Author's Note: A nice long chapter for y'all. So much bromance. My brain cannot handle it all! Thanks for reading and I hope you review!


Leon saw Merlin run into Arthur's chambers and hesitated for a moment. He thought about going in there and trying to the diffuse the situation, but he knew instinctively that this was something that the two friends needed to sort out on their own. In lieu of running immediately to Arthur's chambers, he went and tracked down the other people that mattered the most to Merlin – Gwen, Gaius, and the other round table knights.

They were all rather incredulous when he announced that they all had to hurry to Arthur's chambers so they could see Merlin, but the hope bubbled up in each of them enough for them to fall into place behind Leon and rush towards the rooms where Merlin supposedly was, having apparently returned from the dead.

When Leon pushed the door open without knocking, all of the people behind him spilled into the room and saw Merlin and Arthur arguing at the top of their voices.

"You were killed by the druids, Merlin!" Arthur said absurdly. "Clearly – "

"Actually, I wasn't, which you can clearly see! I'm right here! I'm not dead! The druids didn't do anything to me!"

"Then where have you been for the past year, huh? If the druids didn't keep you, who did?"

"I've told you, you arrogant prat, it was Tabor!"

"Yes, a sorcerer!" Arthur retorted. "One who killed Lord Harvey, and then… what… trapped you in a cave for a year?"

"For a week," Merlin replied.

"You've been gone for – "

Gaius finally couldn't stand it anymore, and cleared his throat loudly, announcing his presence in the room.

"Gaius!" Merlin said happily, rushing forward to embrace the old physician. Merlin turned to hug each of the knights in turn, and then reached Gwen, who had tears running down her face.

"How are you alive?" she asked softly. The entire room went silent, waiting for the answer. Merlin looked around at all of them, and repeated what he had already told Arthur. Somehow, obviously, Tabor and his men had put a hold on time inside of the cave. He remembered the spell that they had done on his first day in the cave, and shuddered with the memory of that blue light enveloping the wall of the cave. Light a lightning bolt, he realized that what Tabor had promised had come true to some extent – he had said that Arthur would turn his back on magic without Merlin by his side, and now the king was planning on executing a sorcerer!

"All of you," Merlin said, looking around at the shocked faces of his friends. "I – I want to hear everything that's happened in the past year… I can't believe I've missed so much. But right now I need to talk to Arthur."

Percival, Leon, and Elyan all nodded and left silently. Gaius stared for a moment at Merlin and then shook his head. "I'm glad you're home, Merlin." He left, still looking bewildered at this extraordinary turn of events.

Gwaine came forward to clap him on the shoulder one more time. "It's a good thing you're back. Arthur's been a miserable mess without you, and I know that he and Gwen held off on naming a godfather for Zoe because they couldn't imagine it being anyone but you."

"What?" Merlin said, looking in shock between Gwen and Arthur.

"Hey, I offered to do the job," Gwaine said, shrugging.

"You wish," Arthur glared at Gwaine, but then smiled, nodding at Merlin. "She's just four months old, Merlin. The tiniest, most adorable little girl you've ever seen."

As Gwaine smiled and stepped out of the room, Gwen stepped forward and placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "We couldn't think of anyone better for godfather," she said. Her voice was shaking.

Merlin's eyes widened. "But – what? Really?" He swung around to look at Arthur, who nodded in agreement. For a minute, Merlin couldn't find words. In a flash, however, he remembered the platform that had been erected out in the courtyard. "You can't have a sorcerer for a godfather, can you?" he said coldly, staring straight at Arthur.

Gwen looked between the two of them for a moment and saw that they were locked in a staring battle. Silently, she left the room, still shaking from the sight of Merlin, alive and apparently unharmed. As she swung the door shut, she heard the two start up their argument again.

"Sorcery itself isn't entirely illegal, Merlin," Arthur said grumpily. "It's a secondary crime. Using magic to do something wrong is punishable. I'm not going to change that."

"Oh yes? Sounds very logical." Merlin said, glaring. His eyes flashed golden and the drapes on Arthur's windows ripped off of their hangings and fell to the floor.

"What was that for?" Arthur said. His voice was irritated. Merlin crossed his arms firmly.

"If stealing a couple of pieces of fruit from the marketplace is suddenly a crime worthy of death…" Merlin raised his hands and sent a candlestick that had been sitting on Arthur's desk flying across the room. "Then destroying the king's personal chambers must be as well."

He sent one of Arthur's pillows flying into the king's face and was just about to scatter the papers sitting on Arthur's desk when the king stormed forward. "Alright! Enough!"

"Well? Are you going to execute me?" Merlin seethed, taking a few steps forward so he was standing directly in front of Arthur. "Because if you don't want to be a total hypocrite, you probably should."

Arthur looked shocked at the expression on Merlin's face. "Look, Merlin…"

"You either kill me and that poor man, or you kill neither of us. That's the deal."

Arthur's expression would have been funny under any other circumstances. "I'm not going to kill you, Merlin. Don't be ridiculous."

"Fine. Then let the thief go once he's served a just sentence for his crime. What does apple thievery go for in Arthur Pendragon's kingdom nowadays?" Merlin said wryly, staring at Arthur with raised eyebrows.

"A night spent in the dungeons and a warning for a first offense," Arthur muttered.

"Sounds reasonable to me," Merlin said, still struggling to keep his voice under control. Without another word, he turned to the door and made to leave. He had a lot he needed to discuss with Gaius and all of his other friends, and right now the sight of Arthur was making him angrier than he could stand. He glanced around at the partial destruction of the room, and just for good measure, pulled the tapestries from around Arthur's bed into a heap on the floor using a careless flick of his hand.

Arthur let him get to the door before he spoke. "Wait – Merlin, stop."

Merlin turned hesitantly. Arthur was looking at him very intently, with the expression of a man forced to grow up far too quickly. He seemed almost broken by the sight of his friend returned to him.

"What?" Merlin said, although he was finding it hard to keep his voice angry.

"I'm not going to execute him" he replied. "I was – upset, alright? I was blaming sorcery for your death, and I might have gotten a bit… overzealous."

"How many did you kill?" Merlin asked. The expression on Arthur's face was making it difficult to keep the righteous anger bubbling within him, but the thought of innocent people slaughtered at Arthur's hand was enough to get his blood boiling.

"I had one person executed about six months ago," Arthur said. His voice didn't sound ashamed, but he did look nervous as to Merlin's reaction.

"His crime?"

"The murder of four young women from the lower town," Arthur said coldly. "Yes, he used sorcery to do it, and at the time I thought that made his crime worse, but the point still stands that the man deserved a hanging, sorcerer or no."

Merlin was silent for a moment, mulling this over. "And… no one else?"

"No," Arthur said. "No one else." The warlock looked at the king and nodded once, accepting that. He made for the door again, his mind whirring, but Arthur spoke once more.

"Merlin."

"Yes?" he responded, without turning around.

"This place wasn't the same without you."

Merlin turned to look at Arthur. His eyes were dark and serious. "I'm sorry," he said finally. He came forward and then hesitantly reached forward and pulled Arthur into another hug, which the king returned gratefully.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," Arthur said awkwardly as Merlin pulled back again. "I've been a real… well, a real prat since you've been gone. I think I need you around to keep me in line."

Merlin chuckled slightly. "That's for sure."

"We have a lot to discuss. I want to know who did all of this, and why, and what's going to happen next, but for now, I have an execution to stop."

A wide grin split Merlin's face. "Good. You're doing the right thing."

"I know," Arthur said. "And another thing – I noticed you didn't give Gwen and I an answer about Zoe."

Merlin felt his face flush suddenly. "I haven't even met her yet!"

"So you won't be godfather?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I – I – you seriously trust me with that?"

Arthur smiled, clapping Merlin on the shoulder and steering him towards the door. He had to go and announce that the execution was off, and deal with the nobles who would be wondering why he was changing his mind again concerning his policy on magic. Then there would be Lords Samuel and Phineas to deal with, the threat of the sorcerer who had kept Merlin from them for a year, and many confused sorcerers throughout Camelot wondering whether the reward for their magic would be death or acceptance. But for now, he Arthur had his friend back, and that seemed enough.

"I'd trust you with anything, Merlin."


Author's Note: Such a fun chapter to write!