"Arthur, we're going around in circles, admit it," Merlin panted, going down to one knee and throwing up an arm. Steel on steel rang out through the practice yard when Arthur's sword met his vambrace in a block. Using the power in his shoulder, he pushed at his arm, using his brace to shove the sword aside.

"If you'd decide to fight instead of dance, we might be getting further ahead," Arthur growled back, changing his stance. "It's like swinging a sword at a fly!"

"That's sort of the point. I can't compete with your strength, and you can't compete with my speed," Merlin chuckled, easily moving away from the upper swing Arthur tried to feint with.

Arthur was beginning to understand the truth of that as Merlin once again danced backwards out of the reach of his sword, moving so quickly that his burgundy tunic was nothing more than a flash of red in his peripheral vision. Sweat glistened on his skin- he'd decided to go shirtless to improve his speed and keep this a friendly sparring match- while Merlin still managed to look almost fresh, despite his mussed hair.

The young man was graceful in his movements, and Arthur would confess to being slightly distracted in his attraction. The special made thigh sheaths did incredible things against the tight black pants on the long legs of his lover. The dragons on the vambraces showed elegantly against the dark of Merlin's tunic that did nothing to hide the confidence in the way the younger man moved his arms, trusting in the power in his shoulders rather than his biceps.

"If the sun's moving right, you've got ten minutes to finish me off," Merlin grinned, ducking under Arthur's swing, twisting around, the tip of his blade connecting with Arthur's shoulder blade, barely grazing the skin. "Unless you choose to yield?"

"How did you get so good at this without me knowing?" Arthur nodded, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'm really not sure how I feel about it." Except he did. That lithe grace dancing around him had been beautiful to watch. He could always respect the skills of another warrior, and that didn't change because this warrior happened to be his lover. On the contrary. To know this powerfully magical, fey creature could best him on the field and then submit wholly to him in the chambers was a rush he'd never experienced. He adjusted himself, his arousal all too clear, as he shook his head.

Merlin laughed, throwing his King his shirt. "Careful, you're getting close to having to admit Gwaine's a good teacher," he teased.

Arthur shuddered in mock horror. "Never. I'd rather give Leon the credit." He paused, frowning. "Why did you never tell me?"

Merlin shrugged, embarrassed. "You've always called me a wimp, a coward, and useless. I didn't think you'd believe me if I told you I was actually good at something."

Arthur stopped, grabbing his lover's arm. "Merlin… I… you know I never meant any of those things? That was me trying to put my feelings for you in a little box. They've always had more to do with my inadequacies than yours."

Merlin nodded, flashing his King a quick smile. "Of course."

Arthur didn't hesitate, using the arm he'd grabbed to spin the younger man into him, capturing his waist with his other arm, pinning the frame against him.

"I'll spend the rest of my life apologizing for how I treated you," Arthur murmured, "and still never come close to expressing how much I regret it."

"It's a part of who we were, Arthur, and it built the foundations for what we have now. I don't regret a second of it," Merlin reassured with a smile. He tried to move away but Arthur held him firmly. "Arthur, we're in the middle of the practice yard." It was empty for the moment, but someone could walk in any second. With so many soldiers about, it was a well used space.

"I don't care." He dove in, grabbing at Merlin's lips with his down, unable to stop his hand from tracing the elegant jaw line as it moved, mirroring his own. "I suppose I can adjust to not being able to take you apart with one blow," Arthur teased with a smile, referencing the first time they met.

Merlin grinned, feeling his lovers' arousal against him. Deciding to be a little cheeky, he kissed along Arthur's jaw, letting his body fully mold to that of his King, putting his lips to his ear. "I can still take you apart with less than one," he purred sensually. Then he lowered his mouth and all at once, bit down on Arthur's pulse point, rolled his hips into Arthur's, and used his hand to tweak Arthur's nipple hard.

Arthur's eyes squeezed shut with the stimulation, automatically pulling Merlin closer to him, one hand on the back on his thigh, rolling back into those hips, and biting into his lover's shoulder to stifle his cry as he spilled in his trousers in response to the mixed sensations, Merlin's audacity, and the sensuality that suddenly seemed to pour off his lover. "Ah!"

"See?" Merlin whispered, shuddering himself as his King shook against him momentarily as he tried to hide his release. "And I didn't need a mace or magic to do it."

"I'm going to make you pay for that, Merlin," Arthur gasped, aggressively kissing his lover again, keeping him tight against him as he regained his balance.

"Likely- but not here, not now," Merlin answered with a grin, pulling back. "I suggest choosing your words more carefully in the future, my King. The blades aren't the only weapon I've gotten good with."

MERLIN101010101010MERLIN

"I'm sorry, Gwen, I don't think it's a terrible idea," Merlin defended. "You fancy him, he fancies you… it seems fairly simple to me."

Gwen snorted as she paced the chambers Merlin was sharing with Arthur. "That's easy for you to say. I doubt you even hesitated before agreeing to marry Arthur. You're already so sure of your feelings, of your love. It's different matter entirely, and there are political ramifications to this."

"Ah, but there are political ramifications of turning him down. Already your reputation grows as a fierce Battle Queen!" Merlin pointed out, sounding very proud of it. "Let Arthur handle the politics of it all. Do you fancy him or not?"

Arthur had spent most of his days trying to get delegates to agree to various terms. His decision to marry an Elder Prince of Dumnonia, as well as his public endorsement of Durstan's proposal to Gwen, had left them uneasy with the amount of favor being shown to the trade empire. The only calming factor had been his public declaration that he would be also marrying Princess Mithian as per the laws of Camelot and Nemeth. He had made it clear which marriage he, as a King and as a man, put more stock in. Merlin had felt sorrow with how quickly the other Kingdoms had been to agree that his marriage to the Nemeth Princess was by word only, accomplished solely to produce a legal heir. Still, she had the alliance she had paid so dearly for, and he had to respect the way she held her head high, working the various delegates to her advantage. She would be a strong Queen, he thought.

Now Arthur was trying to convince them to return to their homes, and have the leaders all meet in Camelot in several months time. Most were readily agreeing, since Camelot seemed to be the only neutral territory. Most had already begun to address Arthur as High King, though he'd made no formal announcement of accepting the position. Apparently hosting in what was obviously the new seat of true power made sense to them. The debate now was apparently the time. Some wanted more, some less. Arthur was going out of his mind trying to make it all come together. More and more Merlin sensed the itch in his King to return to his beloved Camelot.

Merlin, for one, was glad he wouldn't have to take up those duties again until they returned to Camelot, though he listened patiently and gave his advice when asked. Soothed his angry King when he came raging back from another useless meeting. He wished he could help more, but with his ties to Dumnonia, an already favored Kingdom in this alliance, it created less problems for Arthur if he stayed out of it.

"I think I more than fancy him," Gwen confessed to him. "We've grown quite close over the last year. I missed him when he returned to Dumnonia for those months after the Banishment."

"I really don't understand, then."

"He's a Prince!" Gwen sputtered. "A real one."

"You're a Queen!" Merlin shot back. "Or should I let you order the guards to arrest me to prove it?" he teased, referring back to a time when she had convinced him she was the Queen she was destined to be. "Arthur has no intention of letting any woman he marries take that throne from you, Gwen," Merlin reassured. "The people know you, love you. He won't take that away from them. I promise you, the terms of his marriage to Mithian are being very carefully put together, and he won't pass them until you approve them. You know that."

She shot him a hesitant look. "That's a part of it. What if I don't want to be Queen?"

"Then Arthur would let you go with his blessing and a smile to hide his broken heart," Merlin answered with a sad smile. "He- we- want you to be happy, whether that's as Queen, or just Lady Gwen."

"I love the people of Camelot, but if I marry… I may have to leave. I don't want to leave my home."

"Listen to me, Gwen, Durstan loves you. You told me once it was rare to find that love even once in a lifetime. You've found it twice. Don't throw that away for details that can be worked out in a contract!" Merlin urged. "Durstan has already assured Arthur he has no wish to take a throne- Camelot's OR Dumnonia's. If you ask for the moon that man will find a way to put it on a chain around your neck. Could you really walk away from this second chance?"

Gwen sat beside him on the bed. "You really think I should say yes?"

"I really think you should do whatever will make you happy," he answered instantly.

"There are worse thoughts than having you as a Brother in Law," Gwen giggled. Then she sighed. "I don't know what to do, Merlin."

"When you look to your future, Gwen, do you still see Lance?" he asked gently.

She shook her head, blinking back tears. "No. I haven't for some time. It breaks my heart."

"Hey," Merlin pulled her into a hug. "Remember what we talked about? He lived for your smile. Everything in me, whether simple mortal man or all powerful warlock, believes Lance sent Durstan to you. It's hard not to smile back at a man who never seems to stop," he teased.

"That's true," Gwen laughed, wiping her tears as she pulled back.

He sighed. "I remember once that Lance thought you were in love with Arthur. He was prepared to walk away that night, after Arthur rescued you from Hengist. He loved you so much, that seeing you happy meant more to him than his own heartbreak." He cleared his throat. "Thankfully, I was there to set him straight, but the gesture was there."

Gwen smiled sadly at him. "That time must have hurt you, deeply," she apologized. "We were so confused."

Merlin smiled gently at her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You both needed to go through that, I think. To see where your hearts truly were. I wouldn't begrudge either of you for misunderstanding your connection to each other. The love between you now is so much more, but only time could gift you that. Of course, that's easy to say now," he chuckled. "Arthur was a miserable prat for months. I'll tell you honestly, if it had gone on much longer I would have dumped him on your doorstep and run for Ealdor as fast as my legs could take me."

Gwen laughed. "You don't mean that. A part of you loved him, even then."

"I did. And yet I still would have done it," Merlin insisted. "He was that miserable."

"And you were just such a charm in your jealousy," Arthur drawled from the doorway, having picked up the last part of the conversation. "You put worms in my porridge, itching powder on my small clothes, you cut a hole in the big toe of every stocking I owned… am I forgetting anything?" he asked as he sat down beside Gwen.

"He also put green dye in your bathwater," Gwen added, laughing. "You were green for weeks."

"And I mixed up the keys on your key ring, hid your favorite sword, and gave you a potion that gave you gas," Merlin added, smirking.

"Ah yes," Arthur answered dryly. "How could I forget? With friends like you, who needs enemies?" Arthur growled. He threw his arm over both their shoulders, pulling them all to lay flat on the bed so that Gwen was between the two men. "Ahhhh… gods I needed that. Nemeth chairs are hard on the back," he groaned.

"That's because you're getting old," Merlin teased.

"As if you're getting any younger, Merlin," Arthur shot back. Which was true enough... it seemed he was forever destined to keep the delicate features of his sixteen year old self.

"Alas, it's true... the only real beauty left in the world is in the blossoming flower that is our Lady Gwen," Merlin sighed dramatically. He winced when that 'flower' punched him hard in the shoulder. "Ow."

"So, what were we gossiping about that led to that particular trip down memory lane?"

"Lancelot," Gwen answered softly.

Arthur closed his eyes, putting a hand over his chest. "He is dearly missed. These days especially. He would have been so proud of you, Gwen, for pulling together the allies. He'd have spent the entire victory feast telling us all that we should have just sent you in to box the Saxons ears until they saw sense." He paused. "He'd likely have been right, too."

"Gaius would have been sitting there arching that eyebrow at him," Gwen chuckled, imitating the dreaded Eyebrow of Doom. "For daring so ridiculous a suggestion."

Merlin laughed. "It's true! Then he would have offered one of those awful made up proverbs he used to quote."

"I knew he made them up!" Arthur choked out. "I tried to call his bluff, I remember, and he made me and Morgana spend an entire in the archives looking to prove that it didn't exist. Morgana was so furious with him she complained to my father. Uther, simply asked Gaius if he had a good reason. Yes was sufficient to send us back to the dust." Arthur laughed, grinning as he shook his head. "She outsmarted old Gaius that day, in the end."

"I can imagine her temper as a youth," Gwen smiled. "It's easier, to remember her that way."

They all three laughed quietly, lost for a moment in their memories of their good friends.

"Durstan proposed," Gwen blurted out, turning her face toward Arthur. "Though I suspect you already knew that, since you did give your blessing."

"I gave him my blessing to court you," Arthur corrected. "I didn't know he'd jump right to marriage!" Not that he was the least bit surprised. He turned on his side, holding his head up with elbow. "Do you love him?"

"I do."

"Then you know I'll do whatever I can to make this work for you. Shout it, whisper it, dare even to breathe it, and it's yours," Arthur offered seriously, but with a hint of trepidation. "Even if... even if it takes you from us... it's yours."

"I want to stay in Camelot, as Queen Regent… mpphh.." she was abruptly cut off as Arthur kissed her, whooping in joy. When he pulled back, his eyes were dancing, and his smile was brilliant enough to grow crops.

Gwen blushed, looking worriedly over at Merlin. Her friend merely arched an eyebrow at her. "See? Told you so!" He stabbed a finger at Arthur. "You, however, cheater, kisser of women, are in trouble."

Gwen screamed with laughter when Merlin launched himself over her to tackle his lover, which somehow turned into them tickling her. Which of course meant they had to gang up on Arthur- the King's bellow of laughter that came from deep within echoed throughout the room.

Laughter rang through the chamber, into the halls, moving like a soothing balm across all those it touched.

Through the years they'd lost dear friends, loved ones, watched beloved hearts turn black with hatred, been betrayed by those closest to them, fought battles that had destroyed them utterly and completely. They had suffered, mourned, grieved and moved forward even while hunched in pain. The weight of their destinies had crushed them all, at various points.

And so when true laughter rang out for the first time in almost a decade, it was cherished, it was pure and carried its own special kind of magic. They had built friendships forged in fire, they had tempered their love with layered steel cores. They had triumphed when they should have fallen to darkness. Whenever one fell, the others were there to pick up the fallen sword, to carry on the battle in their name. Memories of laughing faces, of times spent together, kept them strong and helped to balance the memories that brought tears. They knew, in their hearts, that those lost would forever stand with them, still side by side, even if they couldn't see them. They carried them closely, those they had loved, and who had loved them, so fiercely.

Not all who had taken this road with them had seen its destination, but the future they had helped build remained now for those left to journey on to write themselves. Albion had been born, the dream they had fought for achieved. Through the laughter that rang out in the room from three friends, the last standing from those who had begun this adventure together, they gave the gift of peace to those who could not be there with them, but who had found immortality in memory and stories to come.

The choice of one man had changed all their lives, had changed the destiny of a Kingdom, and the ending of a legend.