Thank you for your patience for this slightly delayed update, we have a slightly longer one this time. Next chapter should be up in about a week, I can't quite believe we are nearing the end of the story already! But of course it's not quite over for our beloved Merlin characters.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Chapter Seventeen

The Lake of Avalon

Three days had passed since Morgause had fallen lifeless to the ground, the walls of Camelot's castle had shaken with grief, Arthur found himself suddenly released from the curse and Freya had said goodbye to Merlin, when the three remaining companions reached the Lake of Avalon.

Since they had left Freya's body Merlin had not shed a tear, but he had also not spoken a word. The last thing he had said was that they needed to go to the Lake of Avalon as there was something there Arthur needed. Neither the Prince or Gwen could bring themselves to deny this broken-hearted man's decision, even though they weren't sure why they had to come to this place. Suddenly Merlin looked smaller, thinner and paler. Something was missing from him, possibly his heart. Throughout the journey they tried to talk to him and comfort him, despite knowing that there was little to compare with his loss. Arthur didn't know what to the say to his broken manservant but tried in various ways to ask him if he was okay and if there was anything he could do. Gwen tried to tell Merlin that she really missed Freya too and she knew how he felt as she had lost loved ones too, but the young Warlock said nothing. He seemed totally at loss, as if he had been living happily amongst friends and family all his life but then one day woke up to find himself adrift at sea, alone.

The worst moment however was just before they left for the lake and realised they had to do something about the bodies. Arthur confirmed that Morgause was dead but they didn't know if they should bury her or cremate her, or even just leave her be for others to find. Merlin refused to let Freya be buried as her resting place was not amongst these trees. In the end he put preservation spells on both the bodies so it would take much longer for them to rot and to anyone passing by it just looked as if they were sleeping. All three silently agreed as they left the victims that when everything was over they would return and deal with the bodies accordingly, if they ever did return and weren't slain in their attempt to take back Camelot.

Arthur was still weak from the curse so the first day their journey was slow, however as the hours passed he gained more and more strength until he was almost back to the normal Arthur they knew before the curse had struck him. He even went out hunting to find them fresh food and happily volunteered to collect firewood. Merlin didn't seem to have the energy or the motivation to do either of these things, but the couple never asked him to do anything for them. He had done so much already and they knew he would help when he was beginning to feel more like himself again. If he ever did. Gwen worked out that he was probably feeling extremely conflicted and she told Arthur this. Merlin knew he should be happy and relieved that Arthur was well again, but he was devastated by the loss of Freya and somehow the two incidents were connected. It couldn't be ignored that the moment Freya was stabbed Arthur suddenly felt the curse lifting.

One night Arthur sat beside the silent Merlin in front of a crackling fire. The near future seemed very hazy but in reality they were only several hours away from the Lake. He spoke to his friend in a quiet voice and said something he hadn't even told Gwen. "I want you to know that the four of you did so much for me and I will be eternally grateful. When I called you a monster, I take it back." He took a deep breath, "I take everything back."

Merlin didn't say anything, but for the first time he made eye contact with Arthur and looked like he desperately wanted to say something, but he simply couldn't form the words. He noticed however that Arthur said four instead of three and that it meant he still cared for Morgana.

Despite his silence Merlin lead the way to Lake, occasionally using magic to make sure they were still going the right way, Arthur couldn't get used to seeing his manservant use magic, but when it happened his reaction was of fascination rather than horror. He tried to ask him questions about his magic, but still Merlin was in no mood to reply.

All three companions knew it was a risk going to the Lake of Avalon as it was in Camelot, however they were surprised when they eventually reached the borders and didn't find themselves confronted with guards or soldiers waiting to arrest them and take them back to the castle. In fact they hadn't seen another living soul since Morgause had arrived to finish her work. The rolling fields of Camelot were deserted and the world was eerily quiet. Was it simply a coincidence, or was something happening in Camelot that had driven the people away from the borders?

It was nearing the evening when the three companions reached the edge of the Lake of Avalon and they felt rather than heard the buzz of activity. They could tell that there were a lot of people around but they were just out of sight. As they walked through the trees to the lake Arthur noticed the ground was trampled with footprints of all shapes and sizes, he spotted the occasional burnt logs from an old campfire and every now and then everyone thought they heard the murmur of voices not far off.

"Did Freya say what we would find at the lake?" Arthur asked, turning his head to Merlin, who, despite being the only one who knew the way, was trailing behind.

Merlin shook his head and said nothing as always, his eyes which were encircled with grey from lack of sleep and they looked confused.

Praying that they would not encounter Morgana's soldiers once they reached the lake, Arthur and the others continued through the small woodland. The sound of voices were becoming clearer now, both men, women and children could be heard.

At last they broke through the trees and set their eyes on the Lake of Avalon. At which moment all three of them froze and their mouths fell open almost simultaneously.

The once calm and empty land surrounding the lake was now filled with people. Most of them were peasants but the occasional soldier and knight could be spotted amongst them. A huge camp had been set up, using mostly what was around them as few people had managed to bring any possessions with them to the lake. It was a hive of activity, there were bare-footed children running this way and that while someone attempted to chase after them, people talking happily as they gathered firewood, prepared weapons for hunting and fighting and collected water from the lake. Merlin immediately started looking for Gaius, but he was nowhere to be seen.

At first no one seemed to notice the arrival of the Prince but slowly more and more people around them froze and turned to stare wide-eyed at Arthur. There was a ripple of whispers as word was passed through the hubble of people and suddenly everyone fell silent and still, including the children, as they observed their new arrivals.

Suddenly a gruff voice called somewhere from the middle of the crowd.

"The Prince has returned!"

With that everyone erupted with shouts and cheers. People rushed up to Arthur, Merlin and Gwen, telling them how grateful they were that they had come to save them and asking if the Prince can really help. Arthur was utterly confused, but he smiled with relief when he saw a familiar face push themselves through the crowd towards them.

"The girl asked me to tell anyone who needed shelter to come to this lake, and they came." Sir Leon said, grinning as he shook Arthur's hand vigorously. There were tears of joy in his eyes. "I must admit I never thought I would see you again. You're looking so well."

"The curse has been lifted." Arthur explained simply.

Sir Leon looked around at Gwen and Merlin, then he noticed that someone was missing, "Where is the dark-haired girl who was with you? She was the one who told me to bring the people here, I want to thank her, she may have saved many lives."

At those words Arthur lost his smile, Gwen looked terribly sad and Merlin's eyes snapped to the ground. "She died so that we could live." Arthur murmured.

Sir Leon looked solemn, "I am sorry to hear that, I had never met her but she must have been important to you all. We must be grateful that she helped you as well as all these people."

For the first time Merlin spoke, "Her name was Freya." He said.

"And I will never forget her," the Knight promised, for he could see the pain in the three companions' eyes and was truly grateful for the help Freya had given them.

Arthur glanced around at the people, some of whom were still cheering at the sight of their Prince, someone had brought a lute to the lake with them and as they began to play it in celebration a few people even started to dance with joy. "Who are these people Sir Leon, why did they come here?" Arthur asked.

"They came here because they believed that you would return and save them, and you have," Sir Leon explained, his grin returning. "Your friend Freya told me that if anyone needed refuge because of Morgana and Morgause's rule, they should come to this lake where they would find help. She was right, we have not been found or attacked since we first started coming here and the woodland and lake has provided us with enough to live on. It wasn't long before the people started to believe that we had been brought here because Arthur would come to this place to show that he is ready to take back Camelot."

"There are a lot of people here," Arthur commented, glancing around. Wherever he looked there were even more grinning and relieved faces. "They were all forced to come here because of Morgana and Morgause?"

Sir Leon nodded, "Anyone who opposed their new rule was to be arrested and some were executed as an example. Whole families had to flee their homes for fear of being captured, including many soldiers who refused to serve under our new Queens. We have many people here willing to fight, who will march on Camelot so you can take the throne back."

But Arthur shook his head, "What makes these people think we can take back Camelot? Morgause is dead but Morgana still rules and she is powerful, she will have a whole army at her disposal and many of these people are untrained peasants and women."

"Because of the sword."

Merlin suddenly became very interested in Arthur and Leon's conversation. He hurried towards them, "Sword? What type of sword?" He asked.

"I'll show you," Sir Leon said, and sometimes worming, sometimes pushing his way through the crowds, he lead the three of them to the edge of the lake.

Merlin had never really noticed the huge grey boulder that sat beside the lake, after all the times he had been here there hadn't really been a chance to take in the details of his surroundings, but he certainly recognised the sword that had been plunged into the rock. There could be no mistaking the gold hilt of the blade that had been forged in the Dragon's breath. Merlin remembered the panic he felt pumping through his veins as he threw the sword into this very lake to prevent another living soul from holding it. He never thought he would see it again.

However what was more intriguing were the words roughly carved onto the boulder itself:

Only one person can pull this sword from the stone. If they do so they show themselves to be the true King of Camelot and will be able to defeat all foe, living and dead, mortal and magical, with this blade.

"When people found the stone and worked out what it said many didn't believe its words and tried to pull out the sword for themselves, but it's impossible. Even I tried just to see if the rumours are true. It seems there is only one person who can retrieve the sword in the stone." Sir Leon explained, watching Arthur carefully.

Arthur stepped towards the sword and examined it closely. He looked sceptical. "It should be my father who pulls out the sword, not me. He is the King of Camelot, not me."

There was a pause. "Your father isn't here to help the people fight, no one knows what has happened to him." Leon admitted quietly. "But you are still his heir and I believe you are a true King of Camelot."

These words gave Arthur a terrible reminder of what might be happening or had happened to his father, and he shook his head. "A true King of Camelot should be able to take care of his own Kingdom. I have failed, I fled, my father was overthrown by someone I had trusted all my life and I have let his people become outlaws. I am no King and I cannot defeat Morgana." He said, his voice full of self-degradation.

"That's not true, and it says that whoever holds this sword will be able to defeat their enemies," Sir Leon pointed out. "If you pull out this sword, no one will be able stop you. If nothing else it will give these people hope that Morgana's reign will not last forever." He added.

Arthur wasn't sure what to do. He stood staring at the sword as if he was afraid of it. Afraid of what might happen if he tried to pull it out but failed. Gwen could see his fear and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I believe in you," she whispered.

"But we don't know where this sword even came from, I have never heard of such a weapon before, how do we not know that this is not some sort of trick?" Arthur argued.

"I've heard of it," Merlin said suddenly. He was standing just behind Arthur and Gwen and they turned to look at him, surprised to hear him speak and admit that he knew about the sword.

"You have?" Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded. "Some legends tell stories of such powerful weapons, forged in a Dragon's breath that could kill even immortal beasts, but they can only be held by a select few. Whoever placed this sword into the stone wanted only the true King of Camelot to hold it, and he is the only one who will have the strength to pull it from the stone."

It was a lie. Merlin had never heard of such a legend, but now he realised that he had to tell this story because this was the reason why Freya had told him to come here, not only so Arthur could see the support the people of Camelot still had for him but also so he could take the sword that was rightly meant for him and save his Kingdom. Merlin had no idea how she had done it, did she bring the sword back up from the depths with her and manage to persuade Nimeuh to place it in the boulder? It broke his heart all over again because he knew he could never ask her and find out the truth. But perhaps the truth wasn't important at the moment, what mattered was this might be the only chance for Arthur to take back Camelot, but he needed faith in himself to do so.

"If you use this sword Arthur, nothing will be able to stop you." Merlin continued. "If Morgana has protected her allies with magic or has intentions of using magic to protect the castle from an attack, her spells will be defenceless against this sword. If you can pull the sword from the stone then it shows the fates wish you to become King and nothing will be able to stop you from taking back Camelot."

Merlin suddenly realised that everyone around the lake was staring at him silently, listening to his tale. Arthur and Gwen looked particularly shocked by his words, but that might just be because they hadn't heard him say so much in so long. Before seeing the sword he could think of nothing to say because nothing was worth saying, but now he realised why they had come here he couldn't stay silent. He spoke because Freya couldn't.

Arthur stepped closer towards the sword and still seemed sceptical, but he was aware of all the eyes upon him and he trusted Merlin. "We best hope I'm able to pull the sword out then," he muttered.

With Gwen still holding his hand, Arthur flexed the fingers of the other before reaching out and gripping the sword. Everyone seemed to simultaneously hold their breath at that moment, even Merlin. There was a pause before Arthur gave the sword a firm tug.

There was the sound of metal scraping against stone as the sword came easily out of the rock as if it was made of wet clay. The blade glinted in the late afternoon sun, not a scratch on it. Everyone stared in astonishment at Arthur clutching the sword, then someone cried out.

"Long live the King!"

It was as if the whole lake had been frozen in time but now the spell had broken. Cheers erupted through the crowd and dozens of voices at once could be heard crying "Long live the King!" Leon embraced the Prince and Gwen was so happy she forgot about everyone watching and kissed Arthur on the lips, who seemed astounded that he had been able to pull out the sword.

Arthur turned and looked at the people surrounding him, and somehow he found a new inner strength. He held the sword high in the air and shouted out to the people.

"For those who are prepared to fight, let us fight! The time of tyranny is coming to an end. Tell everyone that the Prince is returning. At last we are going home!"

More cheers and cries erupted at his words and people chanted "Long live the King", they raised any weapon they could get their hands on to show their support and the air was filled with their calls. However one person had fallen quiet again.

Merlin was not surprised that Arthur could pull the sword from the stone, because he knew he was the true King of Camelot and the sword was always his to bear. But he couldn't feel the overwhelming joy everyone else around him felt, because his heart was still heavy with grief and the idea of taking back Camelot still seemed like a long way away.

However somehow he knew that out there, somewhere, Freya was smiling.