Sorry for all the typos in the last chapter. I've been writing from my phone and sometimes it does weird stuff that I can't explain. Anyway, onto this chapter, number 13. Commence enjoyment now.

It was exactly as Merlin remembered from last year and all the years before, vast and desolate and somehow holding his best friend. Evening had long since passed, and now the empty surface held a perfect moon, round and full. It seemed that all parts of the journey were coming to an end.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked, turning to Morgana. She placed the rock by his feet and began reciting some foreign language.

"Ne exiamus. Veniamus ad vitam, ab alterum latum. Ad hunc lacum, vene, amici. Et habe vitam."

A silence spread across the lake, and it went still. No ripples or waves propagated through the water, and all natural sounds of wildlife ceased.

"Is something going to happen?" Merlin asked, staring at the motionless surface.

Morgana didn't respond, tearing her eyes from Avalon to study Merlin's face. Possibly for the last time. She leaned in and kissed him, his lips soft and warm and comforting. She took a step forward.

"It's waiting," she said, submerging her feet in the water. "Like I said, a life for a life."

Merlin looked confused "But the universe isn't in charge any more. We broke its rules." His eyes were fixed on the beautiful girl in front of him, changed so much but really just returning to who she used to be.

This was the girl that was willing to risk her own life protecting the Druid boy. This was the girl whose heart cried out with compassion. This was Morgana again, it seemed to Merlin. And he didn't want to lose her again.

"You promised me Morgana. You promised me you wouldn't die again." His voice was growing desperate as tears began leaking from his eyes.

"We broke the universe's rules by falling in love. And now it cries for balance even more strongly than before. Breaking one more rule would tear the universe apart. No more magic, no more you, no more me."

"You said there was no such thing as destiny."

"There's not. But there is balance. And we wrecked it. Too much power all at once. Too much ignoring of the consequences."

"So? Let's break it. Doesn't a little instability lead the way for balance? Please Morgana, I need you." He was aware that he was begging, but he couldn't say goodbye again.

"It doesn't work that way. Balance creates balance. And Arthur's return will recreate balance. But we can't just destroy the universe in order to build it back up. It doesn't work that way." She was crying now too as she took a step further into the water.

"What about finding another person to sacrifice?" Merlin asked.

"Would you really be willing to do that? Take an innocent life?" Morgana's face was a picture of disappointment.

"For you."

She shook her head vehemently. "I don't want you to do that for me. I'm not worth it. I'm not that good. But you are. And you can't give that up." She took another step forward and the water began to bubble out from the center, creating a sense of urgency in the sacrifice.

"Anyway," she continued. "It wouldn't work. Arthur, even though it's not in quite the same way as us, is very powerful. Some regular person wouldn't be enough."

"Then how do you know that you'll be?" He asked.

"Because I have to." The rolling water moved closer, nearly engulfing Morgana.

In a split second decision, Merlin darted forward to meet Morgana in the center of the lake.

"No!" He said forcefully. "You are so good. You don't deserve to die. You've barely had the chance to live!"

She tried to push him back. "I've lived plenty."

"Not as long as me," he said, switching places with her so that the impending wave of bubbles was now approaching him. "Morgana, I've lived thousands of years. And in all that time, I've learned one thing. Everybody dies except me. Now's my chance to die." The wave enveloped him, but Morgana averted her eyes before he could disappear. In her mind, he would always be standing there, saving her. He would never disappear, never be carried away by the tide. As the lake swept Merlin under, she thought she could hear him whisper "I love you".

A coughing sputter drew her from her thoughts to find a drenched Arthur rising from the water with Gwen beside him. Their clothes were tattered and soaked and incredibly medieval, but they never looked more royal than rising from the lake in that moment.

Morgana's face was salty with tears and lake water, and her clothes clung to her skin, but all she could feel was the piercing pain of the emptiness were Merlin used to be. Gwen's face twisted in concern and love as she looked at her old friend, but Arthur seemed more wary.

"We were watching," Gwen said kindly, and Morgana tried to acknowledge her concern with a nod, but she couldn't get her head to move, standing limply on the sand and shaking with cold. Was she crying? She couldn't tell.

"It's all going to be okay, Morgana," Gwen assured her, separating from Arthur and taking Morgana's hand.

Morgana forced her voice to obey her desires. "I saw this all happening. I tried so hard to stop it. I did everything I could, but it wasn't enough. I should have done more. I should have saved him." Once she started speaking, she couldn't seem to stop as more and more words flooded through her lips.

~oOo~

Merlin barely had time to take in the appearance of Avalon before he focused his attention on the world below or separate or above. He wasn't really sure of the exact words to use.

Morgana was grieving, and he couldn't do anything to help. But she had Gwen. And Arthur was starting to trust her again. He was glad for that. Now she could have the family she had always needed.

From the lake, Gwen forced Morgana and Arthur to board Aithusa and get them back to civilization. It wasn't good for them to be out in these wet clothes, she insisted. They needed to get home and get something more decent on. She obviously hadn't lost her motherly instincts.

When Aithusa asked where to take them to, the only answer that Morgana could think of was Coldbrooke.

"Merlin lives there," she tried to explain, gaining back some of her strength. "He has a home there where we can regroup. It's in America."

Aithusa nodded and they set off.

Merlin was so focused on the world below (above? elsewhere?) that he didn't notice the people approaching him in his world.

First came Gauis. "It's good to see you again," he said offering Merlin a hug then standing apart to make room for others.

Next, Mordred approached. "I'm sorry," was all he said.

More and more came, a steady stream of welcomes that Merlin wasn't sure how to respond to. Everyone he'd ever met, it seemed, was coming to bid him a good afterlife.

But he didn't want a good afterlife. For all the times he'd wished for death, all he wanted now was to be alive again. To see Arthur and Gwen, and Morgana. To tell her he loved her just one more time.

He fixed his gaze back on the world below (above? elsewhere?).

I made my choice. But I'm also not ready to give up on this story just yet. So I'm going to add another adventure, but if you find that you were happy with this ending and want to end here, I made it so that you can stop reading now. Pretty much, I resolved it. But I plan on unresolving it in the next chapter, and adding indefinitely more new chapters after that. So review on this part of the story. And follow if you want some more. I'll be back in the New Year.