Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to the BBC
Epilogue
"Merlin, you prat!" Arthur yelled. "What have you done to my new manservant?"
Merlin appeared at the door of Arthur's chambers, taking in the scene in front of him. He stifled a grin, somewhat unsuccessfully.
"I didn't do anything!" he said, hands raised in a gesture of surrender.
"Merlin . . ." the King warned.
"What?" he said innocently. "It wasn't me!"
The poor servant stood there, covered from head to toe in a disgusting mix of green ink and honey. The expression on his face was not amused.
"That bucket wouldn't have stayed there without the aid of magic, Merlin," Arthur said, pointing to the top of the door. A bucket lay still on the floor, mere inches away from the servant. Merlin couldn't help it; he laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
Arthur stood there, staring at him until he finally got himself under control.
"Sorry," the warlock said sheepishly, "but you have no idea how funny he looks."
"And 'he' is standing right there, Merlin, so watch your tongue," the King said dangerously.
The servant stood there silently, his mouth drawn downwards in confusion.
"Don't worry," Merlin said kindly. "You get used to this sort of thing after a few days."
The servant didn't move. Merlin didn't blame him; Arthur looked ready to kill someone.
"Merlin," he said again. "I know it was you. Now, fix it."
"It really wasn't!"
"Of course not."
"I swear-"
"Merlin . . ."
Merlin sighed. Arthur was never going to believe him, anyway. He was on the verge of admitting to this crime - one he hadn't committed, he might add – when he heard soft, musical laughter.
"Esyllt!" he said loudly, in relief.
"Esyllt's with the druids, Merlin, so don't think you can get out of this," Arthur said.
"No, she's not actually," the Court Sorcerer said smugly. "She arrived last night. Morgana brought her." He saw Arthur frown. "Esyllt! Get in here!"
"What?" she said when she entered the chambers. Merlin glared at her. She looked entirely too innocent.
"Was this you, Esyllt?" Arthur asked.
"No!" she denied vehemently.
"See, Merlin," Arthur said, turning back to the sorcerer. "She had nothing to do with this." Arthur's smirk made it obvious that he knew he was being unfair.
"That's . . ." Merlin said, lost for words.
Esyllt giggled.
"Now, clean it up," the King ordered.
"Yes Sire," Merlin muttered. "You great, bloody prat."
"I heard that!"
"Good," said Merlin, crossly. Arthur patted him on the back, exiting the chambers.
Nice to know somethings never change, Merlin thought sarcastically.
"Sorry," Esyllt apologised to the servant. "It was meant for Arthur, not you."
The man looked even more confused, if possible.
Merlin sighed, and muttered a spell under his breath. The servant flinched, but then relaxed when a moment later his clothes were clean again.
"Thanks," he mumbled and practically ran from the rooms.
"Now," Merlin said, turning to face Esyllt, "What have I said about playing practical jokes?"
"Not to do it," she recited reluctantly.
"And?"
"If the situation calls for it," she smiled, "just make sure I don't get caught."
Merlin nodded, a hint of a smile playing across his face.
"Which means, technically," she uttered quickly, "that I didn't break any rules."
"Except the whole 'don't do it' part," Merlin said, swatting her gently around the head.
"Oh yeah," she said. "Oops."
"And next time," he told her sternly, "don't set me up."
"I wouldn't dare, Uncle Merlin," she said sweetly.
It was so unfair how young girls could look so innocent.
"Calling me 'Uncle' won't make me less hard on you!" he called after her as she escaped from the rooms.
"Of course not," her voice floated back.
Why exactly did I teach her sarcasm? Merlin wondered exasperatedly.
"Merlin!" Arthur's voice yelled. "Get down here! Council meeting, remember?"
Council meeting? What council meeting?
"Oh- Oh yeah!" Merlin called back weakly. "I'll be there in a second!"
I'm screwed, he thought. Damn.
"Well, that was a successful meeting, wasn't it?" Arthur said ironically, looking at Merlin. The two were wandering across the battlements, in a rare moment of peace between the hectic calls of everyday life. Running a kingdom was a difficult job.
"Um, yeah," Merlin said sheepishly.
"You had obviously prepared a lot of information for us," Arthur carried on, his voice growing dangerously soft.
"Well-"
"And the council was very impressed with the depth of your knowledge."
Merlin opened his mouth, then looked at Arthur's face. He shut it again.
"I'm glad to see that you take your duties as Court Sorcerer so seriously," Arthur said, glaring at the warlock.
"I do-"
"Well, you obviously don't, Merlin!" Arthur snapped in frustration. "That was supposed to be an important meeting to discuss the various merits of inviting druid clans into Camelot! You know full well that most have stayed away in remembered fear of how Uther turned on them."
"Of course I do," he muttered sullenly.
"So why," he said, "did you not have the information and research ready like I asked you to, several weeks ago?"
"I-"
"Come on, Merlin," Arthur sighed angrily, "all you're doing is turning more and more nobles against you. You're just making yourself look stupid!"
"Which you obviously think I am!" Merlin snapped back. "You don't trust me at all!"
"How don't I trust you?" Arthur yelled. "I didn't condemn you when you revealed you had magic, did I? I fought for you, even when you were on that bloody pyre!"
Merlin flinched, closing his eyes as images of the flames – so hot, so painful, burning, burning, burning – flashed behind his eyelids.
"Sorry," Arthur murmured a minute or two later.
"It's alright," Merlin said raggedly. "I didn't mean to shout."
"Neither did I," the King sighed softly. He held out a hand, smiling slightly. "Friends again?"
Merlin laughed quietly, reaching out to clasp his hand. "Of course."
They walked in peaceful silence for a few moments longer, admiring the calm tranquillity of the countryside surrounding the city.
"I didn't mean to forget," Merlin said at last. "I've just been so busy . . ."
"Me too," agreed Arthur. "I shouldn't have snapped. I've done the same sort of thing before."
"Yeah," Merlin hummed in accordance to Arthur's words. "I know all about that."
"Mainly because you always saved me last minute," Arthur laughed. "You were like my personal calendar."
"It was a lot easier when I was just a servant," Merlin said wistfully.
"Do you regret it all sometimes?"
"No," the warlock said at once. "I love not having to hide anymore." He cast his mind back to those moments, so long ago now, when he had lived with the constant crippling weight of the knowledge that, if anyone found out who he really was – magic – he would have been killed instantly.
Arthur saw the thoughtful look on Merlin's face and knew what he was remembering, and placed a hand lightly on the warlock's shoulder. He couldn't ever understand what it had been like for Merlin, but was amazed that Merlin was still the man he was. He had seen the toll it had taken on Morgana, and the hatred that had consumed her because of it.
"But occasionally," Arthur mused quietly, "it would be nice to go back to that time. It was so simple."
"Arthur, I hate to break this to you," Merlin began, a grin on his face, "but you're always going to be simple."
"Hey!"
"You know it's true," Merlin reasoned.
"Maybe for you," he said, "but I'll have you know that I am a king, and therefore the best in the land!" He struck a pose, his nose in the air.
"At posing, maybe," Merlin muttered, laughing. Arthur swatted him on the back of the head. Merlin grinned, and in a matter of a few seconds, Arthur was flat on his back on the floor.
"Never mess with a sorcerer," he warned happily, treading over Arthur.
"You-"
"Yes, me," Merlin said sweetly. "Maybe you won't call me simple in future."
"That was you!" Arthur spluttered.
"Whatever," the sorcerer said, waving his hand. "Same principle."
"I'm going to-" he muttered violently, still on the floor, held in place by Merlin's magic.
"See you later, Sire!" the warlock called merrily, walking casually away from him. Arthur's manservant, who had been trailing a way behind them whilst they walked, rushed forward now that Merlin was far away. He offered the King a hand, but was pushed away.
Arthur took one look at the servant's shocked expression, and said wearily, "you get used to it."
"Esyllt!" Merlin called, the next day. "Time to go home!" The warlock sighed. The castle was far too big for an eleven-year-old to run around in. It was impossible to find her.
"I saw her in the East Wing," a nearby servant informed him.
"Thanks, Meredith," Merlin said, smiling. "How's your child, anyway? Gaius told me he'd had some sort of cold . . ."
"Yes," she agreed quietly. "He had a little sniffle and I thought I'd bring him to Gaius just to make sure. It cleared up alright."
"I'm glad," Merlin replied. "It's always best to check these things out."
"Exactly," the maid answered. "But I better be getting on." She lifted up the basket of laundry she was carrying. "Nobles don't like waiting."
"It does them good, sometimes, to be made to live like the rest of us," Merlin said firmly. "They ought to learn patience."
"My income depends on their goodwill, however," Meredith argued. "I can't risk upsetting them."
"Talk to Arthur if anyone treats you unfairly," Merlin told her. "Or me, for that matter. You've only just had a child; you don't want to be straining yourself."
"Needs must," she murmured. Merlin nodded. He knew well the trials of being a commoner in a world ruled by nobles.
"Still," he said gently, "try not to overwork yourself. You're no good to your child if you're collapsing of exhaustion."
"You're a kind man, Merlin," the maid said softly. "Most would not even glance at us once they reach a position of your power."
"You're the ones in control of this castle," he replied. "Why would I risk angering those who look after my chambers? You might put something in them!" He laughed, happy to hear Meredith joining in too.
"Just watch out," she warned merrily. "Don't tempt me."
"I'll catch you later, then," Merlin said, grinning at her. "And thanks for telling me about Esyllt!"
Meredith watched with a fond smile as the man tore off to the other side of the castle. "May you never change, Merlin," she whispered to herself.
"Thank you for returning Esyllt," Accalon told Merlin later that night as he reached the boundaries of the city. No druid ever entered the gates.
"It was no problem," Merlin replied, wary of the druid. It was the first time he had seen the man since the confrontation three years before. It had always been Morgana that collected and dropped off Esyllt, and the man had never been there when Merlin went to visit them.
Esyllt glanced up at them. "Thanks for looking after me, Uncle Merlin," she said sleepily.
"It's far past your bedtime," the druid told her gently. "Go to sleep, I'll carry you home." He picked her up and settled the small girl against his shoulder, aided, Merlin thought, by magic. She closed her eyes immediately, yawning slightly.
"Camelot is becoming great," Accalon said absently, glancing up at the towering walls.
"It is," Merlin agreed. "Arthur is a good king."
"Of course he is," the druid said, smiling slightly. "It was written in the prophecies."
Merlin frowned. "The prophecies-" he started, frustrated at the druid.
"Are simply a prediction of what can be," Accalon finished, smiling ironically. "They are not set in stone."
Merlin stared.
"You are a wise man, Emrys," the druid said softly, looking him straight in the eyes, "and a strong sorcerer. You have made Camelot great."
"Arth-" Merlin began to say, but Accalon had disappeared. Merlin shrugged, and turned back towards the Castle. He walked swiftly, the cold night air settling around his shoulders like an old friend. He had lost count of how many times he had walked this route late at night when he was unable to sleep.
"Merlin?" Arthur's voice came out of nowhere.
"Hey, Arthur," he greeted him. "You shouldn't be out at night alone, you know."
"Neither should you," pointed out Arthur.
"I can protect myself," shrugged Merlin.
"So can I," replied Arthur, caressing his sword hanging around his hips.
"Why are you out here?" Merlin asked curiously.
"Couldn't sleep," the King said. "You?"
"Returning Esyllt."
"Aah," said Arthur. "How's Morgana?"
"It wasn't Morgana," Merlin remarked. "Accalon came."
"That druid you told me about?" Arthur asked, struggling to remember.
"The one that warned me about your father?" Arthur nodded. "Yes," Merlin told him. "That one."
"How'd it go?" Arthur questioned him tentatively.
"Alright," the warlock shrugged. "Told me I was a wise man."
"Oh," Arthur said in fake understanding, "he obviously had the wrong man then. He probably couldn't tell it was you in the dark."
"Prat," Merlin informed him.
"But of course," the King replied, grinning at his friend.
Merlin looked up at the night sky, listening to the far off voices of some guards patrolling the city.
"The stars are bright tonight," he remarked casually.
"Is that what our friendship has come too?" Arthur asked, pretending to be insulted. "Resorting to talking about the sky?"
Merlin said nothing. Arthur, finally realising that Merlin wasn't in the mood to joke about that night, walked quietly next to him.
"Do you still think about it?" Merlin inquired in a low voice after a while.
Arthur didn't ask what Merlin meant, he knew instinctively. "Fairly often," he replied. "Wondering what might have happened, mainly, if . . ."
"If Morgana didn't appear." Merlin finished. He looked at Arthur. "I never thought we'd be where we are today."
"Neither did I," said the King. He remembered those first few days of confusion and slight chaos, those days when magic was just appearing in the land and the sorcerer standing next to him was still recovering. Merlin still had scars from his time in Camelot under Uther's reign, Arthur knew, and he'd seen them many a time. He wanted to throw up every time he caught a glimpse of those barbaric burns twisting across the warlock's lower body and legs, and he always felt a fierce flash of protectiveness. He knew the burns pained the warlock to that day, a result of them not having been treated properly when they were first formed and because of the infection that inflicted Merlin a few days after. At least the black and blue rings under his eyes had faded with time, as Gaius' remedies worked wonders for Merlin's nightmares that had reappeared with a remarkable ferociousness when he had returned to Camelot. Arthur wasn't delusional enough to believe that Merlin never had nightmares again though. He knew that those events would haunt Merlin to the end of his time on the world, just as they would never fade from his memory either.
"Thank you for trusting me," Merlin said quietly. "After Uther brought you up to fear magic, you still found it within you to go against his teachings when you found out I had magic."
"My father was an intelligent man," Arthur said thoughtfully, "but I think I always knew that he was irrational about magic. And I knew you. I knew you weren't evil, no matter what he said."
"Still . . ." the warlock mused, "thank you."
"Don't thank me," Arthur smiled gently. "What are friends for?"
Merlin's lips lifted upwards, mirroring his expression. "You mean, besides using them to get great pay rises?"
"Prat," Arthur commented.
"Clotpole"
"Idiot"
"Twit"
And so they walked back to the castle, unwatched by none except a lone servant, the words 'you get used to it' echoing in his mind. He shook his head. He was never going to get used to the King and the Court Sorcerer, acting like- like- friends.
If only he could understand that that was exactly what they were.
Always and Forever.
Finis
Thank you for reading Burning Dreams, I hope you enjoyed it :) It is now officially finished.
I have had requests for a sequel, and I'm thinking about it . . . Just keep an eye out, you never know!
For those slash-obssessed people, I'm sure you picked up a few sentences that made you think there might be slash . . . It's up to you :D
Thanks again for all your kind support,
ForeverChasingDreams