In Which an Alliance is Formed and an Enemy is Defeated
Merlin paced the length of Arthur's chambers enough times to start recognizing patterns in the stone of the floor by the time Arthur returned to his chambers with a weary sigh and tense shoulders. Merlin uncovered the tray of food, which had gone a bit cold by now, and poured Arthur wine. Arthur acknowledged him with a nod and slumped on his chair. Between the somber mood and his own nervousness, Merlin didn't know how to break the tension.
"When did my life become so complicated?" Arthur moaned.
Merlin snorted, and said, "Since you were born, probably."
Arthur didn't laugh the way Merlin expected. Instead, he did something so unusual that Merlin wondered if perhaps he'd been bewitched. He agreed with Merlin.
"You're most likely right," Arthur said.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Arthur?" Merlin quipped. Arthur attempted a glare, but it just came out as a tired pout, "What happened?"
"Father and me were discussing strategies to kill the were-wolf. We leave tomorrow early, so I should be getting some sleep, but… I don't think I could sleep right now."
An awkward pause followed in which Arthur sipped at his wine distractedly while Merlin hesitated between standing up or sitting down. After a few minutes of fidgeting, Arthur turned to look at him.
"Well, are you going to sit or not?"
"You noticed?"
"Merlin, you are nearly jumping where you stand. Just sit, and eat with me. I don't want to feel like a prince right now."
Merlin did as he was told without comment. He was, personally, starving, and if he had carte blanche from Arthur to eat from the same tray, he wasn't going to waste it. He gulped down the bread and meat with the fervor only a starving man has only to nearly choke on a bone.
"Merlin, for goodness's sake, the food isn't going to disappear!" Arthur exclaimed, looking far too amused.
Merlin paused only long enough to say, "With my luck, Arthur, it would."
And seeing how much Merlin enjoyed his meal made something unwind from Arthur's gut, allowing him to eat and enjoy the food too. While he ate, he observed Merlin and wondered for the first time if Merlin's cheekbones were so prominent because the boy didn't eat enough. He remembered Merlin's vehement exclamation of friendship in front of Gaius, when Merlin didn't know that he was listening, and he felt a thick guilt settle in his stomach. He hasn't treated Merlin well enough to deserve such loyalty from his manservant.
They finished their meal in silence. Both of them were drowsy from the day and the food, but they also knew that they had an important issue to discuss. Just thinking about it made Merlin want to throw up everything he just ate. He gulped and the sound reverberated through the room; or perhaps it was just his nerves.
"What is it you wanted to tell me?" Arthur asked, looking more relaxed than he'd done in days. Merlin hated to break that bubble and for a moment considered saying something else; but then he remembered how Arthur told him he trusted him and realized that he couldn't keep on lying to his face. He really did consider himself Arthur's friend and wanted Arthur to look at him as an equal and a trusted ally. Merlin took a deep breath to steel himself.
"I didn't come to Camelot only seeking to be Gaius's apprentice," Merlin said, and Arthur listened, "I came here because it became dangerous for me to stay in Ealdor."
A glint of something appeared in Arthur's eye, and Merlin felt a bit of his apprehension disappear. It was the same look he got when he decided to help his mother in Ealdor, or when he looked for Morgana earlier despite his exhaustion.
"In Essetir, King Cenred doesn't execute sorcerers like your father. Rather, he forcibly conscripts them in his army and binds them to his will. He practically turns them into slaves," he paused, seeing how the cogs were spinning in Arthur's brain. Despite Merlin constantly joking about it, he knew that Arthur was quite brilliant. It was unfair, though, that so many factors were kept away from him and made him look stupid.
"So, you are… a sorcerer?" Arthur asked, and Merlin heard the caution in his voice. Still, he hadn't jumped to grab his sword, which was always a good thing.
"No, Arthur. Sorcerers have the latent potential for magic, but they have to learn how to wield it through a lot of hard work and years of study. I was born with magic, and it has always been, to me, like having an extra arm or an extra leg. Or a tail! Let's go with a tail. Try to imagine having to hide a tail from everyone around you. The people in Ealdor started to get suspicious and so my mother sent me here," Merlin explained.
Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose in an expression that Merlin knew to mean that Arthur felt exasperated.
"Let me get this straight," Arthur said after a moment, "your mother, to stop Cenred from getting his hands on you because you have magic, sent you to Camelot, where you should technically be executed for having magic?"
"Well, when you put it like that…"
"Why?"
"Because Gaius is her brother and…"
"Merlin," Arthur said, and Merlin stopped talking at the earnest, worried look in Arthur's face, "I understand why you kept it a secret. What I don't understand is why, of all places, she decided that Camelot would be the safest for you."
"I don't know what was going through my mother's head when she made the decision, but I do know that, one way or another, I was meant to be here," Merlin replied.
Arthur frowned, puzzled, and motioned for Merlin to continue.
"Did you know that your father keeps a dragon chained under the castle?" Merlin asked, and watched as Arthur's eyes widened and he choked on air.
"What?"
"He's chained with enchanted shackles to the wall of the cavern so he can't escape."
"How do you even know that?" Arthur spluttered.
"Because when I arrived here, he spoke to me in my mind."
"In... your mind?" Arthur asked, starting to look a bit skeptical and that was never good.
"I can explain how that works later. The point is that the dragon woke me up in the middle of the night and called me to tell me about a prophecy."
"And what does this prophecy say?"
"This prophecy speaks of you, Arthur. You are destined to become the Once and Future King who will unite all of Albion under one banner and bring peace back to the land."
Arthur stared at Merlin, unblinking, for the longest time. Then, he took a deep breathe and exhaled in a whoosh.
"No pressure at all," Arthur mumbled, rubbing his face; "and how do you fit into this prophecy, Merlin?"
"I was born with the sole purpose of serving you, Arthur. It is my destiny to help you fulfill your destiny, using my magic," Merlin answered. The two halves of the coin stared at each other impassively. Arthur was taking in this new information, while Merlin was waiting for any reaction that would indicate if he should run for his life or not. Finally, Arthur let his head fall back against the chair.
"This is... a lot," Arthur said.
Merlin couldn't help but huff; "Tell me about it. And on top of that, I've had to keep any and all means of helping you a secret while completing the frankly insane amount of chores you give me. Believe me, it's a lot."
Arthur narrowed his eyes at Merlin.
"And just how many times have you, as you claim, helped me?"
Merlin felt affronted, and he let Arthur know, "Do you remember Sophia and your sudden, inexplicable desire to marry her? Well, she was a Sidhe who wanted to sacrifice you in exchange for eternal life. Do you remember the afanac in the aqueducts under the city? Well, seeing as he was conjured out of earth and water, you needed wind and fire to kill it. Who do you think conjured the air to make your torch flare the way it did? How did you think such a gust of wind could appear out of nowhere like that in the first place? Oh, and don't get me started on the whole Questing Beast fiasco because, let me tell you-"
"Merlin, stop! I get it, okay? Just... stop," Arthur said, and Merlin realized how overwhelmed he looked. Merlin sighed.
"I know it's a lot to take in. I didn't want to... no, I did want to tell you, but I've been so afraid because..."
"Because of my father," Arthur finished.
"And also, because when I met you, you firmly believed in what your father believed. I know your father would have me killed, Arthur, even now. I just couldn't bear the thought that you would have me killed, too."
"Then why... why tell me now?"
"Honestly? Partly because seeing Hermione be so free and unapologetic of her magic made me feel guilty. Specially after I saw how not only did you not kill her on the spot, but you were willing to listen to what she said and still help her. And then today you told me how much you trusted me and I... I decided that I should do the same and trust you, as well."
Arthur snorted.
"What?" Merlin asked, affronted.
"You told me because you got outdone by a girl?"
Merlin felt himself flush and his eyes widened and he said, panicking, "No! That's now what I meant... it's just... maybe... okay, well, I didn't trust her, at first. I have yet to meet a sorcerer who doesn't want you dead or bewitched or something of the sort. I figured she was testing my abilities. But then she did nothing but help you, and... she's just so good at wielding her magic, and has so much control. For all that I was born with magic, I am still learning how to control it; and she does it flawlessly."
Arthur laughed.
"It appears, Merlin, that someone might be taken with Hermione," Arthur said with a smirk on his face.
Merlin felt himself flush, and spluttered for a bit before realizing he didn't have a way of replying that wouldn't incriminate him further in Arthur's eyes. He wasn't smitten with Hermione. He was intrigued, sure; and he was curious as to how she learned to wield her magic so precisely, but that was it. Nothing more and nothing less.
"So, are there other things you want to confess?" Arthur asked.
"Well, how much time do we have?" Merlin answered.
Arthur groaned.
As soon as the Camelot party left the camp, Hermione returned to her tent and lied down next to Mordred, who was still asleep next to her. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, and Hermione wished he could remain a carefree child for a while longer. She patted his hair, and he stirred a bit.
"Hermione?"
"Shh, go back to sleep. I'm here."
"I was scared today."
"I know."
"I don't want you to go and fight anymore."
"I have duties as High Priestess, Mordred. If they make me fight, then that's what I have to do."
"But what if you get hurt?"
"I might get hurt. This isn't the first time I might get hurt."
"But I don't want you to get hurt."
"I know. I also don't want you to get hurt."
"Then stay."
"How about this, then: every time I need to leave, I will tell you exactly where I'm going and when I should be back. I'll also let you know the plan I have to keep myself safe. I promise I will stop running headfirst into danger without a plan, and that you'll know about it."
"What do you want in return?"
"For you to stay in a place I deem safe until I return."
"But what if-?"
"No, Mordred. I can't keep myself safe if I am worrying about whether you are safe or not. If I know you are safe, believe me, I will be able to defend myself better and I will return to you sooner."
His eyes filled with tears, and he asked, "Are you saying it's my fault you got hurt tonight?"
"No, Mordred, not at all," Hermione said and hugged him close, "seeing you there gave me the final push I needed because I wanted to protect you. However, most of the time, I'm too worried about you to protect myself because I'd rather protect you."
Mordred remained quiet for a few minutes, before he finally nodded, "That makes sense. You promise you'll tell me what you plan to do to escape? To keep safe?"
"I promise, if you promise you won't sneak away from the place I place you," Hermione replied, and Hermione felt Mordred nodding again. She continued, "good. If it will make you feel better, you can help Agrona prepare her remedies or practice your meditation and magic with Iseldir, so that one day when you are older, you may help me."
"I'll practice, I promise," Mordred said, and Hermione kissed his brow.
"Now, about tomorrow: I'll leave early to get to Camelot before the prince and Emrys leaves. I know they'd be glad to leave me behind."
"I'd be glad if they left you behind."
"I'll wait for them with the court physician, and I know that eventually they'll show up because I told them I'd be there."
"Yeah, but they will be expecting you later."
"I always believed that it's better to arrive earlier than later to any appointment. Anyway, there they will discuss their plan with me."
Mordred got up and frowned at Hermione, looking far too awake for the hour, and said, "That's not a plan."
"Maybe not, but I don't know what Prince Arthur is going to decide."
"If he'll be there, why must you be there too?"
"A couple of reasons; the first one being that I feel that it's my duty to help get rid of Greyback because it's my fault he's here to being with. Second, the last time I let the knights handle him, they let him escape. Twice now."
"But Emrys will be there, too!"
"In that case, there's nothing to worry about, is there? There will be a bunch of knights, Prince Arthur and Emrys himself. I'll be safer than the Lady Morgana in their company."
"Emrys would let you die in a second if it meant saving the prince's life," Mordred retorted. Hermione sighed.
"Mordred, there will be a point in this agreement when you'll have to trust me. Even if I came up with a very detailed plan and three escapes plan to go with it, you would still be able to find holes in it because you worry."
"If I can poke a hole in your plan, it means the enemy can too," Mordred said.
"That is true, but you must remember that I am only human and therefore my plans will be flawed. You need to trust that I can take care of myself. And, as much as Emrys's priority is the prince, he wouldn't let me die for no reason. The prince himself, as much as he denies it, seems fond enough of me to not let me die, either. You have to learn to trust me and let me go."
Mordred deflated and cuddled close to Hermione.
"I don't want you to go."
"I know, but I'll be back before you know it."
They fell asleep like that, relishing in the safety of one another.
That night, Morgana dreamed that she was back in the cave. The women were looking at her in more terror than they looked at the beast, while the beast closed in on her and wanted to devour her. She woke up with a scream, and the curtains caught on fire. She screamed louder, and Gwen came running from her room. She saw the flames and threw the vase with flowers at them, dousing them and leaving behind the smell of charred fabric.
"My lady," Gwen called, but Morgana didn't react, "Morgana."
Morgana sobbed and threw herself into Gwen's arms, shaking like a leaf.
"What's wrong? Did someone attack you?"
"No, Gwen... it's me... I did that..."
"My lady, how...?"
"Back in the cave, that... that man fed me a piece of raw meat from a carcass, and he wouldn't let me spit it out. I felt so humiliated, and angry; I wanted to hurt him and then there was this host blast that came out of mu chest and he was blasted away and all of our ropes burned away too... it was magic, Gwen. I did magic."
Gwen was silent for the longest time, and Morgana dreaded that Gwen would look at her in fear. But Gwen's arms tightened around her and her friend comforted her.
"It's alright, Morgana. I won't tell anyone."
"I don't know what to do."
"For now, if the guards ask, I'll say that I left a candle next to the curtains and that's why they caught fire," Gwen said.
"But then you'll get punished, Gwen!"
"It will be minor compared to what would happen if someone caught you. I'll be alright."
"Are you sure, Gwen?"
"I'm sure, Morgana. Now, try to go back to sleep. I'll stay here."
"Thank you Gwen."
Arthur was woken up after not enough sleep, in his opinion, by a Merlin who looked to be asleep on his feet as well. Arthur put a pillow on his head, and asked.
"Why did we think it would be a good idea to stay up talking?"
"Because you wanted to know how many times I've saved your life."
"I'm starting to wonder if it was worth it."
"Hey, you already got more sleep than I did, so don't complain," Merlin replied, and with a flick of his wrist, sent the covers and pillows flying out of Arthur's reach.
"That's cheating," Arthur protested.
"No, it isn't. Especially not now that you know. Now, get up so you can at least something before you have to ride out with the scouts."
Arthur groaned again, but did indeed get up and got ready and ate a few bites of his meal before having to ride out. Merlin didn't eat with him this time because he had to make sure his horse was saddled and ready to go. While he ate, Arthur thought about all the close calls and "coincidental" accidents that had prevented injury or dead when they were out, and tried to remember if he saw Merlin do anything out of the ordinary, but he didn't. He did remember calling Merlin a girl multiple times when he found him hiding behind the trees. Now, in hindsight, it's obvious that Merlin would find an out of the way place to hide and use the very illegal magic he possessed, even if it was in service of the prince. Arthur had a moment to feel guilty about how he treated his manservant, and awed at Merlin's loyalty despite everything.
Arthur shook himself of the reverie and fastened his sword in place before leaving his chambers. On the way, he met with Sir Leon, Sir Lionel, Sir Bedivere, Sir Galahad and Sir Geraint, his hunting party. He specifically requested for Sir Kay to be placed on patrol that went in the opposite direction. He told them they would first track him down the way they would any animal. They were to bring lances and pikes to prevent the man-beast from attacking them or their horses. He told them to get bandages and salves from Gaius to keep on their pouch and told them to meet him outside in a few minutes.
Arthur, instead going straight outside to get his horse, he stopped by Gaius's rooms where, as he expected, Hermione was already there.
"I was hoping to miss you," Arthur said, instead of greeting.
"Lovely seeing you too, sire."
"Have you seen Merlin?" Arthur asked.
"I'm here!" Merlin called from his room.
"Then come here, for we have a lot to discuss."
Merlin came with his face practically hidden inside a huge tome. Arthur rushed to close the door.
"Be more discreet, you idiot! Not everyone needs to find out."
"Oh, sorry," Merlin said, and put the book away.
Hermione noticed, and she asked Merlin with a beaming smile, "You told him?"
Merlin looked down sheepishly, "Yes, I told him last night."
"I'm so happy for you, truly," Hermione said, and Merlin blushed, but only because he remembered Arthur's comments about Hermione last night.
Arthur cleared his throat and grinned at Merlin in a way that looked too self-satisfied for Merlin's taste, so he pushed the stool a bit harder than needed in Arthur's direction. Just enough to trip him, that's all. Arthur lost his grin, but stopped teasing him.
"This is the plan," Arthur said, and repeated what he'd told the knights before. He also added, "the idea is to keep him corralled to the cave so he can't escape. It will be your job, Merlin and Hermione, to use your magic to keep him there if the formation of my knights breaks. I'll bring this silver dagger to deliver the final blow once he's debilitated enough."
"Sounds good," Hermione said.
Merlin smiled, and said, "It's nice that I don't have to work around your plans, anymore."
Arthur rolled his eyes, and turned to address Hermione, "I don't have a justifiable reason to have you with us. If you insist on coming with us, you'll have to make it there on your own."
"I'll wait for you at the gates of Camelot and follow from a distance," Hermione replied with a nod.
Merlin and Arthur then left to meet the knights and Hermione donned her cloak to meet them outside the city gates. As the knights were leaving the city in their horses, Merlin found nearly without looking and nodded at her. Hermione followed at a reasonable pace. At certain intervals, she thought she saw Merlin's eyes glow, which told her that he must be looking ahead on the path. Soon, they were at the clearing where Greyback attacked the Lady Morgana and Hermione. Hermione felt a chill run down her spine and had to take a few grounding breaths to stave off a panic attack. The party was soon moving to the left, into a path of broken twigs and branches that made it obvious Greyback escaped that way. From what Hermione could see, Merlin barely had to use his magic, for there was also blood and fur on the ground that an expert tracker like Prince Arthur could follow with ease.
They arrived at the mouth of the cave, and dismounted their horses which were getting restless. Near the entrance of the cave, Arthur recognized a familiar slipper and deduced this was the cave where that beast kept Morgana, and he saw red. He gave the signal to Sir Bedivere, who used flint to light a torch soaked up in tar and threw it into the cave. Soon, they heard a cough and the man beast barreled outside.
He looked bad. His skin was pale and sweaty, with a red blistered burn that suppurated on his right shoulder and Arthur realized that Hermione had injured the man more than they thought. Hermione caught a glimpse of her handiwork and felt her chest swell with pride.
Greyback didn't give them a lot of respite, however, and immediately lauched himself at the shortest knight. He didn't notice the pike at first until he nearly ran into it, and then he backtracked and tried to attack another knight only to find a lance. Greyback roared. Sir Galahad took the chance and advanced against Greyback, but the werewolf surprised him by grabbing the lance and pushing against him. The blunt end of the lance caught Sir Galahad on the nose, and he fell.
Greyback saw his opening and made a run for it, only to slam into the barrier that Hermione erected.
"Come out, come out to play, mudblood!" Greyback taunted, enraged, "Don't be a coward, little Gryffindor, and face me instead of hiding behind these muggles!"
The taunt sent fear through Hermione and her hand started to shake.
"As long as I keep the barrier up, he can't touch me. I'm safe as long as I keep the barrier up," Hermione said to ground herself, took a deep breath, and put more magic into the barrier. She didn't let Greyback see her. She startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but she relaxed when she realized it was only Merlin.
"Don't listen to him," Merlin told her.
"I'm not an idiot," Hermione retorted, irritated that he thought her incapable.
"I know. You have proven you're not. Still, he knows you fear him, and he knows that he can get your magic to fail if he scares you badly enough," Merlin said. Then, under his breath, he murmured a spell of his own and Hemione felt Merlin's magic envelop hers like a warm embrace. She blushed, and hoped he couldn't see.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Meanwhile, as Greyback realized he couldn't escape, he lost all reason or tactic and became frantic and reckless. This allowed Sir Bedivere and Sir Geraint to stab his legs, and Greyback fell on his back. Then, Arthur used Sir Galahad's discarded lance to pin Greyback's arm to the floor. Arthur then pulled out the silver dagger and stabbed it to the hilt on Greyback's chest, who howled like a wounded animal.
Afterwards, there was a moment of quiet where the knights caught their breaths and smiled at each other.
Then, Greyback said, wheezing and gasping for air, "Come out to gloat, mudblood."
Hermione froze, and Merlin's hand closed around hers in support. He shook his head, without making a noise, but Hermione had to see that Greyback was dying or dead in order to get closure. She let go of Merlin's hand and stepped around the trees, finding that for a man who took up so much space in her memories, he wasn't really all that tall and was, after all, a man who wanted to be a monster but a man nonetheless.
"Are you happy, now?" he said.
"You caused so much pain to so many people," Hermione replied, "and you relished on it."
Greyback made a show of licking his lips and leering at her, before saying, "I would do it all over again. Little Lupin, and so many others, bending to my will."
It sent Hermione reeling back, how this man on his deathbed was bragging of his crimes and relishing in the shock and fear he could still cause her. She hated him, in that moment. She felt overcome with anger, not unlike that time when she punched Malfoy right before Buckbeak was executed, because it burned her to see evil men so casually disregarding other lives and ruining them for nothing but their sick pleasure.
In a sudden move, Hermione took Prince Arthur's sword out of his hand, much to the shock of everyone around her, and brought it down with a scream on Greyback's neck. It was so strong a blow that his head rolled. His face still sported that sardonic, self-satisfied grin she wasn't able to erase from her memories, and she vaguely thought that she hoped he wasn't welcome in the headless club Sir Nicholas wanted to be a part of so much.
A hand on her own startled her, but the prince knew how to handle a sword and took it from her hand before she even thought to swing her arm. He was looking at her with concern, but she couldn't stomach it and so she retreated back to the tree line. She'd thought that once Greyback was gone, she could get some peace. But she could still remember the fear she felt at Malfoy Manor, she could still smell his stench if she thought about it hard enough, and it dismayed her to realize that even if Greyback was dead, the trauma he inflicted still lived on.
And he knew that. He knew that when he taunted her to come out, when he goaded her into killing him, when he leered at her that final time. She hated him for that.
"Hermione?" Merlin called, and she startled again. She realized her hands were shaking. No, all of her was shaking. She slid down to the undergrowth and hugged her knees; Merlin knelt down next to her.
"I thought it would be over when he died," Hermione said, choking back tears, "but it's not. He's still here." She pointed to her chest, where the fear she felt condensed into a ball of hot shame.
"No, Hermione, he's dead," Merlin replied. She shook her head, but Merlin's hands grabbed hers and she looked up to see him with an expression he'd only ever seen before in Sirius Black. "You killed him. He can only haunt you, if you let him."
"But how do I forget?"
"You can't forget what he did to you, but you can remember how you vanquished him," Merlin answered, "with time, you will vanquish your fear of him the same way you vanquished him. You just need to give yourself time."
Hermione stared at Merlin in awe, seeing for the first time the figure of legend instead of the awkward boy she'd met. She could suddenly see, juxtaposed, the bearded man who would become the greatest wizard of all time with the kind hearted, somewhat naive boy who hadn't fully grown up yet.
"Is there something on my face?" Merlin asked. Hermione shook herself out and smiled a bit.
"You will become a great wizard, Merlin," she told him, "and a wise adviser to the king."
Merlin blushed, "Why do you say that?"
"I can see it. That's all. Thank you," Hermione said and stood up. She walked around the tree to see Prince Arthur and his knights throwing parts of Greyback's body into the makeshift pyre they built with dry twigs and leaves. It would take hours, but Hermione knew they'd keep at it.
She made herself stay and watch Greyback burn, all while repeating to herself that he was just a man, and mortal like any other.
They finished just as the sun was about to set. The knights spread the ashes around the clearing, and whatever was not burnt was buried to prevent any wild animal from eating the were-wolf flesh. It was superstitious to think that lycanthropy could spread to another animal if they ate the flesh during the full moon, but Hermione was grateful for their thoroughness. She knew she'd sleep better at night knowing that Greyback was dead, burnt and buried and couldn't wreck havoc in ancient Camelot anymore. She also supposed it was a blessing in disguise that it was Greyback, a mindless brute, instead of Bellatrix Lastrange who followed her into the past.
Prince Arthur, his knights and Merlin climbed on their horses. Prince Arthur and the knights rode away to give Merlin and Hermione a bit of privacy.
"Are you sure you don't want to return with us?" Merlin asked her.
"Mordred is waiting for me, so I'll just return to my camp," Hermione answered.
Merlin frowned, and said, "Why are you so interested in Mordred?"
"Because he was unjustly orphaned and he has no one else," Hermione replied hotly, tired of Merlin's distrust of a child, "I also know what it feels like to lose everyone I ever loved, so I will be there for him because he needs me."
Merlin raised his hands in a peace keeping gesture.
"I still don't fully trust you, but I can see you have good intentions and a good heart. You also seem to be a good judge of character. So, I'll trust you know what you're doing when it comes to Mordred."
"As if I needed your permission, Merlin."
"You don't, but I wanted to let you know I won't oppose that arrangement anymore."
"That will certainly save us a bit of strife in the future."
"Do you plan on coming to Camelot again, or is this goodbye for good?"
"I don't plan to return to Camelot, no; however, I'm sure our paths will cross again."
"How do you know?"
"I'm the High Priestess and you're Emrys. It seems fated."
"I thought you didn't believe in fate."
"I don't, but you do."
"You got me," Merlin said with a boyish smile.
Just then, Prince Arthur seemed to get bored and yelled, "Merlin! Stop courting your lady and let's go!"
Both Merlin and Hermione blushed, and Merlin rushed to the prince's side after a hasty farewell.
"Sire," Hermione called after the party, "I am in your debt for helping me deal with Greyback. If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to reach out to me. You already know how."
Prince Arthur merely nodded and the party rode away. Hermione turned away from the clearing and didn't look back as she made her way through the trees back to her druid camp. When it came into view, she felt the tension in her chest dissolve and she smiled. When Mordred barreled into her and started coddling her and asking her all sorts of questions, she thought of home.
Author's Note: This is crossposted on AO3 with Author Notes and some more commentary.