Quick update since ya'll are so sweet! ^_^

Cel140: Thank you bae! I would've paid to see scenes like that in Merlin tbh *wistfully daydreams with you :P*

sjritts: Same here! Would've loved to see them practice magic at least once! Good thing fanfic exists :P and the mergana fandom fulfills all those needs! :D

I luv Milarion 1201: Thank you hun! :D So happy you liked it!

Meri Ley: Thank you dear, very glad you enjoyed it! :D

Alkeni: Thanks! :D

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Summary: Merlin takes his fallen King to the Priestess of Avalon.

Morgana's already standing at the lake when they arrive. He wonders if she's real or just a mirage, can't bring himself to believe he's seeing her after all this time.

She holds his gaze for a moment before diverting her attention to Arthur. She kneels on the ground by his body, gently removing the hair from his pale forehead. "Dear brother, you can rest now."

He sits down beside her. " I tried everything, did everything I could possibly do to keep him from his fate, but I failed."

Merlin looks devastated, but she doesn't comfort him like she once would've. She lets him mourn in silence as she looks at Arthur and tries to remember the sound of his laughter, but comes up empty. It was so long ago.

"We searched the five kingdoms for you. Traveled all over the lands, for years, until finally even Uther gave up hope of ever seeing you again." He doesn't know why he's telling her now, but somehow Merlin doesn't want her to think that they forgot about her, and simply let her go without ever trying to find her.

"I know." she replies.

Merlin hesitates, struggling to find the right words before saying, " I dreamt of you, so many nights. Constant nightmares and reminders of the last time we saw each other."

She keeps her eyes on the ground. " As did I. But mine were visions of your future, and sometimes snippets from our past."

He inhales deeply. " Morgana I'm so sorry, I never even got to tell you how much I regr-"

"Let's not dwell on the past Merlin." she cut him off before he could finish his overdue apology.

"Why didn't you ever come back?"

"Because both me and my sister decided to reevaluate our priorities after she removed the hemlock and healed me. We decided to rebuild Avalon, invite all those who were persecuted to the old home of magic, away from Camelot's prejudice. As you know well, some agreed and joined us, and some rebelled. Alvaar always was too stubborn for his own good, but Mordred's loss truly hurt me."

Merlin stiffens at the mention of the traitor's name. " That Mordred is the reason the King has fallen today." he spat out furiously.

She places her hand on top of his and wraps her cold fingers around his wrist in an attempt to calm him. "I know."

She wishes she could help him understand how all of them were both victims and criminals in the end. It took her years to let go of that anger, to fully comprehend their twisted fates. To realize it was not all black and white, not right to put all the blame on somebody else's shoulders to justify your own actions, after all, no one understood that better than her. But he was too consumed by his grief to listen to anything anymore.

Morgana points to the boat waiting for them, and slowly they lift Camelot's King and place him down. Before she could get in, Merlin gently tugs on her arm and turns her around.

"Come back." he says simply.

She immediately shakes her head. " I can't, I have to look after Arthur, I have a duty to him."

"No, the other priestesses in Avalon can do that. Me and Gwen need you more than Arthur now. You remember Gwen don't you? Your best friend you never even got to say goodbye to?"

Morgana sighs. Reminders of Gwen were always painful. " Merlin don't do this, I can't-"

" Yes you can. There's nothing to be afraid of, this is not Uther's Camelot anymore. It's Gwen's, and right now, more than ever, she needs us to rebuild the Kingdom and show her how magic is so much more than what she's seen most of her life. Isn't that what you wanted all along? Please, I can't do it alone."

She remains silent for a long time.

"Give me a chance to make it up to you. Please." He hadn't removed his hand on her arm, and the beseeching look in his eyes finally did it.

"Okay, I'll go with you. I'll go back to Camelot."

She didn't even realize how much she had missed seeing him smile so unabashedly until then.

He sits down on the bank of the lake, and waits for her to return from delivering Arthur to his resting place in Avalon.

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