Arthur had been keeping the council at bay for weeks now. They insisted on making him king, and logically Arthur knew that they were right. Still, it didn't feel right. There would be no coronation until Merlin could be there, right in the front with a stupidly wide grin on his face. Arthur would never have made it this far without him.

He visited Merlin every day, even if he couldn't be there for too long. Gaius always said the same thing—that he was fighting, that he would get better and that it would only take time. Arthur wondered how much the physician had to tell himself that as well.

The people of Camelot were getting antsy, rumors spreading about why Arthur hadn't been crowned king yet. Arthur did his best to ignore them, but he couldn't help but worry that he might lose their trust if he put it off for too much longer.

That morning, Arthur had gone straight to the training fields to oversee his knights. Leon was doing a fantastic job with them, sliding into Arthur's former role as head knight with ease. Leon was undoubtedly born to do this. Still, Arthur missed it like hell. He missed the action, the rush of adrenaline in the climax of a fight, the wind in his hair and the sweat on his brow. He decided to challenge Leon under the guise of testing his skills.

"Can't have you lazing about with your new position, now, can I?" Arthur teased.

"Of course not, sire," Leon replied with a knowing smirk.

They fell into step with one another, parrying back and forth. Leon had always been a good match for Arthur and kept him on his toes, even though Arthur was pretty sure he still held back. Arthur was undoubtedly skilled, but Leon had also been training since birth and had quite a few more years under his belt. Still, Arthur was a bit quicker and used that to his advantage. Just as Arthur's pace was quickening and the rush was coming back, Leon withdrew his sword and stepped back a few paces.

Arthur looked at him questioningly, until he realized Leon's attention was directed away from the training field. Arthur followed his gaze and saw Lancelot approaching quickly, his expression more open than it had been in a long time.

"Sire, sorry to interrupt, but Merlin's awake."

…...

Merlin had been moved into his own bed, hopefully on his own two feet. Gaius nodded at Arthur as he walked past. He nodded back before practically flinging himself into Merlin's tiny room. Merlin was sitting up against the headboard, a book nestled in his lap. The warlock looked up as Arthur came in and his look of intense concentration was immediately replaced by a bright smile.

"Merlin," Arthur said, all his relief flooding into that single word.

"Hey, Arthur," Merlin said, his voice rough from disuse.

"I'm glad to see you're finally back with us. You can't shirk your responsibilities much longer, you know."

Merlin snorted, his eyes rolling good-naturedly. "Sorry to have inconvenienced you so, sire."

Arthur shook his head, the smile pulling at his mouth giving him away. However, his gaze fell to Merlin's neck where he could just see the scars peeking out from behind his neckerchief. And just like that, Arthur was frowning.

"Honestly, what were you thinking, following us all the way out there? What if you hadn't broken out of the collar, Merlin? Morgana would've killed you."

Merlin sighed, closing his book and setting it aside. "I know how powerful Morgana has gotten. I couldn't let you go to your death, even if I was powerless to stop it. I had to try."

Arthur felt an unwarranted wave of warmth in his chest at the words. Merlin had to stop saying things like that—it was embarrassing. Arthur tried to sigh exasperatedly, but it just died in his throat. Merlin was looking at Arthur with those icy blue eyes of his, his expression open and stubbornly kind.

"I appreciate that," Arthur finally said. "It's about time the people of Camelot see you for who you really are, don't you think?"

Merlin's eyes widened impossibly more, his breath catching in his throat. "You really mean that?"

"Of course. I want you to be free in your own home. I want you to always be you."

Merlin slid forward, forcing Arthur to reach up and catch him into a crushing hug.

"Would you stop being such a—"

"Shut up, Arthur. Let me have this."

Arthur let him.

…...

The coronation itself was somewhat of a blur. Arthur turned towards the cheering crowd, his vision swimming with Camelot red. The sun was blazing in through the tall windows, illuminating the throne room with shimmering gold. Arthur locked eyes with Merlin, who was predictably beaming with a blinding smile.

"Long live the king!" every voice shouted, but Arthur could only hear Merlin's brittle voice, somehow rising above the others.