Merlin and Morgana traveled much the same as they had initially. Their daytime and night time activities around the fire were always magic but had changed some as now they were married and connected in every way. They experimented with the wards which always concealed them, their smell, and their sound. The wards made it possible for them to watch the woodland animals in their family group interactions and natural habitat. They were able to watch different animal families. They were amazed to discover, that animals only attacked when threat emerged to themselves or cubs. They were able to watch a mother bear feed, play with, teach, and protect her cubs. It increased their appreciation for all God's creations.

They had experimented with the transportation spell and increased the distance they could go. They would have transported to Caledonia, but had never been there before. That was one of the requirements for the transportation spell to work. Wherever you went, you had to know the place first. Catastrophe was the result if you didn't. They found a way to do the transportation spell with less noise and disruption to the world around them like Viviana had done. In fact, they became so proficient when they transported, no wind, or surrounding objects or debris moved.

Morgana didn't get tired performing magic like she had when teaching Merlin the transportation spell, because Merlin's magic flowed to her and through her all the time without interruption. So her magic was immediately replenished regardless of what they were doing.

They experimented getting their staves in and out of their harnesses quickly and to full size. The staves were amazing and worked much like the Sidhe staff Merlin had. The difference was the increased responsiveness to their whims and desires. The staves did have the power to kill. So they were very cautious. They experimented using less and more power. They wanted to avoid violence of any kind and so any time they did come in contact with violence, they were more likely to freeze their opponents like Merlin had initially frozen or stopped Morgana's magic or Kilgharah's fire. The key was to focus on the end result. They could use their staves as a light, a knowledge source, a weapon of defense, a shield to protect, or even a tool to assemble and build shelter. As a result, they never slept on the ground again as they were able to make a comfortable, luxurious, bed each night they stopped to camp.

One night Merlin had tried to surprise Morgana and used his staff to drag her closer to him. She reacted instinctively and defensively using her staff to suspend Merlin in the air upside down. The sight was so comical, they had both laughed uproariously.

Morgana had immediately released him. Merlin righted himself, then turned Morgana upside down suspending her in air while he was on the ground.

They could suspend Aithusa upside down if they worked together.

Aithusa didn't like it much. So, Merlin and Morgana started experimenting with inanimate objects. They would have competitions to see who could suspend the most objects at one time. They got so they could suspend large rocks, the weight of 50 humans, at one time without the help of Aithusa, or Viviana. They kept practicing and would suspend each other and themselves in the air and experiment with raising and lowering each other. It was so wonderful to be elevated to be able to see over the trees.

They used their channel to project what they saw into each other's mind. This was helpful in reconnoitering the road ahead for danger, water, food sources, villages, short cuts, natural hot springs and places to camp, It was useful in determining who needed help, or criminals they needed to apprehend.

They experimented with giving each other some freedom of movement while being suspended in the air. They found, they could run through the air, swim, through the air, do back, front and side flips in the air. It was amazingly fun and wonderful and they would always laugh and their cheeks were always flushed with happiness when they did this.

They experimented with levitating each other at the same time. At first, this was very difficult. As they practiced. They could levitate each other restricting or facilitating movement. They discussed how this particular trick would be so useful in restraining enemies without hurting them so they could talk and negotiate, while their enemies were immobile.

Their staves could start a fire and put it out. It could heal the scratches or hurts they sometimes got traveling. Their immortality did take care of that for them.

They shared concern that people might try to take their staves away if they were seen because of the precious jewels, metals and fine craftsmanship. To them the staves were more valuable for the many benefits they offered.

The staves were a conduit of knowledge and useful in the diagnosis of sickness. They had run into a group of people who had different ailments. They didn't have to take the staves from their backs to have them work. They just had to see the injury or ailment to know what to do about the problem. As long as the staff was touching them anywhere, it would work.

They had experimented on the plant life, with their staves. They tried burning and destroying a bush to ashes, then restoring it to greater health and beauty with the aid of their staves. They tried the same thing with larger trees with great success and later, with sections of fields and forests. Practical application happened when they had come across some poor farmers who had a poor harvest. The farmers had given them a meal, sung songs, told stories, shared many jokes, and a room for the night.

In return, Merlin and Morgana had focused their staves on the poor farmers' fields and improved their harvest so the farmers had more than enough to get them through the winter, sell the excess for supplies and other things they needed and even wanted. They always felt the love of the Goddess and their Creator expand when they did things for others. It was always satisfying and fulfilling.

The staves could store their excess magical energy. When they needed more power, they had it. Neither Merlin or Morgana ever found themselves getting tired anymore after performing magic.

Aithusa would fly overhead during the day scouting for trouble, food, or anything else they needed. Merlin and Aithusa had such a connection, Aithusa could project what she saw and heard into Merlin's mind. She was talking quite well. She had the little girl voice that enchanted both Merlin and Morgana. She wasn't quite big enough to carry them both. But they all knew it was only a matter of time she was able, as she was growing so quickly.

Morgana loved Aithusa and had been jealous of the connection Merlin had with the young dragon. However, now that Morgana and Merlin were married, her bond with Merlin as a Dragonlord's wife, enabled her to communicate with Aithusa over longer distances almost as easily as Merlin could.

Morgana found she had a real talent for healing and shared healing spells she knew with Merlin. Merlin would share with her what he had learned from Gaius. They would talk for hours about herb lore and what would work best for different ailments. Both of them became better at healing as a result.

They experimented with their rings. They played a version of hide and seek. One of them would hide, The other would seek. They started on short distances and increased them as the journey continued. They found the rings increased the distance they could communicate when they spoke mind to mind. It was not just a matter of being able to find each other.

They continued to practice the transportation spell, transporting their horses and Aithusa. As before, they started with short distances gradually increasing them. The horses didn't like it much. Aithusa loved it and would lend her magic increasing the distances they could cover. They found if they used their capes and staves in tandem, anyone who walked by would not see, hear or smell them, their horses, supplies or Aithusa. They could move their entire camp with a thought through their channel. This benefit could be used during the day in full light while they were moving.

They also used the capes to practice invisibility. This skill had come in handy more than once. One time, Morgana was gathering berries and was almost spotted by a bunch of bandits. Morgana had covered herself completely with her cape and transported silently back to Merlin. She and Merlin had returned to the bandits and dealt with them by suspending and restraining the brigands upside down, then transporting them back to Camelot for Arthur to exercise judgment and penalty. With their new tools, this was easier than when they had done it before.

They did spend a few days and nights with Arthur, Gwen and the knights for a feast in their honor.

The magical couple regaled everyone with tales of their adventures and things they had learned. Morgana was able to talk to Gwen about more of her plans for restitution. With these new plans, Morgana achieved greater peace in her heart and mind and began to truly feel herself to be a representative for the Goddess and her Creator.

When the celebrations were over, Merlin and Morgana were able to transport themselves to the spot they had been so their journey was not lengthened. It was a testament as to how far they had progressed since beginning their quest.

"They continued learning better shielding spells. They would test them by singing at the top of their lungs. It was one of their fun activities when they would stop for the night. They would sing and dance together. Merlin would spin Morgana around and dip her over his arm and kiss her passionately. Then he would bring her up, roll her out the other side, roll her in again and kiss her again. He even was able to put her on his shoulder like a bird in flight and spin her around before flipping her to the ground. These moments were joyful fun, filled with laughter and teasing and often turned into more. Clothes would come off and they would make love, even in the middle of the afternoon.

Their abilities gave Morgana and Merlin confidence and peace of mind. Morgana could take care of herself. Merlin could take care of himself. The rings, the staves, clothes and the capes conserved their energy and made it easier and less likely anyone could see them during their private moments or when they were practicing magic. It was also less likely they could be caught or captured. However, they were wise enough to remain vigilant. Aithusa always had an eye out for them and their wards were very effective at alerting them to any danger.

The best part of the night was cuddling and love making in the luxurious comfortable bed they would conjure. They enjoyed their baths together whenever they found a hot springs. These moments always turned passionate. They never were able to get enough of each other.

Morgana no longer succumbed to her fears, mostly because the curse was lifted and the blessing from the Goddess and Merlin filled her heart and mind. It was also because her priorities and focus had changed. She had found her true voice and true self. The restitutions she had made were almost complete and filled her and Merlin with so much joy, that they would often look for more opportunities to help others for no reason at all other than to see people happy. She no longer had any desire to become Queen of Camelot. She and Merlin were focused on learning and teaching each other magic, and discussing possibilities to complete the Goddess' mandate successfully.

The ebb and flow of the magic between them was calming and soothing. Merlin would comfort Morgana through their channel whenever a memory or a vision would disturb her. It made it possible for her to sleep when she was simply exhausted which wasn't very often. Merlin enjoyed this time with Morgana exploring his magic to bring her more pleasure as well as himself.

They both found they were much happier together than they had ever been apart. They never ran out of things to talk about or share. Merlin treated Morgana as his equal. Morgana returned the favor. They were learning so much from each other and found they loved each other more as each day passed. It made both of them wish they had been married several years ago. There was nothing they could do about that now. So they made it a point to enjoy each day as it came

They had the Goddess' wishes to fulfill. It made them wonder what they would find in Caledonia and curious about the people who had been preparing to help them for so long.

Back in Camelot, Gwen, Arthur and the knights had learned new things everyday about magic while Merlin and Morgana were gone. Gaius had told them about how magical people could contact others in their dreams, so when Merlin and Morgana contacted them in their dreams, they were not overly alarmed. The next morning after such dreams, Gwen and Arthur were sharing with each other what they had learned from the magical couple, happy to know the travelers were safe. They were thrilled to learn the curse, and the love spell had been broken, and the magical couple were on their way to Caledonia to find Merlin's family.

Arthur was happy for Merlin. The man who had been fatherless deserved this kind of happiness. Merlin's father was not coming back from the dead. However, the prospect of finding family was fabulous for Merlin.

Arthur was somewhat jealous as both his parents and much of his extended family were now deceased except for his sister Morgana. So when Morgana or Merlin contacted him in his dreams about criminals they had apprehended or things they were learning, or instructions for restitution, he cherished and looked forward to them.

Gwen in a similar situation, had spent a majority of the following nights comforting her husband and king. Arthur clung to Gwen and vice versa. She was his heart and stability, as he was hers

Still Arthur could not complain. He had the knights who were like his brothers. And there was good news. Gwen was pregnant and would be giving birth sometime around the new year. Arthur was over the moon that he and Gwen would finally have an heir.

Of course the knights were thrilled for Arthur and Gwen and were fighting over who would be best/favorite uncle or Godfather. When the knights first found out Merlin had contacted both Gwen and Arthur, they immediately and incessantly harangued Arthur to have Merlin contact them in their dreams.

Gaius felt like he was suddenly tending a bunch of boys instead of knights with their constant bickering over the royal heir and who would hear from Merlin next.

Gwaine was the first to hear from Merlin. Within the week after Gwaine had heard from Merlin, all the knights who had been studying with Arthur, Gwen and Gaius, had heard from Merlin.

Gwen was pleased the curse over Morgana had been broken and spent quite a bit of time listening to Morgana's apologies for her wrongs to Arthur and herself during their dream conversations. Gwen was quick to assure Morgana that she was forgiven, especially since Morgana had not been in control of her actions while under Morgause's curse.

The subject of the orphans had come up in one of their communications. Morgana was happy to hear Arthur and Gwen had found a home for the orphans and was thrilled Gwen anonymously send monetary support from Morgana's Cornwall estate earnings to the orphans and the family supporting them. She also asked Gwen to please make sure the orphans were learning to read, write, and learn a trade of some sort. She told Gwen, when they finished the Goddess' mandate, she and Merlin would take over these matters.

Morgana also checked into the people who had been injured or killed when she had been queen and ordered the guards to shoot arrows into the crowd. Morgana felt horrible over what she had done now that her conscience was released from the curse, even though she had not been in control. She was anxious to provide restitution for these victims as well.

Each time Morgana had a dream conversation with Gwen and heard the progress she was making in these matters of restitution, Morgana's heart would become lighter and her nightmares became fewer as she directed Gwen in using her personal finances to provide aid to the victims of her crimes. It was a relief. Still Morgana was saddened that she could not totally replace the lives that had been lost. She vowed to herself that on returning to Camelot, she would personally visit each of the victims and help anyway she could.

Arthur was happy to be regaining his lost sister. He set about helping Gwen in these projects. And even though Gwen had promised to keep the restitution anonymous, Arthur had not, and was quick to tell the victims who their benefactress was.

Of course the people of Camelot were shocked and amazed that the once "wicked witch" had been under a curse that had taken her free will. They were thrilled that the same witch had been freed of the evil influence and was making amends. The people loved Arthur, Gwen and Merlin, and that love was spreading to Morgana who was redeeming herself through her generous restitution and sincere repentance.

Morgana had eventually told Gwen she and Merlin were married by Dragon fasting and the Goddess' power.

Gwen was of course thrilled and immediately started planning a huge celebration and official ceremony when they returned to Camelot.

Morgana had told Gwen to not get too far advanced in her planning as they still had the Goddess' mandate to fulfil and they did not know how long that would take.

When Gwen found out how Merlin and Morgana could transport themselves and their animals, she insisted they set a goal to come home as soon as possible.

While Arthur was thrilled Merlin and Morgana had successfully broken the curse and was glad to have been instrumental in this dragon fasting by letting Merlin go find Morgana and become Emrys, he was a bit unsettled knowing how Morgana could be a bit of a shrew.

That bit of stress disappeared during a dream conversation with Merlin. In that time, he was shown how happy Merlin was, evident by the smile, confidence and relaxed air he had never seen on his manservant in Camelot. It was another step in Arthur's restitution for his father's and his own wrongs in destroying Merlin's life, and all Merlin had done for him in the past. What made Arthur most happy was that he still had his best friend.

Arthur remembered the prophecy that Merlin and Morgana were to share a great love and basically be the "King and Queen of Magic". He insisted, like Gwen that they have an official wedding ceremony where they, the knights, their living parents and friends could attend.

Merlin was thrilled that Arthur was accepting and supporting him in being Emrys and was still his friend. Merlin had learned so much and gained so much on this journey with Morgana. Merlin had his Creator, the Goddess, Viviana, Iselder, Ysira, Vadoma, Gwen, Arthur, the knights and Gaius to thank for a level of happiness he had never known before. All because Viviana had intervened and Merlin had taken the chance to save Morgana from the darkness.

Merlin was the recipient of Morgana's devotion, loyalty and fierce love for freeing her from the curse. Merlin was the love of Morgana's life and she made it a point to make sure he knew with every fiber of his being that she loved him completely, unconditionally, and without reservation and she would never give him cause to worry about her commitment of fidelity. She would protect his heart.

Merlin of course returned her love, loyalty, fidelity and devotion with as much intensity and without reservation. He was so proud of the woman Morgana was and everything she was doing

Merlin had been concerned for Gaius as he was getting up in years and really needed help. So during one of his dream conversations with Arthur, Merlin suggested that Arthur find Alice and told him how Gaius and Alice had been so tragically separated at the beginning of the purge and what a gifted healer Alice was.

Arthur had asked Gaius about it the next day.

Gaius confirmed everything Merlin had told Arthur.

Arthur had told Gwen, who had made inquiries. It was less than a month later that Alice joined Gaius in Camelot and was helping with his medical practice. Everyone was glad Alice was there.

Merlin had suggested to Arthur that he contact Gilly to help Gaius as well. Merlin had to explain that Gilly had fought in the tournament years ago and almost beat Uther with magic.

Arthur was reluctant until he heard that Gilly had left the tournament on good terms with Merlin, his integrity intact. Arthur had pointed out that it would be easier for Merlin to contact Gilly through his dreams and tell him to come to Camelot. Arthur promised he would welcome Gilly with open arms and set him up with Gaius.

Gilly had joined them shortly after that.

Gwen was thrilled when Merlin and Morgana showed up with another group of criminals they had apprehended for Gwen and Arthur's justice. She and Arthur put the bandits in the dungeon and made a feast and a wedding ceremony for Merlin and Morgana even Hunith could attend. Merlin had transported home to get his mother and Viviana had supplied the wedding clothes and helped with other arrangements. It was a beautiful wedding with much singing, dancing and story telling. Everyone was sad when Merlin and Morgana left to finish the assignment for the Goddess.