Chapter 10 Making the Best of Things

A/N: Edited and revised May 2021

The great bell tolled twice in the early summer afternoon as the people of Camelot began to gather anxiously. Arthur sat in his throne at the head of the great hall, regal and composed with Guinevere in her throne by his side, even as the crowd rumbled with hushed whispers and speculation. Rumors had run rampant through the citadel and the lower town as soon as the notice of the afternoon's proclamation was given. Word had spread fast that the king's announcement was one for the bards to tell for many generations to come.

"I've never seen so many people in here at once," Gwen murmured under her breath, glancing quickly over at Arthur out of the corner of her eye.

"Not for a proclamation, in any case," Arthur agreed. "Your coronation was this full. Even more than mine was."

"Surely it wasn't?" Gwen asked, searching her memories of that day.

"It was. The people love you, and it shows."

"You flatter me, Arthur," Gwen replied.

"I'm the king, I only ever speak the truth," Arthur said, allowing a small smile to show on his face.

"Hush now," Gwen laughed, trying to compose herself once again as more and more people filed in.

Merlin, however, was numb as he looked out over the crowd from his position behind and to the side of Arthur. The buzzing of conversation and anticipation swirled around him, but he found he couldn't join in. Distantly, Merlin was aware that Morgana stood cloaked beside him, and that the round table knights were there to support and protect them. Morgana squeezed his hand in her nervousness and he returned the pressure, allowing it to ground him for just a moment.

"Almost time," Morgana whispered, just as the bell began to mark the hour. Once, twice, three times. Merlin held his breath as the court librarian had stood up, and a hush fell over the gathered people.

Geoffrey of Monmouth read from the scroll hastily prepared after that morning's council meeting, enumerating the many years of bloodshed that Camelot had suffered since the purge began and how many battles had been fought.

"And now our majesty, King Arthur will address us," Geoffrey finished, bowing low as he turned to the king and the queen. Then Arthur stood to address the crowd and change Camelot forevermore.

"For many years our magical brethren..." was all Merlin heard before the only thing he could comprehend was the pounding of his own heart in his ears.

"LONG LIVE THE KING!" shook the rafters as more than a thousand people shouted loudly, Morgana included. Merlin startled further out of his numb reverie as Morgana grabbed him in a hug. Merlin embraced her in return, the crowds' shout still ringing through his ears. He was taken aback when Morgana placed a soft, quick kiss to his cheek.

"One more mountain to climb," she whispered within the folds of her hood. Merlin squeezed her hand reassuringly. Distantly, he wondered how he had missed the crowd's reaction to the legalization of magic. His only excuse was that he was entirely overwhelmed by how drastically his life had just changed. Merlin had gone from a secret-warlock-servant-to-the-king to the king's personal-warlock-advisor and brother-in-law. And Arthur hadn't even arrested him for it. It was almost too much to take in.

Thankfully, Merlin had vehemently refuted any suggestion that he ought to address the people. Arthur had finally agreed that it was for the best. Merlin was fairly certain that it was because the king didn't want to suffer the indignity of having the warlock stammer like a fool before all of Camelot.

Arthur stood solemnly at the center of the dais, allowing the crowd to have their moment. Then he raised his hands to signal for quiet.

"In addition to today's pronouncement, there has been a startling revelation that must be made known..."

Merlin tuned out Arthur's words as the warlock scanned the crowd and watched as the faces of those gathered morphed from caution, to wariness, to stunned disbelief. Every so often, the warlock would come across someone who was staring directly at him. They inevitably looked away after he met their gaze, their nervousness evident. Then Merlin began to listen to Arthur once more.

"...Morgana's actions of the last few years have not been of her own free will."

A deep rumbling spread through the people, their disbelief shifting to anger. Morgana was universally despised throughout the kingdom. Arthur raised his hands again, eager to soothe the agitation of the people.

"In his efforts to remove this curse, Merlin was assisted by a dragon. One who understood that Morgana was not the woman we had come to know. This dragon helped destroy the evil enchantment by binding Merlin and Morgana in an ancient rite."

The crowd began buzzing again, eyeing Merlin and the mysterious figure standing beside him, suspicion in their eyes. Arthur continued.

"As such, Merlin of Ealdor and Morgana Pendragon have been joined in marriage by dragonfasting, witnessed by myself and three of my best knights. Our court historian..." Arthur gestured to Geoffrey of Monmouth, who stood once again and nodded to the gathered people. "... assures us all that such a bond is impossible unless those joined are pure of heart and worthy. Therefore, on this day, I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, declare that Lady Morgana Pendragon is a free and innocent woman. She was cruelly used and she deserves our forgiveness."

Morgana lowered her hood and bowed her head submissively at the declaration. Stunned silence fell on the huge crowd as they absorbed the king's words and saw the newly pardoned woman standing beside Merlin. No one was entirely sure what to believe. Morgana had proven herself to be an accomplished actress, yet the king's words rang with truth and confidence, backed not only by his most loyal knights, but the court historian as well. Geoffrey was seen by many as an incontrovertible voice on the council. But the people had suffered cruelly at Morgana's hands more than once in the last few years and such a thing was hard to forgive.

The silence lasted nearly a full minute before a susurration began to grow through the crowd and Morgana knew what she had to do. Before Merlin could protest or hold her back, Morgana moved forward, circling around the throne and coming to a stop in front of Arthur and Gwen. Without hesitation, Morgana dropped to her knees before the king and queen, causing shocked murmurs from the crowd.

"On this day, I, Morgana Pendragon, recognize Arthur Pendragon as the Once and Future King. I swear on my magic that I will devote the rest of my life in the service of Camelot and her people. I swear fealty to her king and her queen. Long live king Arthur."

"LONG LIVE KING ARTHUR!" the crowd immediately repeated. Merlin smiled, and stepped around the thrones to kneel beside Morgana. Arthur raised an eyebrow at the warlock, nearly imperceptibly. But Merlin knew what he had to do. He was well-known as the most loyal (perhaps insanely so) of all the servants in the kingdom, trailing after the king in all manner of dangerous situations ever since he had very publicly saved Prince Arthur's life nearly seven years before. So it was that Merlin's fiercely loyal voice rang out.

"On this day, I, Merlin of Ealdor, recognize Arthur Pendragon as the Once and Future King. I swear on my magic that I will devote the rest of my life in the service of Camelot and her people. I swear fealty to her king and her queen. Long live king Arthur!"

The people instantly took up the cry once more, their voices echoing through the rafters. The tension of the crowd was noticeably lighter. However, Merlin was aware that while the people respected their king and would follow his lead, their forgiveness where Morgana was concerned would still be hard-won. The warlock joined in with the crowd's final shout, feeling an odd sense of detachment to the whole situation. Morgana squeezed his hand, bringing him out of his reverie.

"You're a free man, now Merlin," Morgana whispered, a genuine smile on her face.

"We're both free," he corrected, beaming at her in return and grasping her hand in his. The king and queen stood from their thrones, moving to stand before the kneeling witch and warlock. Arthur reached out to Merlin and pulled him to his feet as Gwen did the same to Morgana. With humble bows, Merlin and Morgana moved to stand behind them as Arthur addressed the crowd once more.

"I bid you to spread your witness to all who do not stand amongst us this day. This is a moment which will be long remembered in our history."

Arthur turned to Guinevere and offered her his hand before he led her from the great hall. Before Merlin realized what was happening, the round table knights were ushering him and Morgana out of the hall right behind the king and queen. There in the corridor, an impromptu celebration broke out, each of the knights congratulating them. Then Gaius appeared with Hunith and she threw her arms around her son and sobbed happy tears into his shoulder. Morgana put her arms around the both of them, laying her head on the peasant woman's shoulder. Gwen was there a moment later, joining in the hug. Much to Arthur's chagrin, the others joined in the embrace, until they were all huddled around Merlin and Morgana.

"Are you crying, Merlin?" Arthur asked, struggling past the lump in his own throat.

"Don't be a prat," Merlin laughed, making no effort to hide his tears. They were happy tears, after all.


There was, of course, a feast that evening to celebrate the historic proclamations of the day. The crowd was, not surprisingly, more subdued than usual as everyone contemplated the day's announcements. Merlin and Morgana both sat at the head table with Arthur and Gwen, though Morgana insisted she take the seat of least honor, furthest from the king. She didn't want anyone to get the idea that she was aiming for Arthur's throne.

"You're not going to sit there forever, sister," Arthur said.

"I know," Morgana replied, smiling at Arthur's not-so-subtle reminder that they were family. "For now. Until I have earned the people's forgiveness and acceptance."

"For now," Arthur agreed.

"A TOAST!" Gwaine's voice called out, startling everyone from their quiet reverie. "To our illustrious king!"

"To our illustrious king!" the crowd repeated.

"And our magnificent queen!" Gwaine continued.

"And our magnificent queen!"

"To Merlin! The one we owe our lives to!" Gwaine said, ignoring the fact that fewer people repeated this line. "To magic, and peace and even Morgana."

The crowd fell silent at this, until Arthur stood as well, and raised his glass high.

"To magic, and peace and Morgana," the king toasted.

"To magic, and peace and Morgana!" Merlin and Gwen called out loudly together, which seemed to break the somber mood of the gathered crowd and the feast began in earnest. Merlin smiled as he saw more people talking and laughing and acting more normally. The warlock looked over at Gwaine, who raised his glass once more to Merlin.

"Thanks, Gwaine," Merlin laughed.

"Someone had to get this feast started. Figured it ought to be me," the knight answered with a rakish smile. Merlin shook his head, glad that he could still call Gwaine his friend.


In the weeks that followed Morgana's pardon and the legalization of magic, Merlin and Morgana settled into a routine that enabled them to move about the citadel together as well as test the boundaries of their bond. They still couldn't let one another out of their sight for longer than half an hour without looking as though they had run bodily into a poison ivy bush, though they had found some strategies that made their situation more comfortable.

"Shall we go and watch training this morning, or help Gaius?" Merlin asked as he finished his breakfast. Morgana had disappeared behind the screen some twenty minutes before, taking advantage of the opportunity for a bath before she dressed.

"I feel like getting out of doors and into the sunshine," Morgana answered, coming around the screen in a fresh gown and wasting no time in coming to Merlin's side and pressing her hand into his. The both of them sighed in relief at the soothing contact. They had quickly realized that, though they were no longer magically bound together, physical contact lessened their anxiousness while they had to be separated. Thus, they had taken to holding hands whenever they could.

"Training it is, then," Merlin replied, smiling softly as he stood and offered his arm to Morgana.

"Training it is," Morgana agreed as they left the room and made their way to the knight's training grounds. Arthur was there, observing with Leon as Elyan gave instruction to the newest men in their ranks. Merlin chuckled, enjoying the demonstration as Gwaine and Percival moved slowly through the fighting stances that Elyan called out.

Merlin led Morgana over to the bench that he usually occupied while Arthur was training. Sitting down, Merlin dropped his hand between them on the bench and smiled when Morgana didn't hesitate to drop her hand atop of his.

"Merlin!" Gwaine called out, causing everyone on the field to turn and look at the two of them. The warlock was pleased when less than half of the new recruits took a reflexive step back at the sight of them.

"Gwaine?!" Merlin replied, unsure of what his friend had in mind.

"Care to hold a shield for old time's sake?" the cheerful knight asked, chuckling at the look of dismay on Merlin's face.

"Come on Merlin," Arthur goaded, realizing at once what Gwaine was doing.

"I will," Morgana offered, standing and moving towards her brother with her head held high. Merlin shook his head and trailed after his wife, wondering just what they were getting themselves into.

"Two targets!" Gwaine crowed, handing the shield in his hands to Morgana as Percival grabbed a second for Merlin.

"I want each of you to move through the stances, and take a strike at each shield," Elyan instructed the trainees as he positioned Merlin and Morgana twenty paces apart.

"I'll go first," Arthur said, smirking as he moved towards the weapons table for a blunted practice sword. "For old time's sake."

"We'll be sure to go easy on you, then," Merlin taunted, much to the amusement of the round table knights.

Arthur went through the stances, scoring a blow to each shield in turn, not holding back for Morgana's sake, much to her relief. The trainees followed their king's example, even those who seemed wary of the two magic users. By the end of the hour, Merlin's arm was sore, Morgana was smiling wider than she had in a long while, and Merlin was taken aback at how beautiful she was in her fine gown with a shield in her hands and her face brightened by her smile and the exercise.

"Careful, mate," Gwaine said as he and the other knights sauntered closer to the warlock. "I hear she's married to a really powerful warlock."

"He might not like you looking at his wife like that," Elyan added with a smile.

"He might turn you into a toad," Percival teased.

"Her brother might even take exception," Arthur said, grimacing at his former manservant.

"Shut up," Merlin muttered, his cheeks turning red as he watched Leon retrieve the shield from Morgana and dismiss the trainees before Leon and Morgana joined the rest of the king's inner circle.

"I'll take that," Gwaine said, motioning for the shield still in Merlin's hand. The warlock handed it over gladly just as Morgana came to Merlin's side and pressed her hand into his, gripping it tight. The both of them sighed in obvious relief.

"I thought you didn't have to hold hands any more?" Arthur asked. Merlin shrugged.

"Not all the time," Merlin replied.

"But when we have to be apart..." Morgana interjected.

"It helps," Merlin finished, raising their conjoined hands.

"How much longer can you go on like this?" Leon asked, genuinely concerned.

"As long as we need to," Morgana and Merlin answered together. Arthur's eyes widened at the odd synchronicity between the pair. The king traded glances with his fellow knights as the witch and warlock said their farewell and made their way back up to the castle, hand in hand.

"I give it another week," Gwaine blurted out.

"With their history?" Leon scoffed. "Another month, at least."

"They're sharing a bed. And they have to touch all the time or they itch. The way he was looking at her? Two weeks, at the most," Arthur insisted.

"Those are two of the most stubborn people in all of Albion. I say six weeks," said Elyan. As one, they all turned to Percival, who was weighing each of the other knights' responses.

"They have been put into rather unusual circumstances, owing to the dragonfasting and their need to be close. But Leon is right. They have too much history between them to move too quickly. And Elyan is also right in that Merlin and Morgana are much too stubborn to give in before they are ready. I say eight weeks."

"I'm not even sure how they've lasted as long as they have," Gwaine admitted, shaking his head ruefully. "The tension between the two of them is enough to kill a man."


Morgana had yet to venture very far from the castle. The people had tentatively trusted Arthur's assertion that she was innocent, and hers and Merlin's oaths had taken that trust a step further. However, Morgana knew that it would be difficult for the citizens that she had terrorized more than once to accept that she was no longer the evil woman they had come to fear.

Most mornings, Merlin and Morgana would go to the training fields and sit together, hands entwined, to watch as Arthur trained with the knights, though they refrained from participating as they had before. Gwen sometimes joined them to chat about how things were going, as would Hunith, who had decided to stay in Camelot for the time being to help Gaius now that his assistant had been promoted.

In the afternoons, Merlin and Morgana retreated to their chambers and read Merlin's magic book together or separated into their own corners of the room until the itchy anxiety drew them back together. Gaius had even lent them some of his healing texts to expand their reading options.

Merlin had attended a few more council meetings (scratching and fidgeting his way through them) and was slowly being accepted by the councilors. Especially when he had given exceptionally good advice in a dispute between two nobles' land rights.

There was the odd servant or two who would now freeze at the sight of him and scurry in another direction, though Morgana had argued that it was more likely her that sent them running. All in all, Merlin had been pleasantly surprised by how smooth the transition from secrecy to known warlock had been.

Merlin and Morgana were still rather awkward when it came to bedtime as Morgana's inevitable dreams would pull them together in the darkness, only to leave them floundering for words in the morning. At first, Merlin had tried to ensure that he returned to his own bed every night, but after a couple of mostly sleepless weeks, they both admitted that they had never slept better than the night they had shared the bed.

They had a routine now, in which they would don their nightclothes and then Merlin would brush and braid Morgana's hair. It was a process that seemed to lengthen every night and the tension between the two of them only intensified as a result, much to their mutual frustration.

Merlin would tie off the braid and pat Morgana's shoulders before practically running to the bed and diving under the covers. Morgana would follow more sedately and they would start the night with their backs to one another, only to wake the next morning entirely entwined together. Merlin was certain that it was helping them sleep, but he was also aware that it was slowly driving him insane. They seemed on the verge of allowing the already-seeded affection to blossom between them; yet their mutual history and past antagonism would inevitably hold them back.


"Are we going down to training this morning?" Merlin asked one morning over breakfast, nearly two months after their dragonfasting. Morgana's nose wrinkled in annoyance.

"Not today, I think," she answered.

"Something the matter?"

"Just something Gwen mentioned yesterday," Morgana said, grimacing.

"Did someone say something to her about you?" Merlin asked, suddenly on alert.

"No, nothing like that," Morgana denied.

"What then?"

"It seems my dearest brother and our closest friends have a wager."

"A wager." Merlin repeated, his voice flat.

"On how long we're going to be antsy and itchy," Morgana replied.

"That's why they've been watching us so closely," Merlin realized.

"It seems so, yes. So I'm not really feeling like being on display this morning."

"I agree. What should we do then?"

"When you told the story about the goblin, you mentioned you found it in a secret room in the library?"

"I did," Merlin confirmed warily, unsure of what Morgana was getting at.

"Would you show it to me?" Morgana asked.

"The goblin?" Merlin asked incredulously. Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous. The room, Merlin. I want you to show me the secret room."

"Oh! Yes, the room! That's an excellent idea!" Merlin said, suddenly enthusiastic for the day's events. "We might even find some banned texts in there."

"Then let's go!" Morgana said, excitement building in earnest now.

Thus, a few minutes later, they found themselves in the library. Geoffrey was pleased to see them, keen to show Merlin all the tomes that contained any reference to Emrys. Red-faced, Merlin stammered out their excuses and pulled a mirthful Morgana along to a particular shelf in the east wing.

"I think you're his hero," Morgana remarked dryly, raising her eyebrow teasingly. Merlin groaned in embarrassment and came to a stop in front of the secret entrance.

"Do not even think about mentioning that to Arthur. Or Gwaine," Merlin said as he pulled a chuckling Morgana to his side.

"What do we have to do?" Morgana asked, eyeing the shelf curiously from top to bottom.

"Step up onto this shelf and hold on," Merlin explained, helping Morgana to get situated before he climbed up himself and activated the hidden lever.

"Oh!" Morgana gasped as the shelf began to rotate, depositing them both in the dimly lit chamber.

"This is it," Merlin said, climbing off the shelf and giving Morgana a hand down.

"Amazing," she breathed out, looking around the room in awe. "I've lived most of my life in this castle. Had my lessons in that library, and yet I never had any idea this was here."

"I'm not surprised," Merlin laughed. "Considering what is in here, I doubt Uther or even Geoffrey had any idea that this was here. Especially if you consider how much dust is over everything. No one had disturbed this room in at least 50 years at the time that I found the goblin."

"It is rather filthy in here," Morgana agreed distastefully as she moved further into the secret room.

"Yes it is. More than once, I've considered coming in and cleaning up and looking for more magic books, but I've not had the time," Merlin explained.

"Well, here we are, let's do it," Morgana suggested, turning with a bright smile on her face. Merlin smiled at her eagerness.

"Do you know any cleaning spells?" Merlin asked.

"I lived in a hovel for most of the last two years, Merlin, it wasn't exactly a study of cleanliness."

"Luckily for you, I've spent the last eight years cleaning up after a rather slovenly royal prat," Merlin laughed.

"Will you teach me?" Morgana asked solemnly. Merlin smiled broadly and nodded, pleased that Morgana had asked.

"Dust is the easiest, just command it to return to the earth. Dústa edhwierfta éara!" Merlin's eyes glowed gold and the thick layer of dust over the table in the center of the room immediately dissipated.

"Seems simple enough," Morgana mused. "Dústa edhwierfta éara!"

Morgana's eyes glowed gold and the dust coating the shelf behind the table disappeared.

"Good job!" Merlin praised, smiling at Morgana when she turned to him, her enthusiasm at her simple success plain on her face. With a squeeze of their hands, Merlin and Morgana separated and spent a few minutes clearing the dust from the shelves and collected items.

"What about this?" Morgana asked, grimacing as she inadvertently got caught in a spider's web.

"Ahh," Merlin replied. "Cobwebs are a bit trickier, you have to banish them into a state of unbeing: átorcoppan netta béoþ ádéaþ!" Several spiderwebs immediately dissolved.

"That is entirely useful," Morgana said, impressed. Merlin smiled, pleased at her praise.

"Unfortunately, I've not developed or found an organizational spell. We'll have to sort through things on our own."

"Sounds like fun," Morgana teased, diving into the clutter.

Clean of the dust and cobwebs, the job didn't take as long as Morgana had feared. The concealed room had proven to be a veritable treasure trove of artifacts and useful items. They sorted through numerous urns and chests of aging parchments. An omnibus of noble genealogies sat seemingly out-of-place with a collection of crystals and sorcerer's chimes.

There were dozens of history books amongst the shelves, chronicling events dating as far back as the first king of Camelot and as recent as fifty years prior to Uther's reign. Many of the other tomes they found weren't exactly magic books, but they were close enough that Uther would have destroyed them had he known of their existence. In all, Merlin and Morgana found a dozen spell books and several volumes of an encyclopedia of magical beasts.

"I'm certain that Gaius has a few of the missing volumes in his quarters," Merlin said as he collected them into a spare trunk to take to the physician.

"So much of my training, spell knowledge and magical experience comes from dark magic," Morgana said sadly as she sorted through some moth-eaten linens.

"I have no training to speak of," Merlin admitted. "Beyond my instinctual skills, I'm entirely self-taught from the books Gaius has given and lent to me and of course, trial and error. Kilgharrah has given me knowledge a couple times, like when I healed you after your fall. It's dead useful since it's just there in my head, ready to use, but it leaves me feeling unsettled for a few hours afterwards. Being gifted of a dragon's breath is certainly not my favorite way to learn. Luckily, Gaius insisted that I become fluent in the old tongue, rather than just learn certain spells. Usually I can just make up a spell in a pinch."

"I've had some success in that regard, but it takes more power than I'd like," Morgana said.

"True, though I've never really had a problem with power. It's more the finesse that usually eludes me at first. Though I've always wanted to know how to transport. Gaius has refused to tell me the theory and he won't tell me where to find it. I suspect he's hidden away any book that references it, since I've not found it in his collection. He says it's too dangerous and that I'd end up in a tree or in a bandit camp with my luck," Merlin laughed.

"I can teach you. Finesse happens to be my strong point, and transporting is something I know how to do well." Morgana tossed the ruined linens aside to pick up an ancient text and leafed through it. "It's a highly valuable skill, and not really dangerous once you've been taught properly. Perhaps we can teach each other; transform this room into a space for us to study," Morgana suggested. "It's secret and we can use it to escape our chambers when we're going stir-crazy, or even just get away from the others and their not-so-secret bets."

"Sounds perfect," Merlin agreed with a grin. Morgana returned the smile then gestured to the book in her hands.

"Take a look at this, it has some very interesting spells in it," Morgana said, waving Merlin over.

Moving to sit close beside her, Merlin peered over Morgana's shoulder to get a better look.

"The language is highly archaic, but I think this is a spell for transforming into an animal, at will," Morgana explained, pointing to one of the spells written on the page in fading ink.

"I think you're right... Though I think this must have been a study journal of sorts. It looks like the spell has been modified a few times..." Merlin trailed off, suddenly aware that Morgana wasn't looking at the book any longer. "What?" he asked.

"Have you ever kissed a woman before? I mean, before we kissed for the dragonfasting?" Morgana asked, her eyes fixed on Merlin's mouth.

"Yes," Merlin answered, his voice deep and strained as his eyes drifted to Morgana's mouth.

"Oh," Morgana replied, eyes unmoving.

"It was a long time ag-" Merlin cut off as Morgana leaned in and pressed her lips to his. It was a quick, chaste kiss and then Morgana started to pull away. Merlin, to her surprise, gripped her neck and held her to him before she could. He paused momentarily, his mouth brushing hers very lightly as though seeking permission to continue.

Morgana smiled against his lips in response. Then she proceeded to give Merlin the most passionate kiss that he'd ever had. Considering his limited experience, however, he wasn't sure how much that said. He was nearly overwhelmed by the sensations of her mouth on his and Merlin suspected that Morgana felt similarly. He was reluctant to deepen the kiss further; even as inexperienced as they were, the kisses were intoxicating, almost addicting. It was as though their magic was reaching out to the other in tandem with their lips. Dimly, Merlin was aware that a few of the things around them were rattling on their shelves and some of the parchments were starting to levitate.

It was some minutes before either of them pulled away, breathing heavily in an attempt to pull air into their starved lungs. Merlin touched his forehead to Morgana's and held her close as they calmed down, absently combing through her hair with his fingers. He hadn't realized that he had entirely unraveled Morgana's braid, leaving her long hair loose and fairly unkempt where he'd had his hands in it. Merlin found that the scent and the feel of Morgana's hair in his hands was quite enjoyable.

"Thank you," he finally managed.

"For what?" Morgana asked, somewhat dazed.

"I don't know," he admitted. Before Morgana could voice her confusion, Merlin returned the favor and took her lips with his once more, his hands weaving deeply into her hair.

It took a great deal longer to finish the task that they had set out to accomplish that morning. Mostly because they very willingly became highly distracted any time that they came within touching distance of one another. But they both agreed that cleaning became a lot more enjoyable.


"Where did you two disappear to today?" Arthur asked as they sat down to dinner that evening. "Guinevere said you weren't in your chambers."

"What? Why do you ask?" Merlin asked, wide-eyed.

"None of your business, brother," Morgana answered coolly, rescuing Merlin from having to stammer a red-faced answer.

"I'm only looking out for you," Arthur said innocently, eyeing Merlin's red face with glee.

"Looking out for your bet, more like," Morgana tossed back, instantly dampening Arthur's humor.

"Arthur!" Gwen scolded. "Tell me you're not still betting on Merlin and Morgana?!"

"I'm not still betting on Merlin and Morgana," Arthur answered, though no one believed him.

"We've just set up a study for ourselves," Merlin explained, trying to keep the peace between his wife and her brother.

"A study?" Arthur asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, you know, books and desks, that sort of thing. I wouldn't expect you to understand," Morgana teased.

"Regardless of my reading habits, which I do have, I had hoped to see you two during training this morning. Gwaine had an idea that I have to say, I'd like to try."

"Oh?" Merlin asked curiously.

"Gwaine said, and I have to agree, that all we've seen you do is conjure flames, shine like the sun itself, move things around with your mind and transform a cloak. Yet you've said over and over again that you've been protecting us. We want to know just what you can do, so we know that we won't have to worry about you while you're hiding behind a tree in our next skirmish."

"You realize that I've only ever hidden behind a tree or on the ground to cover the fact that I've been using magic, right?"

"That may be the case, but I've never seen the proof. Be at training tomorrow, the both of you," Arthur ordered.

Merlin and Morgana shared a look, raising their eyebrows in silent communication. Together, they both turned to Arthur with mischief in their eyes.

"We wouldn't miss it," they said in unison.

Arthur smiled nervously and wondered just what Gwaine had gotten them into.


Early the next morning, Merlin and Morgana arrived, hand in hand, at the training fields ready for whatever Arthur and the knights could throw at them. They had stayed up later than usual, trading kisses and discussing which spells and tactics to prepare. Merlin had a clear advantage over Morgana because his natural ability allowed him to perform a good deal of magic with a thought or a gesture while Morgana was more limited in that ability and usually had to use sometimes-lengthy incantations. However, Morgana possessed a healthy repertoire of spells to draw from and wouldn't have any problems defending herself.

"Ah, magic has arrived!" Gwaine called out teasingly. Merlin smiled sheepishly, though Morgana gave a scarily familiar smirk.

"I hope you have come well-rested, because we aren't going to go easy on you," Arthur said.

"It's not us I'm worried about," Morgana taunted.

"We've set up a special training course just for this," Arthur explained, leading the way to the farthest sparring field. It had clearly been well prepared. Merlin raised his eyebrows at the host of training dummies, archery targets, and various weapons at the ready.

"Then, we'd like to see how you do sparring against us," Gwaine interjected. Leon, Elyan and Percival nodded eagerly as well.

"Where do we start?" Merlin asked.

"Over here," Leon gestured. "We've set up a grouping of dummies, some marked with red paint and others marked with blue. The object is to shoot the blue enemies and leave the red friendlies standing, so you can't just push them over with magic." The knights all looked quite smug, proud that they had outwitted the great warlock.

"Only the blue ones you say?" Merlin asked, quirking an eyebrow in question.

"Just the blue ones," Percival confirmed.

Merlin walked over to the table holding the weapons and selected a quiver of crossbow bolts before turning back to the dummies. Morgana raised her eyebrows, uncertain of what he was planning, but Gwaine couldn't hold silent.

"Usually, you use a crossbow with those," he said impishly. Merlin turned to the knight with a serious expression.

"Yes. Usually," he agreed, then turned back to the quiver. The king and his knights looked at one another and shrugged.

Merlin looked out at the dummies and counted ten with a large blue circle painted across the chest. There were eight red in all, mixed in randomly with the blue. Grasping ten bolts in his hand, Merlin let the quiver fall to the ground. With a flash of gold, Merlin set the arrows to hover at chest height in front of him, causing eyebrows to raise all around him. With a deep breath, Merlin let loose. With a flick of either wrist or a jerk of his chin, he sent the bolts flying into the center of the blue targets one and two at a time. Within a matter of seconds, all ten bolts were buried into the dummies, nearly to the fletching. With a smile, Merlin dusted off his hands and turned to the gathered knights.

"That was fun, what's next?"

Arthur and the knights were frozen, mouths open. They all startled when Morgana clapped her hands appreciatively, a smug smile on her face.

"Not so fast, Merlin. It's my turn," Morgana said. Merlin smiled and bowed to her, gesturing for her to take the field.

"My lady," he said, smiling widely.

"My lord," she replied with a curtsey, surprising Merlin. Morgana turned to the field, surveying the dummies much as Merlin had.

"Don't you want a weapon, Morgana?" Arthur asked warily.

"Why should I use a weapon," Morgana drawled, "when I am one myself?" Without any warning Morgana threw out her hands while shouting "Tæfle!" Her eyes flared gold and three blue dummies were torn right off their stands. Morgana then ran right into the field of dummies and used close-range blasts to do the same to the rest before sauntering back to the assembled knights. "Now, that was fun."

"So," Merlin said cheerfully, turning once again to Arthur. "What's next?"

Arthur began to direct them to the next challenge and realized as they moved forward that the commotion had started to draw a larger crowd. Few had seen Morgana using magic, and even fewer had ever witnessed Merlin using it. The sheer curiosity was drawing knights, nobles and servants alike. Arthur grimaced; his first thought was to disperse the crowd, but he quickly realized that it could go a long way towards helping others accept the new laws if they saw the king and his knights interacting with and supporting those with magic. Thus, the king allowed the gathering people to continue watching.

Merlin and Morgana worked through each trial placed before them with increasingly large magical feats. It wasn't long before it became apparent that the witch and warlock had turned it into their own competition, complete with flirtatious taunts that became bolder as the ill-named 'training' continued.

Gwaine and the other round table knights chuckled at the strangled grunt that Merlin let out when Morgana had pressed herself into his back as he was directing a spear towards a distant target. Arthur however, was hard pressed not to grimace when Merlin returned the favor a few minutes later and went one step further to whisper something into Morgana's ear.

After the last dummy had been nearly obliterated by the two of them, Merlin, breathless and eyes sparkling, turned to Morgana, who gave the warlock a charged look. Merlin smiled smugly and raised his eyebrow, recognizing the particular flush that covered Morgana's face. The pair of them were abruptly reminded by the scattered applause that they had an audience. Merlin turned to Arthur excitedly.

"Who are we sparring now?" he asked.

"All of us," Gwaine challenged. Percival, Elyan and Leon nodded in agreement, each of them deciding on a different weapon. Merlin turned to Arthur, raising his eyebrow, knowing the king couldn't resist a direct challenge. Arthur sighed and joined his knights at the weapons table, choosing a blunted sword. A few more knights took up the challenge with their king, raising the number of challengers to eight.

As Merlin and Morgana, back to back, took up a central position on the field, Arthur and his knights formed up around them. No one seemed eager to strike, so Gwaine decided to make the first move, charging at Merlin with a fierce roar.

Merlin held up a hand in response, and with a flash of his eyes, froze Gwaine where he stood. Everyone charged at once then, and Merlin and Morgana were taking it in turn to freeze or disarm their opponents. With the last challenger disarmed, Merlin held up both hands and made a grasping motion with each, causing all the weapons to fly into one pile and the knights into another.

"Do you concede?" Merlin asked, tilting his head and smiling mischievously. Morgana folded her arms and lifted an eyebrow.

"I can still beat you Arthur," she said, triumphant.

"That never happened," Arthur groused, pulling himself from the pile and glowering at the two magicians.

"You've beaten us all," Leon conceded with a nod as he got to his feet. The crowd applauded once more and began to disperse, eager to tell all who would listen of the displays they had witnessed.

"You!" Gwaine yelled, pointing at Merlin with narrowed eyes, a sudden realization striking the mead-loving knight. "Wouldn't happen to know an old man, long white hair and beard, would you?"

Merlin smiled, whispered, ""Miht dagan, beþecce me. Adeadaþ þisne gast min freondum ond min feondum! " and transformed into Dragoon before their very eyes. Morgana gasped and the knights of the round table all gaped in astonishment. With a cheeky smile and a wink to Morgana, Merlin uttered the counter spell and became young once more.

"If this was fun," Gwaine said gesturing to the decimated training dummies, "remind me to never make you angry, mate," Gwaine finally managed.

"What happens when you're angry?" Elyan asked warily.

"Depends," Merlin shrugged.

"On what?" Leon asked.

"What you've done to make me angry."

"I get the feeling you're speaking from experience," Arthur said.

"Maybe I am," Merlin said evasively.

"Tell us," Gwaine insisted.

"It wasn't my finest moment," Merlin admitted shamefully.

"We've all done things that we're ashamed of," Morgana said, echoing Merlin's words to her.

"When Arthur was bitten by the questing beast," Merlin said, looking at Arthur briefly, "I petitioned Nimueh to trade my life for his. She gave me water from the Cup of Life for Arthur to drink. But it wasn't my life that Nimueh bargained. It was my mother's; she came to Camelot after Arthur was healed. She was suffering from a horrible plague, so I intended to return to Nimueh at the Isle of the Blessed and demand that she take me instead.

"However, Gaius left before I could. He had already offered his life by the time I reached the Isle. Nimueh wouldn't take my life because of who I was. I got very angry that she had tried to kill my mother and that she had taken Gaius. We fought; she was under the impression that she had defeated me when I stood and called a bolt of lightning down from the sky. She, ah, sort of exploded."

"I'm glad you're on our side," Elyan said, eyes wide. Gwaine, Percival and Leon quickly added their agreement as well. Arthur stepped forward, and clasped a hand to Merlin's shoulder.

"Thank you," the king said sincerely. "For being willing to give your life for mine, but also, for being willing to protect us all, even though at times it must have seemed that we hated you for what you were."

"It's been my pleasure," Merlin smiled and gave Arthur a nod of respect.

"And now it's ours," Morgana agreed, stepping closer to her husband and taking his hand.

"Who would win in a contest between you and Morgana?" Gwaine asked Merlin mischievously.

"I would," both Merlin and Morgana answered together.

"What?!" they protested, again in unison.

"I've won every time we've fought," Merlin argued.

"I wouldn't say that. I'd say it was more of a draw," Morgana contended.

"A draw?" Merlin said incredulously.

"Yes. We neither of us are dead, and that was certainly the goal at the time," Morgana reasoned.

"It was never my goal to kill you," Merlin disagreed. "I could have, many times. But I could never bring myself to do it. Maybe fate held me back, to give us this chance."

Morgana's eyes softened and she smiled. "Are you saying that I've always lost because you were too chivalrous to finish me off?'

"No," Merlin acknowledged. "Her being a woman didn't stop me from killing Nimueh. Or the sidhe Sophia or Elena's fairy nursemaid Grunhilda. I'm saying that I could never bring myself to kill you." Morgana smiled at Merlin's admission.

"Let's have a friendly sorcerer's duel then, see who comes out on top," she proposed.

"I like that idea!" Gwaine crowed, reminding Merlin and Morgana yet again that they had an audience and that they had moved significantly closer together while they were speaking.

"Rules?" Merlin asked playfully.

"Nothing fatal, obviously," Morgana said quickly. "Nor anything seriously damaging. We throw balls of light instead of fire, and cushion any fall. First one touched by a ball of light or knocked off their feet loses."

"You're on," Merlin smiled, much to Arthur and the knights' approval. They made quick work clearing the area of the broken dummies and faced one another in the center field. Arthur and the round table knights moved to the side just as Gwen, Hunith and Gaius came to watch.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked, eyeing Merlin and Morgana facing off.

"Sorcerer's duel. They made short work of the lot of us," Arthur admitted to his wife. "Morgana challenged Merlin to see who would win between the two of them."

"They're not going to hurt each other, I hope," Hunith said, worried.

"They'd better not, or I'll make him clean my leech tank, promotion or not," Gaius said grumpily.

"On the count of three?" Merlin asked. Morgana nodded.

"One." Both witch and warlock tensed.

"Two." Merlin bent slightly at the knees, preparing himself. Morgana raised her hands in readiness.

"Three!" Morgana shouted, instantly throwing a glowing orb of light towards Merlin, who batted it away with a flick of his hand. He and Morgana began to circle the field, testing one another. Merlin sent a larger globe towards Morgana, who hastily shielded herself.

"Hleap on bæc!" Morgana shouted, while sending a second spell non-verbally, trying to catch Merlin off-guard. Rather than try and block both spells, Merlin froze time, and ran to the right. To the spectators, it had seemed as though he had disappeared and reappeared in an instant.

"How did you do that?" Morgana asked, astonished.

"Magic," Merlin responded cheekily, freezing time again and running behind Morgana. Time flowed naturally once more, but Morgana was surprised when three thick roots sprouted out of the ground, grabbing each of her wrists and wrapping her legs together. They slowly started to pull her downwards.

"Do you yield?" Merlin asked, coming to within a foot of Morgana's back.

"Do I look like I'm on the ground?" Morgana retorted.

"Hmm, I suppose not. Yet..." Merlin teased.

"Scréadunga!" Morgana shouted, breaking free of the roots and spinning to face Merlin who froze time and ran back ten feet. This time, Morgana was ready, and she hurled three balls of light in quick succession.

Merlin threw both hands up and froze the lights a few feet in front of him. Morgana gasped in shock and threw several more light spheres towards Merlin. She growled in frustration, though, when they all froze beside her initial volley.

Merlin stood, his face blank as he held his hands in front of him and casually held eleven glowing orbs entirely frozen. Morgana held out her hands to conjure more lights in an effort to overwhelm him when Merlin smiled wickedly. Morgana's eyes widened when Merlin jerked his hands in a tearing motion and then pushed them forward. The eleven lights suspended in front of him tripled in number and flew swiftly towards her.

In a panic, Morgana darted to the side, but the glowing projectiles followed her. Hastily, she flung her arms up and conjured a wall of energy that materialized in time to absorb the balls of light before they could touch her.

Breathing heavily, Morgana thrust her arms forward and pushed the wall of energy towards Merlin. He threw his hands up and met Morgana's energy with his own, her initial strike against his shield enough to push him backwards nearly a foot. Both determined to win, they gritted their teeth, dug in their heels and pushed at one another's magical shield. Those watching gasped and took a few steps back as sparks began crackling and snapping, radiating outwards from an invisible barrier halfway between the two magicians.

"Do you really think you can best me in a power struggle, Morgana?" Merlin taunted. Morgana grit her teeth.

"No, but I can keep you at bay until I can outsmart you."

"Really?" Merlin asked teasingly as he pushed his hands out further. The sparks grew in intensity, sizzling and popping furiously as they started to slowly inch back towards Morgana, who began to sweat at her temples. There was a kind of resonance building between them, reminiscent of the connection they had felt when Aithusa had dragonfasted them. It grew and faded and grew repeatedly as Morgana and Merlin continued to push against the wall of magic holding them back and searched it for weaknesses.

Merlin was aware on some subconscious level that every spark that crackled between them was a temporary blending of their powers, which was then reverberating back and forth. Concentrating on that sensation, Merlin realized that he could feel the very essence that made Morgana who she was, and she him. He could see it in the flush of her cheeks and in the brightness of her eyes, which only served to remind Merlin of the kisses that they had shared the day before.

It was intoxicating, stimulating, and nearly overwhelming all at the same time. They both refused to give in, pushing at one another until they could hardly catch their breath.

"Had enough?" Merlin ground out. Morgana gritted her teeth, but gave a curt nod. Merlin and Morgana dropped their arms simultaneously, a blazing look on both their faces that raised eyebrows all around them.

Both witch and warlock were breathing heavily, their starved lungs working to pull in air. Without a word spoken, they both rushed forward, duel forgotten as they met in the center with a fiery and passionate kiss. Merlin immediately had his hands in her hair, destroying the braid Morgana had woven that morning. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him to her as she returned each kiss with her own.

Arthur was shocked when the pair sank to the ground on their knees, heedless of their friends still watching. Gaius loudly cleared his throat three times before rolling his eyes and yelling, "MERLIN!"

It was then that Merlin and Morgana heard him through the heady feeling they were immersed in.

"Sorry," Merlin choked out, mortified to see the glee on Gwaine's face and the amusement on the rest of the knights. Gwen was struggling to hold back her grin, as was Hunith. Arthur looked rather nauseated and Gaius stood sternly before them, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised to his hairline.

"Excuse us, ladies, gentlemen," Morgana said, nodding to everyone gathered and wrapping a red-faced Merlin tightly in her arms. "Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!"

Everyone stood shocked, staring at the place where just moments before, Morgana had transported herself and Merlin away in a rushing whirlwind.

"Eight weeks. Who called eight weeks?" Gwaine asked curiously. Percival raised his hand, grinning. Gwen scowled while Gaius and Hunith shook their heads as all the knights and Arthur grumbled and handed Percival five gold coins apiece.

A/N: Reviews are appreciated.