Merlin's arm was starting to gain a horrible black and purple bruise.
But he had to keep pinching himself in the same spot every little while as Arthur continued to give his speech to all of Camelot.
He had to.
"-there is no evil in it, despite my father's, Uther Pendragon, beliefs. Far from it-"
This couldn't be a dream.
It simply couldn't.
"-It's like a weapon, it can be used for defense and offence-"
It was actually happening.
Arthur was doing it.
After months of planning; sleepless nights in which not even the heat of Arthur's body pressed against his could truly ease his fear of the pyre.
After three years of knowing his deepest secret; a talk that was filled with tense moments, tears and forgiveness.
After twenty-and-four years of feeling the damn sword of Damocles hanging on him- the last five feeling as if he could hardly properly breathe-
It was happening.
"-And so, I, King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot-"
Merlin's fingers hovered over the hideous bruised spot-
"-Declare from this day and forth-"
His skin tingled, his magic singing with anticipation-
"-The ban on magic officially lifted" Arthur declared, voice loud, proud and clear.
Closing his eyes, he pinched himself one more time, harder than before, enough to make himself cry out in pain.
But he remained where he was.
Standing over the balcony, overlooking the courtyard while the sun was setting on the horizon, behind Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Merlin's breath hitched.
It was real.
Around and below, the citizens of Camelot, noble and peasant alike, were clapping, some even cheering at the removal of the law that had caused so much death and fear for twenty-and-six years.
As Arthur continued on with his speech, explaining that there were still to be rules in regards of the management of magic, Merlin turned to look at Gaius, who was beside him, blinking back tears but sporting a smile of evident relief in his face.
"Gaius?"
He didn't trust his voice.
An emotion- no- a feeling, one which Merlin couldn't identify started to form inside his body, making his magic feel exhilarating and himself slightly dizzy, demanding to be let out.
He wanted to ask what emotion was this, but his mentor simply grinned at him, as if he knew exactly how his nephew was feeling.
"It's over" the physician said, looking at him warmly, "We- You- are finally free"
Free.
And suddenly, it truly crashes into him. His eyes begin to sting.
He was-
A small, giddy chuckle escapes Merlin, while at the same time he finds himself sinking onto the floor, knees abruptly feeling weak as uncontrollable laughter and tears fall out of him.
No more.
Hiding.
Lying.
Not anymore.
Someone is asking him if he's alright, probably one of the knights, but the warlock can't truly concentrate on them.
What he can concentrate on- Merlin can feel his magic reacting to how he's feeling, and it's asking, begging to be finally let out without fear of consequence.
And who is Merlin to finally stop denying himself?
Sitting on the back of his heals, Merlin takes a deep breath. He hastily wipes away his tears, and gently refuses a worried Arthur and Leon's offers to get up.
He meets his king's stare, and gives him a wide grin, expressing without words that he's alright, truly. Arthur blinks before a crooked smile takes over his face, realizing what his lover is about to do.
Merlin exhales, closing his eyes, his magic singing under his skin as he slowly gets up.
He focuses on this new feeling, the one that he's dream about his entire life, the one he feared he was never going to experience.
He concentrates on it, savors it.
And for the first time in his twenty-and-four years, without fear, Merlin lets it go.
Gasps explode all around him, and for a moment, Merlin flinches, expecting the tip of a sword on his neck-
But soon people are- they're cheering and Merlin nearly crashes back onto the floor when he realizes that the gasps were- are- of delight.
Slowly, he opens his eyes, well aware that at the moment they're shinning with gold-
And can't help but gasp himself.
Swirling lights and colors, all around the courtyard, the balcony, the towers and spirals of the castle and the citadel, flow and dance around as delicate strings.
Some curious children touch them and out come flowers and knights and dancing princesses.
Other nobles and courtiers touch them and out come fantastic and exotic animals along jugglers and singing bards.
They quickly dissolve back into the light tendrils, which seem to glow lighter as the moon climbs higher in the sky.
It's-
It's beautiful and peaceful and it feels like he's-
Merlin is not even aware that he is crying again until Arthur touches his shoulder, making him slightly jump.
"Merlin? What's wrong?" he asks, voice filled with concern. The warlock simply shakes his head, not bothering to wipe his tears this time, his eyes are still trained on the colorful tendrils that, after a moment, stop dancing before shooting upwards.
"I'm free" Merlin simply whispered to him, breathless as he watched the colorful sparks climb higher towards the sky in delicate swirls of color while the people down let out gasps of surprise at the display of magic.
It was loud enough that he barely heard Arthur's sharp intake of breath, too caught up in his magic reaching a limit among the clouds, exploding in sparkles that took the shape of dragons, the planets and the stars above them.
He does, however, notice how Arthur slips his hand into his, interlocking their fingers in a strong yet comforting grip.
His lover doesn't say anything, but Merlin can feel his soft smile on him as the people of Camelot continue to cheer at the innocent magic above them, and it's enough to add into the giddiness and joy that he's undergoing.
The warlock turns slightly to stare at his king, intending on saying at least 'Thank you', but the words feel stuck in his throat.
Arthur simply smiled at him, sapphire eyes gleaming with love and tenderness.
"I know" he said softly before raising Merlin's hand and kissing the back of it. Merlin gives him a grin, uncaring of the new wave of tears that threaten to spill out, but he doesn't care.
He kisses Arthur right there, uncaring of the witnesses; and Arthur kisses him back with such intensity that leaves Merlin warm and merry.
When they pull back, they're both grinning like loons, and Merlin is still fucking crying, but he doesn't care, not while Arthur gently wipes away his tears and laughing at the same time before pressing their foreheads together.
Merlin closes his eyes, concentrating on his breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly once more, just to be sure.
The tight grip feeling in his chest, the small little parasite that has been around his lungs ever since he came into Camelot, the hypothetical sword of Damocles that's been hanging on top of him since his birth, is finally gone.
Letting out a shaky laugh, Merlin opens his eyes, catching Arthur's soft knowing look.
Smiling, he sinks into his lover's embrace while his magic continues painting the sky with explosions of bright shapes and colors amidst the citizens of Camelot, who keep celebrating below them.
This is what freedom felt like.
AN: A little gift for some friends in AO3, decided to share in here as well.
I have a lot of feelings regarding Merlin's reaction to the magic ban being lifted. Ahhh, what could have been if the writers were consistent and not cowards.
Anyways, I feel like everyone needs a little light amidst all of the coronavirus, so this little thing came along, and I hoped you enjoyed.
Stay safe.