(A/N)
here's the last part! i really hope you like it!
warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for the series finale !
Now Merlin thought he knew what it meant.
He had faced so much in his life. A lot of it had been with Arthur. The best and worst of it had been with Arthur. Always with Arthur. They had become closer than brothers, they shared a bond like no other. It wasn't supposed to shatter now.
The two of them lay there, Merlin leaning over Arthur. How could he be dying? It wasn't supposed to be like this. Merlin was supposed to save Arthur. If this happened now, then what he had been doing for all of these years would have been for nothing.
Merlin sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. As his closest friend's life ebbed away, Merlin thought. He thought back to the time they had shared together. Merlin felt a spark in his mind, one that lit up the darkness everything seemed to be falling into. One that lit up the future.
Arthur was here now. He had been here for years, fighting and joking around with Merlin, defending the kingdom, navigating a relationship with Gwen, trying to do better than his father ever had. He had done so much, and yet it couldn't be enough. On its own, it never could be, because his task was so much more than one lifetime. But Arthur would leave an impact, one that would ripple throughout the lands. Despite any mistakes, his successes far outweighed anything else he had done, and Merlin had a feeling that the magic knew that.
The magic whirled in the air now, surrounding the two of them, embracing Merlin as he embraced Arthur. It hummed with the music of their lives, of Arthur's life, and all they had gone through; but it also carried a tune of another time, echoing a new era, something that had yet to come. It drummed with the beat of the words that had chased the two of them from the very moment they had met. The words that Merlin had never quite understood, and never heard as clearly as in this moment even though no one was saying them now. He could hear them, and he understood now more than ever.
Arthur, the pompous prince, would come again. Arthur, his just sire, would come again. Arthur, his valiant protector, would come again. Arthur, the one so persistent in the face of so many hardships, would come again. Arthur, who understood Merlin more than anyone else, would come again.
Arthur.
His friend.
His king.
And not just any king.
The Once and Future King.
(A/N)
thank you SO MUCH for reading this! i had a great time writing this, even if it was, admittedly, a slow process.
please let me know what you thought about this, i really wanna hear from people! i'm already starting to work on another merlin fic, so any feedback or general feelings about this fic or excitement/encouragement would be super helpful!
come yell at me on tumblr sincerelyheere :)