Epilogue

It felt good to be home again. It had been a couple of days and Merlin didn't want to think about the next quest. He knew Arthur wouldn't be wasting a lot of time. But tonight he was happy to sit at the dinner table with Gaius, eating a warm meal. He didn't even care if the stew tasted rather bland, it was the best he could ever wish for. This place was the best he ever wished for.

Gaius had given him a tight hug when they had returned. Of course the man had been very worried when the knights had come home, alone. Uther had been beside himself, demanding Leon to go out right away and find his son. He'd lost Morgana already, he was not going to lose Arthur. Merlin hadn't seen the reunion between Arthur and Uther, but it must have been spectacular.

Merlin had told Gaius the whole story, especially about the tree and it's dark power. He'd talked about Kildare, Vortigern and the Holy well of Manswal. When he'd mentioned the physician that saved them, Gaius had gotten rather quiet. It wasn't Merlin's place to ask, but he'd sure hoped Gaius would open up to him about their relationship. But he hadn't, and it made Merlin's curious mind think up all sorts of theories about it. Gaius had saved Vortigern once, this much was true.

Merlin had been wanting to ask about it this evening, without arousing too much suspicion. Just the normal questions in passing here and there. But Gaius seemed too much involved in his stew.

"So, Gaius, have you read up on the Holy Well of Manswal? I have been wanting to do so myself, but Arthur had me busy since the moment we returned. As if he didn't think of giving me a day off."

Gaius seemed to snap out of his thoughts. "Yes, Merlin, I have. I believe the water in the well is from the lake of Avalon. It is written that people with magic who drink from it are able to experience this other realm. Some even see or hear their lost loved ones again."

"It was so real, Gaius. As if Freya was still alive." He felt the emotion of the moment bubble up and looked down at his bowl. "She guided me, saved me. Do you think I will ever see her again?"

"I hope you will, my boy."

There was silence for a moment, as if Gaius wanted to give him some space in dealing with what had happened to him. It was a comfortable silence, where Merlin was able to reflect and be able to let go. The well had been the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, but it was miles away from the ruins of Meden. He looked up. "How was it even possible for us to heal the tree when we were so far away from it?"

"I think it had something to do with Idad." Gaius filled Merlin's cup with fresh water. "It is also written when Idad cursed the lands of Meden it would be he who could undo the curse, but he wouldn't be able to do so alone. He had to ask others for help. This wasn't easy for Idad, I'm sure."

"But he died a long time ago."

"I believe he travelled to Avalon and learned from his mistakes. There he was able to ask Freya and you for help."

"What was the eorðgráp's purpose in this you think?"

"It seems everything was connected. You needed to find the well to heal, Kildare was part of the curse and you needed him to carry the eorðgráp. You wouldn't have brought him along otherwise, right?"

"Yes, true. Arthur wanted to kill him instead I believe. You know how he is."

Gaius ignored the last comment. "I like to think leading Kildare to the well could have been its unintended purpose. There are always two sides to a story, two possibilities like a fork in the road. The eorðgráp wanted to destroy you because the dark magic of the tree knew you – Emrys - would become its downfall. But I don't think it took Vortigern's loyalty into consideration."

"Is there any dark magic or sorcerer out there who hasn't heard of Emrys?" Merlin muttered.

Gaius suddenly grinned at him. "You're famous already, Merlin."

"I don't want to be."

"We can't choose our own destiny."

"You sound like Kilgharrah." Merlin took a sip of water and another spoonful of stew before it got cold. "Maybe one day I should go back to the ruins of Meden, Gaius."

"I think you should leave it alone, Merlin," Gaius gazed at him over his bowl in earnest. "We should have faith in the druids to handle this on their own now."

"So, you really think the tree is healed?"

"I cannot say," Gaius admitted. "I fear only the druids of Meden know the answer to this."

"It wish I could ask them, ask Vortigern." There; the name of the man had slipped in, and not even on purpose. He did want to see him again, to know what had happened after they'd seen him fall.

"I don't think Vortigern would want to visit Camelot."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous."

"Of course it is, but..."

A knock on the door made them both look up. It was already dark outside and most of the time people only visited them at this hour if there was an emergency and they needed a physician. It was very normal to be leaving their chambers in the middle of the night to help deliver a baby or to help someone who'd been fallen ill. Even King Uther called on Gaius all the time, never considering what time it was. If the man was out of sleeping potions, he wanted new ones and fast.

Gaius stood up and made for the door. When he opened it, Merlin couldn't see who it was, but a male voice reached his ears.

"Gaius."

"You?" Merlin heard Gaius say in surprise, but he'd already recognised the voice and his heart did a little jump from joy. It was Vortigern. Yes, he had hoped to see the man again and, as if someone had heard his wish, there he was. It almost felt like a miracle. By the sound of it, the man seemed to be in good shape.

Merlin jumped up from the table, almost tripping as his socks didn't have a good grip on the floor. He had to see the man who had saved their lives right away. The idea of being able to thank him in person was all he wanted.

Before he reached the door though he stopped. What was Vortigern doing here? As Gaius pointed out only a moment ago, it was dangerous to be coming to Camelot. What if Arthur found out and bumped into him? Would he tell Uther? The king would show no mercy for a druid - a sorcerer - even if he might have saved their lives.

A sudden fear almost took his breath away. A fear he'd felt many times in the past, always hiding his true self and always afraid of being discovered. Camelot was his home, yes, and one day Arthur would know him for who he really was. It didn't mean he wasn't walking on eggshells most of the time.

The druid physician didn't wait for Gaius to admit him entrance to their chambers. He quickly walked inside and closed the door behind him, owning him a raised brow from Gaius. Some things never changed around here, but Merlin could see Gaius wasn't too disturbed by it.

"Vortigern," Merlin heard himself mumble, probably not loud enough for the man to even hear it.

"Merlin." The man smiled at him, a genuine and warm smile. "I came to say thank you." Then he looked at Gaius. "If this old man will let me that is."

"Who are you calling old." Gaius muttered, a tiny smirk in the corner of his mouth. "I never thought I would be seeing your face here again, but I guess I have to be thankful."

"You, thankful?"

"It seems you have saved Merlin's life."

"I owed you one."

There was silence for a long moment where Merlin held his breath, looking from Gaius to Vortigern and back again, wondering if the two of them would finally share some information. It wasn't as if he was curious or anything, but he was.

"Yes, you did." Gaius then grabbed the other man's arm in his hand. "It's good to see you, it's been too long."

Vortigern pulled back a little. "I have to admit I was very angry at you, even though you saved my life once. A lot of my druid friends keep calling you the traitor for still serving Uther. But the way you take care of Merlin all of this seems to have a reason. Maybe it was your destiny to stay, Gaius. For Merlin?"

Merlin couldn't help but feel slightly taken aback. He had never thought about it like this. His mother had sent him to Gaius, to Camelot. He'd found his own destiny within these walls. Maybe Vortigern was right and Gaius loyalty to Uther had something to do with him? It did sound rather arrogant if he was completely honest to himself. As if Gaius' life revolved around him and him alone.

Gaius didn't answer as if he knew more about this then he wanted Merlin to know. Gaius didn't like to talk about the time before Merlin came to live with him. He was certain there were lots of things the man kept to himself, and he respected his old friend too much to ask.

"Do you want some stew, I have some left?" Gaius asked instead.

"That would be good, thank you."

When Vortigern sat down at the table, Merlin took a seat next to him while Gaius filled another bowl. There were a lot of questions on Merlin's mind, but he knew what he wanted to know first. "Were you reunited with your son?"

Vortigern smiled at him. "Yes, I was."

"See, I told you he wanted to see you."

"Kildare travelled back to Meden to ask if I wanted to come along to the Darkling woods." Vortigern's smile got wider. "It was good to see my friend recovered and back to his old self. And of course to see my son again."

"Have you seen what happened to the tree of Idad?" The next urgent question fell off Merlin's tongue and Gaius send him an unimpressed look. He couldn't help it though, he had to know.

Vortigern took a bite from his stew. "This is very good, Gaius."

"Stop humouring me." Gaius muttered back.

Vortigern just smiled at that and gave Merlin his full attention once more. "Alright, the tree of Idad went through a very peculiar change. I know from my son it was you who had a hand in this?"

"Not just me."

"I know."

"What happened exactly?"

"When I regained consciousness my fellow druids were taking care of me. I must have bumped my head rather hard when I fell in the tunnel, so they told me I had been out for several days. But I really had to come and see the tree as soon as possible. When I finally felt well enough to wander into the square, there was a soft light emitting from the tree's branches. It was engulfing the darkness, like it was swallowed up. The tree seemed to moan, but it could have been the warm wind suddenly making its way from the south. Branches were swaying and we all stood there, watching it in awe."

Vortigern took a deep breath as if reliving the moment. "When the wind calmed down, the tree was bathed in a beam of sunlight breaking through the clouds. We all heard the sigh released by it penetrating the air - and I knew - I experienced the purest and most powerful magic I had ever seen. Your magic, Emrys."

"Merlin."

"I know, but after what you did you are worthy of your true name."

"Like I already told you, I didn't do it alone, I had a lot of help." Merlin felt embarrassed and didn't know what else to say. He was relieved to hear the tree seemed to have changed, and this could only mean a better future for the druids who lived in Meden. Maybe they could start to build a new city there, far away from Camelot?

"I don't think Idad could have fixed this without you."

"We all had our part to play." Merlin insisted.

"You're way too modest, Merlin," Vortigern lay a warm hand on his shoulder before he turned to Gaius. "I hope that's your doing?"

"And his mother." Gaius answered.

"It's good to know there's hope for us all."

Arthur was in urgent need of Merlin. His servant had served him supper, helped him out of his armour and had retired for the night. As soon as Arthur had lay his tired head to rest on his soft pillow though, there had been a scratching noise under the bed. A rat! Of course it had to be a rat. After his adventure with them in the dungeons of Meden he hated them even more. It wasn't his task to scurry after a critter in the middle of the night. It was Merlin's.

Merlin. Of course he was glad the man was alright. No noticeable sign of any magic, dark or not. The well of Manswal certainly had done what Vortigern had hoped for. What he - Arthur - had hoped for. Magic was conquered with magic. He hadn't told his father about that part of course. In fact he had left a lot of things out of his story when they had returned.

The knights, including Leo, had informed his father his son had been taken by druids. But this was all they had known. The king had dispatched another search party, but they had come up empty, just as they did in their search for Morgana. When Uther has asked his son where these druids had taken him, he'd lied. He had no idea why, but he lied to his father and he wasn't proud of it.

The corridors were cold and uninviting at night, but Arthur was intent to rouse Merlin from his sleep to deal with the rat. If he couldn't sleep, Merlin shouldn't sleep either. Of course this was really very childish but he didn't care. He would make it up to him later, maybe give him the afternoon off. It would be good for Merlin to spend some time with his friends in the tavern, whoever they were.

Barefooted he turned the corner towards the stairs leading up to Gaius' chambers. A shadow made him stop in his tracks. There was someone sneaking away from him in the opposite direction. And this someone looked very familiar, even though it was hard to see in the light of the braziers.

Before he could make haste and catch up with the man, another one bumped into him and they almost toppled off the stairs together trying to keep their balance.

"Oops, sorry... Arthur?"

"Merlin?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Was that, Vortigern?"

"Who?"

"Don't be an idiot, Merlin, it was, wasn't it?"

Merlin lifted one brow in a Gaius fashion. "Why would he come to Camelot in the middle of the night, it's dangerous for sorcerers here."

"To see you?"

"Now who's being an idiot, my Lord?"

"How is he?"

"How?" Merlin gaped at him, caught by surprise by his question. Good.

"Don't keep me waiting." Arthur didn't like people - especially sorcerers - sneaking around Camelot, but for Vortigern he would be making an exception. He even felt a pang of envy towards Merlin, who probably had talked to the man.

Merlin stammered a little. "Fine, just fine."

"Good." Arthur then resolutely turned around and away from Merlin. "Now, follow me, you have a rat to catch."

"Now?"

"Yes, Merlin, now."

When Merlin followed him, muttering to himself all the way, Arthur couldn't help but grin. It was good to slip back into their old routine. In a few days they had to go on another patrol to find Morgana, but for now he was very content listening to Merlin's grumbles.

They were home.

The End

[AN: A huge thank you to everyone who send me a review and or followed the story. It may not be the reveal some have been waiting for, but I wanted to stay as close to an actual episode as possible, which is a challenge all on its own. I mean, how many times doesn't Arthur see what's so obvious hey?]