The Final Chapter
It had been six months.
He stepped through the gates of Camelot, and the feeling of home immediately enveloped him, filling his chest with a sense of love and ebullience. Finally, after all these years, he would be coming back to meet every one of his friends again. His family. His precious home and his cherished family that he had missed so immensely. He still remembered how his heart yearned so intensely to return to this place, how strongly he wished to see all of them again.
And now he was here.
After all that time, he was finally here.
Excitement and nervousness churned his gut, sped his heart and caused it to hammer heavily against his sternum as the scent and sight of this place brought forth all kinds of thoughts in his mind, filled his head with past memories and future expectations. And many questions. How would they all react to seeing him again after such long, agonizing months (or at least, that was how it had been for him)? How would his life continue again? How would everything seem after all that time? Would things feel changed or the same as it had always been before? How would things between Arthur and him be now? Did Arthur still feel betrayed and angry? What about the others, if they had found out?
Some questions left him feeling excited, the others made him afraid and anxious. The uncertainty of everything was, to say the least, killing him.
He came to a stop, and for a moment, he simply stood there as his head remained bowed.
And then he slowly lifted his head, his eyes roving over the city. Over his home.
And rove they did, taking in the sight of every inch of Camelot, wholly and completely, and he let himself be consumed by the overwhelming emotions of adoration and joy that overcame his being and let the intense longing that had lingered inside him - like an ache that could never find relief other than being where he belonged and was meant to be - for the past six months begin to fade away because now he was really here.
Merlin slowly pulled back the hood of his cloak, smiling.
.
He was striding towards the castle gates, speaking to a knight following him about a topic that regarded his regal duties, when he saw him.
And for a moment, his shock unabled him to think, to move or speak or do anything. He just stared, blue eyes boring deeply into the face of the man who just removed his hood, his smiling face no longer hiding under its shadows and there for everyone to see openly.
And then he looked at him, right at him, and he seemed to become the same as him, shocked and still and silent, deep blue eyes enlarged towards him.
It seemed as if the rest of the world had disappeared for a moment, and they were all there was.
Six months. It's been six months since they've seen each other. Six months of dreaming and wishing to see each other. And now they are. Now they are finally seeing each other, right there and in front of each other, and neither of them had any idea what to do or what to think about that.
Because it had been so long, and they haven't exactly parted on the best terms, though not on the worst either, perhaps.
But despite all of that, the overwhelming sense of happiness that flowed through his entire being and filled him to the brim didn't lessen in the least, and he grinned joyfully, corners of his mouth stretched wide across his cheeks as he turned completely away from the knight he was speaking to, and fully towards the best friend, the brother, he hadn't seen for half a year.
And his smile, it seemed, was the permission for Merlin, the reassurance that everything was okay. And suddenly, he was grinning too, his large goofy smile taking over his face. His mouth moved a little, in a whisper that Arthur couldn't hear from a distance, but he knew he was saying his name.
For a moment, he felt tears prick at his eyes at the sight of him, remembering how he had missed this man in front of him for the next few three months before accepting that he was gone. But of course, never accepting that he would never see him again. He couldn't do that no matter how much he tried.
But then, he knew that he couldn't let himself show such strong emotions in the midst of all the people surrounding him, and so he did the next best thing, reverting back to his typical prattish attitude. "You bloody idiot!" he yelled, marching down towards him. Merlin looked a bit astonished at him, but then his lips twitched. "The ban was lifted a month ago! Where the hell were you?" Arthur exclaimed just as he reached him, feigning irritation and impatience as he clasped his shoulders and shook him a little.
"I, uh, I..." Merlin stammered, unsure of what to say.
But Arthur's next words became his savior, relief washing over him just as they sunk into his mind. "Actually, shut up. Don't answer, I honestly don't care. But you've been neglecting your duties for the past six months now and you'll have to pay for that."
Merlin wanted to gape, wanted to be irritated and annoyed and shocked. He had been running for his life all these months after all. The least the prat could have done was show some compassion and sympathy and ask him how he had been instead of worrying about his dishevelled room and unpolished boots.
But all he felt was joy. He was right where he belonged, by Arthur's side. And that maybe, things hadn't changed much after all.
It seemed Arthur felt the same way, when he suddenly had no qualms about hugging his manservant in front of everyone as an arm folded around his waist while the other one slowly and tightly grasped his small shoulders, pulling him closer against a broad chest, and he felt a warm and callous hand find its way into the back of his black hair.
"I knew you'd come back, Merlin," Arthur whispered softly, burying his nose into his shoulder as he smiled. "Welcome home."
Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who spared some time to read, review and tag my story. I'm glad you've enjoyed it! I hope you were satisfied with the ending as well!