Here we are, the final chapter. Thank you so much to those of you who have stuck by me throughout the whole of this story. A special thank you to those who have let me know what you've thought and offered such kind words of support. It is you that keeps me writing, so thank you.

I hope you like this final chapter and I'll be back with something new soon.

Merlin stepped back and grinned in satisfaction at the daylight now flooding Arthur's chambers. Merlin had felt offended when Gaius had insisted on binding his arm across his chest just to stop Merlin using it. But he couldn't argue - not when he knew it was the truth. Gaius had also made him promise to not use magic to make things easier for himself. That had been harder to promise. He knew what Arthur was like when his chambers weren't spotless. But Gaius hadn't let him leave until Merlin had sworn. He was already regretting it.

Stepping back from the window, Merlin sighed at the state of the rest of the room. How Arthur had slept through him battling the curtains, Merlin had no idea. Merlin knew Arthur tended to make more mess when things were playing on his mind. Despite being home, the last few days hadn't been peaceful. Merlin didn't know what happened between Arthur and the king, but he did know Uther hadn't grasped the fact Morgana had tried to kill his son. He only focused on Arthur having seen her. In the end, Arthur had stormed out and Merlin had spent the rest of the day tiptoeing around in case of making things worse.

Then there was the matter of Aggravaine. Merlin didn't know what to think about that either. Arthur hadn't told his father who else they had brought back with them and for the time being, it seemed to be working. Aggravaine had even approached the king and Uther hadn't recognised him. The prince's uncle was staying in Camelot for now. Merlin knew he should be glad. Arthur needed all the family he could get around him. The prince had a way of shutting out his friends, but Merlin knew he was more likely to open up to someone that made him feel closer to his mother.

He should be glad; that was what he was telling himself. But it wasn't working. Merlin couldn't ignore the feeling in his gut telling him something was wrong. For now, however, there was nothing he could do. Aggravaine hadn't done anything to arouse suspicion and all Merlin could do was vow to make sure he didn't have the chance to shatter Arthur's trust the way Morgana had done.

"Are you just going to stand there all day, Merlin?"

Merlin jumped, looking at the bed and grinning ruefully. Arthur had finally woken up, glaring up at him from the pillows. It wasn't a proper glare though, not considering he was still blinking sleep from his eyes and his hair was messed.

"Look who has decided to finally wake up then."

"Shut up, I've been awake for ages. No one can sleep through the noise you make." Arthur sat up as he spoke, rubbing a hand across his face and grimacing at the state of the room.

"You're going to have to do something about this, you know." Arthur said conversationally, swinging his legs over the bed and rising. Merlin awkwardly grabbed the clothes he had wrestled out of the wardrobe earlier and placed them on the bed for Arthur to change into. He glanced down at his arm.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Get someone to help you." Arthur rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Merlin stared at him.

"You do realise I'm only the servant right? You're the one who can order people around, not me."

"You are more than a servant." Arthur's words were so quiet Merlin wasn't sure he had heard them. He glanced over, but Arthur was pointedly looking the other way, the tips of his ears red. Smiling fondly, Merlin sat down at the table. Arthur cleared his throat self-consciously before grabbing the clothes and disappearing behind his screen.

"Being my personal manservant gives you certain authority over other serving staff and they have to help if you ask them to."

"You made that up," Merlin said. He settled back in the chair and made himself comfortable. It wasn't as if he was able to actually do any work anyway.

"I did not."

"Did."

"Shut up, Merlin."

For once, Merlin fell quiet. Only for a few moments though. He waited until he could hear Arthur dressing and knew the prince wouldn't be able to throw anything at him.

"Are you alright?" His voice was soft and quiet, compassion lacing his tone. There was a stillness from the other side of the room before Arthur resumed what he was doing.

"I don't know." The man's voice was muffled, but Merlin heard him clearly. He knew what it meant for Arthur to even begin to admit it. "Physically, yes. I didn't want to believe it would come to this."

Merlin understood. Apart from watching Morgana crown herself queen, Arthur hadn't yet fought against her. Some part of him must have been hoping that she would still care for him the way he did her. What happened would have proved him wrong.

"We're stronger than she is," Merlin murmured. He stood up, deciding he would see if someone would help him get Arthur's chambers into shape. He hoped Gwen would – being in her company would do both of them good.

"How do you know?"

"She's on her own. We have each other. The knights. Gwen. Gaius. Our friends. She can never win against all of us, no matter how hard she tries."

"You know, Merlin," Arthur drawled. "You might have just said something wise."

"Happens now and again." Merlin moved towards the door as he spoke.

"Very rarely."

Rolling his eyes at Arthur, Merlin let himself out. He knew it was one thing saying they were stronger than Morgana, but it was another thing entirely to get Arthur to believe it. Deciding that could be his job while he couldn't work, Merlin let his determination fill him up as he set off to try and find his friend.

MMM

Arthur yawned as he pushed his half-full plate away from him. He had sent Merlin home for the night once the man had almost thrown his dinner at him from where he was struggling to hold it with one hand. Merlin was no use to him like this. Arthur also wasn't in the mood to share the thoughts making their way around his mind, continuous and circular. He needed to vent, but knew leaving the castle after dark was not advisable. Not to mention he wasn't sure he would actually make it out of the courtyard. The guard had doubled since he had been back, as if the attack had happened in the actual castle rather than out in the forest.

With the table directly in front of him clear, Arthur rested his elbows on it. The day had been better than he thought it would have gone. It was hard for it to be a bad one when he had had Merlin and Guinevere in his room all afternoon. There might have been soft smiles shared between him and the maid but Arthur hadn't been able to conceal his laughter at some of the things his own servant was coming out with. He knew Merlin was just playing the part of a fool to break the tension in the room, but he appreciated it none the less. It also meant his room was tidy again and Arthur stretched his legs out as he propped his chin on his hand.

He had meant what he had said earlier that day to Merlin about not being sure if he was alright. He knew he should be – they had escaped and he had both discovered and freed an uncle he didn't know he had. The chance to learn more about his mother was eating away at him but he knew he should let Aggravaine settle and get used to the fact he was no longer a prisoner before he started questioning the man. But the joy of finding one family member was not enough to ease the pain of losing Morgana. He knew the magic had corrupted her, but seeing how she had been prepared to torture Merlin just to get to him… Arthur shuddered at the thought. She had fallen so far and he knew that he wouldn't be able to pull her back from it now.

Pushing his chair back, the prince stood. He wasn't entirely sure where he was planning on going, but he knew he couldn't sit here alone. Now the aches and pains of the ordeal were easing and he no longer felt as exhausted, he knew his mind would continue to plague him until late into the night. Arthur had no intention of sitting and brooding. Once he left his rooms, he didn't think but walked. Somehow, it came as no surprise when he found himself at the bottom of Gaius' stairs. Shaking his head with a smile, Arthur silently climbed them and let himself into the physician's chambers. Gaius didn't even glance around and Merlin only grinned from where they were eating their own meal.

"I knew he had made far too much," Merlin said cheerfully. He pushed out a stool with his foot and Arthur quietly crossed the room only to see there was another bowl resting on the side and more food over the fire. He might not have been able to eat the food prepared for him, but his stomach gurgled at the thought of more. Gaius handed some over without a word and Arthur sat down.

The trio ate in silence for a while before Merlin began to struggle getting the last remains onto his spoon from where he could only use one hand. Growing irritated by the bowl clattering around, Arthur dumped in a spoonful from his own bowl and Merlin glanced at him in surprise.

"Thanks."

Arthur only grunted in response, not being sure what had led him to act like that.

"How did you know I was coming?" he eventually said, looking at Gaius and making sure he didn't glance at Merlin. He didn't want to give his servant anything to hold over him. Gaius smiled and gently squeezed his shoulder.

"I knew you wouldn't want to be alone," he said quietly. Arthur flushed and studied his bowl. He had never considered how well Gaius knew him before now, but he knew it was true. The physician had been there during every hard time in his life and Arthur realised how many times he had sought out the man's company when he had been young and uneasy. He didn't so much these days, but that was because Merlin was usually in Arthur's own rooms.

Arthur suddenly realised in that moment how much he relied on the pair of them to get him through hard times.

"Now I must attend to Lady Elena. She has a bad cough."

Arthur had no idea if it was true or not, but Gaius stood up and collected his bag, leaving the two of them alone. Arthur made to rise.

"You could stay for a bit if you want," Merlin said. He sounded hesitant and young. "I was going to sit by the fire. I can hardly keeping it burning on my own with one hand, so if you want…"

"You want me to sit here just to stoke your fire?"

"Maybe." There was a sly grin on Merlin's face but his eyes shone with understanding. It seemed Arthur was not the only one who didn't want to be alone.

Arthur rolled his eyes. But he didn't say anything. How could he when he was already moving two of the stools closer to the fire and poking another log in? He had come here so he didn't have to be alone, after all. He was hardly going to leave now. But as Merlin moved closer as well and the companionable silence was broken only by the crackling of the flames, Arthur knew that was only half of it. He needed Merlin when he was feeling lost. But Merlin also needed him.

This time, Arthur had no intention of letting his servant down by leaving.

MMM

While Merlin and Arthur chatted quietly together - coming to terms with everything they had been through - another figure slipped from his new chambers. Aggravaine had insisted that he didn't want a guard on his door and by telling Arthur it made him feel as if he was still imprisoned, he manage to get his own way. He knew the castle would be heavily guarded – coming that close to losing their Crown Prince on top of the way Uther was meant patrols had doubled and men roamed the corridors even this late at night.

Aggravaine wasn't worried though. He knew this castle. He had known it before Arthur had been born and there were passages not even the prince knew about. Despite the increased security, it was still too easy for him to slip from the stone walls and find himself at a safe enough distance he could let down his hood without being seen. Aggravaine knew he was early, but that was a far more preferable alternative to being late. The punishment for tardiness was not one he wanted to consider, not when things were finally going his way.

"Aggravaine." The voice made him turn and he smiled, dipping his head in greeting.

"My Lady."

"You have been successful?" Morgana asked, walking further into the clearing and lowering her hood when she knew for sure her traitor was alone. Aggravaine nodded. He tried to remain calm, but excitement and nerves mingled and caused him to twitch slightly.

"Not only does the prince trust me, our situation is stronger than we thought."

"How so?"

"The rumours about the king are true. He didn't know who I was when I stood in front of him. Arthur hasn't told his father either, meaning Uther has no clue as to who is now living inside of his walls."

"Be careful you don't give yourself away. I will have no use for you if you do that."

"My Lady, I would never…" Aggravaine protested, but Morgana held up her hand, silencing him.

"We cannot meet regularly, it is too dangerous. There are still those who are shrewd within Camelot."

"You mean the boy?" Aggravaine knew Morgana hadn't told him the full story about why she had wanted the servant dead almost as much as Arthur. But he could sense - even in the darkness - the way she stiffened at the mention of him. Aggravaine was quick to speak again.

"He doesn't trust me, I can see it in his eyes. But he doesn't know why and after helping his precious prince survive, there is little he can base those suspicions on. We have infiltrated the castle. Now all that we need to do is wait for an ideal time to strike. The plan has worked."

"Arthur is a trusting fool," Morgana scoffed. There was venom in her voice. When Aggravaine had first met, it hadn't been as obvious. But the more she indulged in her hatred, the more prominent it was becoming. She was being consumed by hatred and Aggravaine was helping the process. She lifted her hood again. "Send word when there is any sort of development. We must tread carefully. Now you must go before you are missed."

Aggravaine didn't have the chance to say anything else before she had disappeared back into the darkness. He knew better than to try and follow her. But he didn't need to. For the first time since he had met Morgana, he believed in their plan. Faking his imprisonment had worked perfectly to get Arthur to trust him. Now he was here, in Camelot.

Smirking, Aggravaine returned to the castle. He kept his thoughts carefully controlled, knowing he had to be cautious in his movements and his enthusiasm at their plan could very well be his undoing if he was careless. But once he was back in the safety of his chambers and his cloak folded away, he allowed himself to smile properly.

All these years in exile would be worth it now. He didn't care about Morgana's claim to the throne or her own hatred of Uther. All he was concerned about was that he could finally seek his own revenge on the man who had taken his sister from him. And if Arthur was caught up in that, then he didn't mind. After all, the prince was far more his father's son than his mother's and Aggravaine would not let her death go unavenged for any longer.

It was only later that night, when the fire had died down and Aggravaine was resting comfortable between sheets did he change his mind about Arthur. The king had to die and Morgana no doubt had plans for her half-brother. But Aggravaine wouldn't help Morgana kill Arthur. After all, the prince was the only remaining part of Igraine. It would be far better to manipulate and control the young man rather than killing him. At least that way, Igraine's smile would still light up the room every time Arthur grinned.

In the meantime, he would enjoy being able to live the life of luxury in a castle as he should have been doing for all of these years. He would be able to have a position and security rather than scraping for a living the way he had been when Morgana had first approached him to see if he would be interested in helping her. Uther would rue the day he banished his late wife's brother, Aggravaine was going to make sure of it.