speech in 5x12- I looked up quotes even from episodes that haven't aired in the US yet because I wanted to end with Arthur and one of his best, proudest speeches). I haven't asked for reviews in a while, but if you are so inclined, I would very much love to hear how you feel about my ending. Thank you all so very much.
With love and gratitude,
~C
