A/N: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

**EDITED**

Arthur exhaled heavily and scrubbed at his face with his hands as the doors to the council chambers closed behind the last of his councilors. It had already been a very, very long day and it wasn't even time for lunch yet. The last few days had been difficult to say the least. Camelot had just enjoyed three remarkably peaceful years. Now, after his scandalous outburst over the little girl that had been brought before him for sentencing as a witch, the whole kingdom was in an uproar.

Some still thought that he had been ensorcelled by some ambitious sorcerer—some even thought that little Mary Lida had done it herself—and others were more cautiously open-minded. Lord Farnham in particular was being stubborn about the whole thing, the old goat, dead set on holding to Uther's beliefs.

But Arthur held firm on what he had said when he pardoned the child, that he could not uphold a law that he no longer believed to be just. He did his best to back up every statement he made with facts or examples, but he was hard pressed to do so without revealing everything that he knew about Merlin. Merlin was his primary example after all, the one who had changed his mind in the first place, not little Mary Lida.

But he doubted that making that fact known would increase his chances of convincing the council. They had all known Merlin as his idiot manservant, and hearing that he was a sorcerous Dragonlord who was now ruling over a powerful kingdom would horrify them even more than Arthur rebelling against the common opinion of sorcery.

He sunk down at the Round Table, very aware of the empty seats all around him. Merlin had sat at his right hand, he remembered, when they had first found the old stone table in that abandoned castle. He himself had indicated that Merlin should take that seat, admitting through that gesture what he had had so much trouble saying out loud, namely that Merlin was his closest friend and his most trusted advisor.

Merlin had never gotten the chance to take that seat again, not after they had won the citadel back from Morgana. Arthur had let Merlin get shunted aside and replaced, pushed back to stand in the shadows with the other servants when he had deserved such better treatment. Arthur was vaguely ashamed of having allowed that to happen, and he had been even before he had known everything that Merlin had done for him over the years.

How much he wished for Merlin to be seated at his right now. Arthur could really use his advice in this situation. Or just his support. Merlin had always been good at cheering him up and forcing optimism on him even when it made no sense to be optimistic. With the enormous changes Arthur was trying to make to the very foundation of his kingdom, he wished that he had Merlin to reassure him, as the man had always done, that what he was doing was just and good.

But he did not have that luxury. He had to stand on his own feet and hold his head high, knowing in his heart that this was right. And it was right, he had no doubt of that anymore. Getting others to see that was the hard part.

He wondered if it was too soon to send a diplomatic envoy to Carthis. He wasn't sure he had enough of the council's support to even suggest it. If he moved too quickly, people like Lord Farnham would start throwing around accusations of sorcery again and insist it was all a trap to kill him and doom the kingdom to eternal damnation or some such rot. No, it was probably safer to hold off on any actual contact between the kingdoms until he had a hold on the situation here. As it was, it was just too precarious to rush things, no matter how much he wanted to see how Merlin was faring.

Arthur was just about to push himself up again and head for his chambers, hoping that Guinevere would be willing to give him a massage or something to help him relax, when a figure appeared out of thin air at the other end of his council table. A very familiar figure. Well, sort of.

Merlin looked different, so different. His hair was longer, Arthur noticed, just by a little. It was long enough to curl slightly at the ends now, shading his eyes a bit where it was flattened down by the golden circlet on his brow. That was certainly new, though he shouldn't really have been surprised by it. Merlin was clad in chainmail and armour, all of it sleek and glittering and looking far too thin to withstand any sort of attack but which Arthur realized was probably reinforced with magic.

His time in Carthis had done him well. Merlin looked good, less skinny than he had when he had been in Camelot. He stood tall with a sort of confidence that Arthur had seen only a handful of times before, usually in crises when Arthur himself had been all but useless with doubt and self-recriminations. Those were the times when Merlin had pulled him up and set him back on his feet, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was going to be the greatest king Camelot had ever seen. He had always seemed so strong in those moments.

Now, clad in full armour and with a jeweled sword resting comfortably on his hip and a long blue cloak swirling around his ankles, he didn't simply look strong. He looked like a warrior. He looked like a king.

Arthur was too taken aback by the fact that a man that he had not seen in nearly two months, one who was so very different and yet somehow exactly the same, had just magically appeared in his council chamber to actually respond in any way. But Merlin didn't wait for him to speak first. Instead he strode forward, urgency in his steps even as he bit his lip and avoided making eye contact.

"Arthur," he said breathlessly. "I'm sorry; I know that you probably don't want me here. But I'm not really here. Well, not here, here, I'm actually still in Carthis. This just a projection, and I know that it's still illegal, but there was no other way for me to contact you in time. If you'll just hear me out for one second, I'll lea—"

The words filtered slowly into Arthur's brain until he realized that Merlin was apologizing, that he thought that Arthur was still angry with him, that Arthur wouldn't want to see him.

"No, Merlin, it's alright," he said quickly, standing up to face him properly.

Merlin stopped babbling, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"B-but," he stammered, "it's…it's magic."

"I know," Arthur said. "And it's fine. I don't mind."

Merlin mouthed at him, looking nothing short of taken aback. It made Arthur's chest hurt to realize that Merlin had spent this entire time honestly thinking that Arthur hated him.

He nearly smacked himself; of course Merlin felt like that, with the way he had behaved before Merlin left. Merlin had always feared that Arthur would never forgive him, and no matter that Arthur had come around rather quickly once he reached Camelot, Merlin hadn't been given reason to think otherwise before they'd separated. Arthur should have tried to make contact since then, should have sent him a letter to tell him that he had come to his senses, that he wasn't angry anymore. He should have apologized properly.

"But…" Merlin tried to say something else, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"Merlin, I am so sorry for the way I reacted," Arthur said, seizing the opportunity that had presented itself. He would be damned if he let Merlin go another moment without knowing how much he regretted his actions, and how thankful he was.

"You have been nothing but loyal to me in all the time I've known you, and I treated you horribly. You may have been dishonest, but no lie is enough to warrant what I did. You didn't deserve that."

Arthur stepped around the table, hesitating. He felt like if he moved too quickly Merlin might bolt.

"Since you left, I've been talking to Gaius, and he's told me everything that you've done for me, for Camelot. There are no words to express my gratitude to you, Merlin. I owe you everything. You are my truest friend, and nothing will ever change that. Not even magic."

Merlin gaped at him, his mouth hanging open. Arthur wasn't sure that he had ever seen Merlin struck dumb for so long. Arthur waited anxiously for Merlin to respond, to either accept his apology or deny it. He would not blame Merlin if he turned him away, not after what he had done to him. But even just seeing Merlin after so long, speaking to him, was like a breath of fresh air. He had not understood quite how much he had missed his best friend.

A big part of Arthur wanted to beg Merlin to come back to Camelot, to take his place at Arthur's side again, but he would never do it; Merlin had his own kingdom now, and Arthur understood that it was both a blessing and a curse. He would never ask Merlin to abandon his own people, no matter how much he missed having him there in Camelot.

Abruptly, Merlin was gone again, just vanished without so much as a sound. Arthur blinked dazedly, wondering wildly if he had gone mad and imagined the whole thing. But then there was a gust of wind and a swirl of blue and Merlin was back again and throwing his arms around Arthur's neck, nearly knocking him over in the process.

It took Arthur a second to respond, confused as he was, but he wrapped his arms around Merlin's waist and returned the embrace just as tightly. Arthur could feel wetness soaking into his tunic from where Merlin had his face pressed into his shoulder, but he didn't care; he wasn't exactly dry-eyed himself, though he held the tears in pretty well.

Eventually Merlin pulled away, wiping at his eyes in embarrassment.

"Still such a girl, Merlin," Arthur groused, but his petulance was lost behind the uncontrollable grin on his face.

Merlin huffed a laugh and then sniffed and adjusted his coronet where it had been knocked askew. Arthur cast around for something to say into that uncomfortable silence that always followed emotional moments.

"You, er…you look good," he said gruffly with a gesture to the cape. "The color suits you."

Merlin glanced down as if he had forgotten what he was wearing.

"Oh, yeah. All the blue is a little disorienting. I'm still used to everything being red," he admitted.

More awkwardness ensued as they both shuffled their feet and avoided eye contact for a moment. Then Merlin's head snapped up.

"Bloody hell!" he yelped, startling Arthur with his word choice as much as his volume; it wasn't often that Arthur had heard Merlin curse like that. "I almost forgot the whole reason I came here! Arthur, you're in danger."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, mirroring Merlin's now grave expression.

"Mo—" but he stopped, biting his lip. "You've been talking with Gaius, you said?" he asked.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"And he told you everything?"

"With the exception of a few personal things that he wouldn't reveal without your permission, yes."

Merlin gave him a sideways glance, but nodded.

"Then you'll know that my presence here has been the reason that Morgana could never take and hold the citadel," he said.

Arthur nodded easily, no longer upset by the fact that Merlin was behind the majority of triumphs that were attributed to him by most.

"She came to me earlier today. Well, she came to hold an audience with the new King of Carthis, not knowing that it was me. She wanted my support in taking Camelot. Obviously, when she saw that it was me, she realized that if I'm in Carthis, then I'm not here anymore."

"Oh no," Arthur breathed, dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

"She's coming for you," Merlin said.

Arthur sent for the inner members of the Round Table immediately, the original members that he trusted implicitly. Merlin waited while he spoke to the guard outside the council door, sliding into a state of shock. He could not believe that had just happened. Arthur had apologized, a million times more genuinely than he had immediately after the fact. Arthur had thanked him. Arthur had hugged him.

Well, he had hugged Arthur technically, but Arthur had hugged him back. He could not remember a time when Arthur had hugged him. Arthur didn't hate him for what he had done, for all the lies he had told and the secrets he had kept. He simply couldn't believe it. But he could, because Arthur was taking him seriously, more seriously than he would have done before all this mess, was heeding his warning without a second thought.

Gwen was the first of the group to arrive at the council chambers. She let out a squeak of surprise when she caught sight of Merlin, her hands flying to her mouth as if she could not believe what she was seeing. Then she beamed at him, her smile lighting up her entire face. She sprinted toward him, all queenly decorum forgotten, and flung herself into his arms. He caught her easily and spun her around in the air, his grin so wide that it made his cheeks hurt, and she laughed and slapped his arm until he set her back on her feet. Merlin didn't release her though, hugging her even more tightly.

"Oh, Merlin," she said, pulling back to look at him with overly bright eyes. "Look at you! How have you been holding up?"

"I'm alright, Gwen," he said, a little overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection and concern; he had always been a bit overwhelmed when Gwen's motherly instincts kicked in, just as he was when his actual mother fussed over him. "It's…different, certainly. But I'm doing fine, all things considered."

Gwen beamed at him and hugged him one more time.

"I knew you'd do well, Merlin," she said into his ear.

"I missed you so much, Gwen," he whispered back. "And I'm so sorry, for everything. I wanted to tell you, honestly I did—"

"Hush, Merlin. There's nothing for you to be sorry about, absolutely nothing." She held his face in her hands, making sure that he met her gaze. "We love you, Merlin. We all love you. And nothing could ever happen to change that."

Merlin had to fight back tears again, overcome with gratitude and affection. This was what he had missed most about Gwen, what he had feared he may have lost because of all his lies: her warmth and her compassion and the unconditional love she offered so freely to everyone she knew.

"Yes, yes, everyone loves everyone," Arthur drawled from where he was leaning on a pillar with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the reunion with a soft smile that was quite at odds with his tone.

"You!" Gwen said, rounding on him and placing her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrow threateningly. "You apologized properly?"

"Of course, I did, Guinevere," Arthur said, sounding scandalized at the implication that he wouldn't. "I've been waiting for two months to apologize properly! You think I would just forget about it now?"

"Alright, I was just making sure," Gwen said, putting up her hands in defeat. She opened her mouth to tease Arthur further, but was interrupted by the door to the council chamber being pushed open again.

"Merlin!"

"Gaius!" Merlin shouted gleefully. He nearly knocked the old man off his feet with the force of his embrace.

"Merlin, my boy! How did you get here?" Gaius asked, laughing at his erstwhile ward's enthusiasm but patting him on the back anyway.

"Transportation spell," Merlin said.

"And you're still standing? Even someone as powerful as you should be at least a bit winded," Gaius pointed out.

"Oh no, it's great, look! Me and Kane—that's the High Priest, he said that he worked with you a long time ago, remember him?—we developed this thing a few weeks ago, it's fantastic. Here, look here." He pulled the pendant from around his neck and placed it in his guardian's hand, hardly pausing to draw breath he was so excited to share this.

"It's a transportation crystal. Well, technically, it's three crystal fused together, but whatever. It's a receptacle for energy. You can store all the magic needed for the transport in here ahead of time so that you don't tire yourself out so much with the journey that you can't do anything once you get where you're going."

"That's brilliant, Merlin," Gaius exclaimed, examining the pendant closely. "Are these runes along the edge?"

"Yes, they were Mordred's idea, actually," Merlin said brightly. "To stabilize the crystals so they don't explode from all the power I put in there. I've got enough for probably five or six transportation spells in there right now, and I think I might be able to get it to hold more if I tweak the runes a bit."

"Absolutely brilliant," Gaius said again. "Quarts and agate, I see. How did you counteract the agate's tendency t—"

The door flew open once more to admit the knights, all of whom froze in the doorway when they saw who was inside. Merlin bit his lip, suddenly very conscious of the last time he had seen these men, on the other side of a clearing, most of them too stunned and disoriented by the revelations to do anything but stare at him. They were staring at him now too, but it was more in surprise than anything else. Gwaine came around first.

"Merlin!" he shouted.

Immediately Merlin found himself swamped on all sides by knights, being hugged and slapped on the back and having his hair ruffled as much as it could be with a coronet in the way. He was inundated with apologies and declarations of gratitude and compliments and questions, but they didn't wait for him to respond to any of them, instead manhandling him into a seat—the one at Arthur's right hand, he noticed. That alone nearly brought tears to his eyes yet again; that seemed to be happening a lot lately.

Finally, things settled down. Once everyone had taken his proper seat, with Merlin on Arthur's right and Guinevere on his left, everyone turned to face them, all seeming to sense the somberness that underlay the joy of Merlin's sudden appearance. Arthur looked to Merlin for him explain.

"I guess you've figured out that this isn't purely a social visit," Merlin said, wishing that he had more time to catch up, to reconnect with his friends, to revel in the fact that they didn't hate him for what he had done, but that was not an option right now.

"What's going on, Merlin?" Gwen asked.

"Morgana," Merlin said simply.

Gwen gasped, Gaius looked stricken, and Gwaine let out a string of coarse swear words that he otherwise never would have uttered in Gwen's presence.

"She knows all," he said. "And worst of all, she knows that I'm no longer here. Camelot is practically defenseless against magical attack without me, and she fully intends to take advantage of that fact."

"How did she find out?" Elyan asked.

"Ironically enough, she came to Carthis to seek my aid in destroying Camelot," Merlin told him. "A magical kingdom—one which had already denied her aid once before—coming into new leadership was ripe for the picking. Or at least that's what she thought. Imagine her surprise when she found me."

"Bet she didn't like that at all," Gwaine said.

"Not hardly."

"How long do we have?" Leon inquired.

"I don't know. Not long, I would guess. Days at most," Merlin said. "We do have a certain advantage, though."

"What's that?" Percival asked.

Merlin grinned, still feeling the elation of being proven wrong, of being accepted, of being forgiven. It was dizzying.

"Morgana will expect to catch you unawares," he said. "She thinks that you would never take the word of a filthy traitorous sorcerer like me. Her words, not mine," he tacked on quickly when it looked like everyone was going to start protesting at once. "She will not expect you to be forewarned, or at least not to heed the warning, and she will certainly not expect you to have an ally in Carthis."

"Will your people follow you in this?" Arthur asked dubiously. "Will they come to the aid of Camelot, of all places?"

"I think they will. But even if they don't," Merlin said resolutely, "I will be at your side. I will stand alone if I have to."

He would bring an army to bear against Morgana if there was an army willing to be brought, but it was not essential. He was the one destined to be Morgana's end. He was the only one with the power to defeat her. Even if his people did not rise to the call, if they refused to ally themselves with Arthur because of his father's deeds, Merlin would fight with Arthur. He would always fight for Arthur.

"You won't have to," Arthur said. "You will never stand alone, Merlin, not again."

He caught Merlin's gaze and held it, his eyes blazing with a devotion fierce enough to rival Merlin's own. It was staggering to see it there, to realizing that Arthur was seeing him at last. And not just as a friend, but as an equal. It was more than Merlin had ever dreamed.

He looked around the table to see the same expression mirrored on the faces of all those seated there. These were his friends, his true friends. And they would fight for him.

"What do you propose we do, Merlin?" Gaius asked.

"I will need to speak with my council to know anything for sure. But I have a few ideas."