The penultimate chapter.

I have really love this story.

The Legality of Magic

All he could hear was his own breaths. Surely it must have been over by now. He hadn't felt the sword hit him.

Merlin apprehensively opened one eye and then the other to see the sword hovering in mid-air, only centimetres from his chest. The sword was magically thrown away from him.

"You should really learn how to use your magic."

Merlin tensed up before slowly sitting up and seeing Mordred with his sword in the druid's hand, blood spilt to his left.

Mordred threw him the sword. "Maybe the first thing I should have said was sorry. Sorry, I stopped dreaming the dream. Sorry, I believed the word of one man more than I believed what I had been told my whole life. Sorry for losing belief in you, Emrys."

Merlin stood up and picked up his sword. He could now see Morgause's body lying on the floor. He looked back up at the young man. He looked terrified by what he might say.

The young king smiled and held his arm out to Mordred. "Welcome to Camelot, Mordred. I am sure I can find you a role."

The delight and relief that flooded Mordred's face was one of the best things he had ever seen. Well that was until he had his own children, their faces when it came to magic was always going to be one he would remember.

Sorry went a bit off topic there.

Merlin spun Morgana around as she ran into his arms. He tried to keep his breathing even so that she wouldn't suspect that he was injuried but he would suppose she would always know when he was hurt. As soon as he had put her down, her hand automatically when to the hem of his tunic and pulled it off him.

"I know you haven't seen him in a while and didn't know if he was alive, but Morgana, really, in the corridor." Arthur shouted.

"Ignore him." Merlin whispered to her.

"I was going to." She said as her cold hands moved over his ribs.

He could help but jump at it. Her hands were usually quite warm but then again he knew how cold it could get in the dungeons.

"It's just a few broken ribs."

She took his hand in her's and lead him to the closest bench. "What happened?"

"Morgause found me and blasted me back. I thought I was a goner until Mordred showed up."

Morgana stopped inspecting his side and looked up at him. "Mordred?"

Merlin nodded his head behind her and she turned to see the druid standing there.

She remembered what he had said to her before he had left and didn't really know what to do. She wanted to hug him and be thankful that he made the right decision in the end but she wanted to know why he had made the choice he did to beginning with.

He could obviously tell her inner conflict. "I don't expect you two to forgive and forget just like that but I would love to be a part of the kingdom you are building. Please allow me that."

She struggled to see the boy that was brought to her chambers when she last saw him but she could now. There was the boy that looked at the world and saw the good in it.

Morgana gave him a small smile.

There were so many people in the council chamber that Merlin lost track of who was coming and going. There was paper all over the table and he wasn't even sure what they were meant to be looking for now. It was something to do with magic but what he was sure what details he was looking for.

He rubbed his fingers over his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Tired?"

He opened his eyes to see Gwen by his side. He didn't realised that he had shut them for long.

"Go and get some sleep. We will wake you when we have found what … we are looking for. I have forgotten what we are searching for."

"So have I." Merlin whispered. He got up out of his chair and heard his back crack as he stretched. "Please wake me."

Gwen smiled as she watched him go. His reign may have started a while ago but this is what he would be remembered for.

Everything had been finalised and it had all been worded correctly. Everything had been done in the formal matter. Everything that his father had done had been destroyed so they had to start from scratch again.

He walked down the corridor with Morgana on his arm this time. He let out a shaky breath.

"It will be fine."

"I can't help but worry. I am going stand where he last stood and say the words he couldn't."

"And we know now that Uther and Morgause was behind it and both of them are dead. Unless a new enemy has come along and we don't know about."

Merlin breathed in and counted to ten slowly as he let it out. Everything was going to be fine.

Arthur, Gwen, his mother, Lancelot, Gwaine and Mordred were already on the balcony when they stepped on out. Merlin looked down at the crowd below him and felt Morgana squeeze his hand before he raise his arms to silence the crowd.

"The last few weeks have been … different." He started. "Not all the damage done during Morgause's short reign can be undone. There is nothing we can do to bring back loved ones that unfortunately got mixed up in the conflict, but we will repair any damage and try to do the best we can in helping the city get back up and running again.

"There is one big thing that is going to start from this very second. Magic is now legal again. It is going to be a big change. A lot of us have grown up fearing magic and ourselves for having the gift but that is the most important thing to remember. It is a gift from the triple goddess herself.

"So stop hiding yourselves away. Let Camelot be the first to change. Let Camelot be the kingdom it once was. Let the streets be filled with magic once more. I mean, this castle was built with help of magic. For this to become legal, I need help. So I would like to announce that Mordred is now a Lord and my court warlock."

Merlin stopped and allowed himself to turn to the young man. Yes he was still only young but he was sure that he would be able to fill the role. He knew more about magic than Merlin did to begin with.

"So let's set the bar. We have made magic legal and I hope that the other kingdoms follow us as they have done in the past. It is a big change but please roll with it."

And there it was. Magic was legal.

The tables were set up and the food was being passed around. The news had travelled quickly and the courtyard was filled with royalty, knights, peasants and druids alike. Merlin looked around as everyone mingled, all in tunics and trousers, so it was hard to tell who was who.

"What do you think?" Morgana said next to him, turning around in the dress she had borrowed off Gwen.

"Beautiful. You look beautiful. You didn't have to dress so minimal."

She took her seat next to him. "Well when you have your neckerchief back on, I thought I better dress down for the occasion as well." She looked out to the crowd. "You really can't tell who is who."

"That's how it is meant to be. We are all no different. We are all born and we are all going to die. Whether you are a peasant or a king, it is going to happen."

A few druids (well Merlin suspected they were druids) sent there magic up into the sky and created a light show to out do the stars. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

"This is it Morgana. We are free."

Morgana latched her arms around one of his and joined him in smiling up at the light show.