Well, here it is, the one that I know you've been waiting for. Arthur and Merlin.

Thank you so much for the reviews and support with this story, it has meant the absolute world to me and I'm so thrilled that it has been enjoyed, thank you so much.

Here we are, the last chapter:

Arthur was up and out of his rooms long before Merlin arrived. It wasn't that his manservant was late, far from it. If anything, Merlin seemed to be getting earlier and earlier, almost as if he was trying to catch the king out. But Arthur had still pressed a lingering kiss to Gwen's forehead, changed into some comfortable clothes that not only allowed him to move fluidly, but also meant that it was hard for someone to recognise him unless they knew who they were looking for, and left his chambers.

By the time the sun had risen, Arthur had managed to spend about an hour on the training dummies before ducking away as some of the squires came out to practice. He had known for a while they snuck out whilst their masters still slept, and was just glad that there was a fresh lot of young men prepared to take up the honour of protecting Camelot when they were old enough. Especially considering how many times she had fallen in the last few years, Arthur wasn't sure her reputation was quite what it used to be and it had been a worry for him. There used to be a certain prestige about being chosen as a Knight under Uther's reign, mainly because the man was so strict as to who was allowed in. Arthur had wanted everyone to be given a chance, but not at the cost of lessening the honour of doing so. A man looking for honour would not turn around and stab him in the back. Or so he thought, Arthur wasn't quite convinced that he could trust his instincts in the same way anymore.

Ducking away before the youths saw that their king had beat them out here, Arthur silently returned his borrowed sword to the rack. He didn't want to remove his own from his chambers in case he didn't make it back before Merlin got there. He was sure that if his servant noticed that the sword was missing, he would piece together what Arthur was doing, and that would be that. It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding the fact that he was training almost three times as much as he should, it was just he knew that Merlin would worry about it and the whole thing would turn into a pointless argument that left Arthur with the need to simply throw something.

Instead, Arthur just borrowed one whilst he practised his technique, leaving it for someone else to find. Now that people were beginning to stir, he knew that he needed to move fast in order to avoid detection. Making his way behind the stables, Arthur just about avoided the stable-hands and instead grinned when he saw that he had made it to the wide open field. It led straight down to the river and his spot with Leon, the path then doubling back through the woods and rejoining the training grounds. But what made it so perfect for Arthur was that it brought him right to one of the side doors, meaning that he could slip back into the castle and make his way up to his rooms in time for breakfast without anyone being any the wiser as to where he had been.

Stretching out his legs, Arthur took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming slightly as they fixed on the path ahead of him. Starting out a slow jog, the King quickly built up his speed until he was thundering along the route. It was easy going by here, but he knew that he would need to get his speed to a steady level by the time he reached the woods in order to deal with the trickier terrain there. Even despite the fact that he had been doing this every morning since they had returned, Arthur soon felt the sweat beginning to pour off him. Each morning he forced himself to go faster, pushed his muscles past the point that was strictly wise. Considering he had his normal training regime in the afternoons anyway, Arthur was pushing himself too far.

In a way, he knew what he was doing wouldn't help him in the long run. But as his feet pounded out the now familiar path, the physical burn on his muscles allowed his mind to clear. There had been a deep restlessness within him since they had returned, and Arthur knew it was because he had left the kingdom when she had needed him most. He should have stayed here and fought, even if part of him knew that Morgana would just have him killed. But what disturbed him the most was that he couldn't remember how he had left. His ribs were only just healed enough, something that had made his morning routine more than awkward for the first few days. It meant that he knew he wouldn't have been able to just fight his way out, but he knew himself well enough to know that he wouldn't have just left. Maybe he had passed out and Elyan and Percival had got him out that way? But he only knew that it was those two knights who had accompanied them because Merlin had told him. All that Arthur remembered was waking up in those damn clothes with his servant fast asleep against a tree, surrounded by smugglers of all people. Smugglers!

That was why Arthur knew that something was wrong. He wouldn't have chosen to take refuge with people that he would have otherwise been hunting, despite how good they ended up being. It meant that it had to be Merlin who had made that decision. But how on earth had his servant moved him and been the one to convince the smugglers that they meant them no harm..?

Even just thinking about it made Arthur's head pound, so he instead let those frustrations be taken out as he ran. He jumped the river with one easy leap, knowing that was the only place where it was narrow enough to do that. He knew his kingdom inside out, and it was killing him to know that he had almost lost her to someone that he once considered to be a sister. Of course, he now knew the irony of those feelings and it simply sent another wave of frustration through him. Even his father had lied to him! Was there anyone who had ever been completely honest with him? Well, apart from Merlin, his servant was an open book when it came to telling Arthur how he felt of the king's actions.

It was only when he reached the forest that Arthur skidded to a stop, his chest heaving as he tried to suck in a huge lungful of air, the sweat pouring off him and causing his shirt to stick. One glance at the sky showed that he had made it within an even quicker time than he had before and Arthur knew that he had to regain control of his breathing before he could push on. After all, there was only so much he could hide from Merlin. Resting one hand against a tree for support, the King just breathed heavily for a long moment.

Stopping, however, wasn't doing Arthur much good. Even in this part of the wood, there were signs from where the Southerners had approached with their deadly intent to take something that wasn't theirs. Feeling the frustration building up once again, Arthur took safety in the knowledge that he was out here alone. With a yell, he moved away from the tree before spinning back towards it in one smooth movement. Only rather than letting his hand rest against it as a way of grounding himself, Arthur's fist went plunging into the bark. Luckily, he had remembered to let the tension out of his hand at the last moment, so although he split the skin along his knuckles, he didn't do any more lasting damage than that.

The same could not be said for his nerves when he suddenly heard a noise. It was coming from deeper within the trees, but not too far in. What made Arthur's heart pound was the realisation that the noise was human. He was not as alone out here as he thought. Immediately regretting that he had left the sword behind, the King's hands tensed as his eyes darted about anxiously, taking note of everything around him that could be either an advantage or a disadvantage to him if it was someone other than a friend out here. He didn't think it was any lingering Southerners, he had been doing this route every day for over a week now, they weren't that stealthy.

Knowing that he had already given himself away from his yell, Arthur moved swiftly. He wanted to know who it was that was out here this early other than himself. He knew that his knights had been suffering, battling their own personal demons over what had happened, and Arthur knew the chances were that whoever it was had been attempting to seek solace from being in the calmness of the woods, just like himself. Slipping easily from one tree to the next, Arthur followed where he could still hear the noise coming from. As he got closer, the king found that the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up slightly. He had originally thought that maybe it was more than one person - that they were perhaps talking to someone - but as he got closer, he realised that it was something more than that. The sound was deeper, more mystical, and Arthur realised with a jolt that it was chanting he could hear.

Pressing himself against an old oak, Arthur counted down under his breath. He knew that he had to use the element of surprise in order to be able to get the person, especially if magic was involved. A shadow fell from the other side of the tree, a clear sign that whoever it was happened to be standing within reaching distance. Steeling himself, Arthur leapt out from behind the tree, his hand managing to grab fabric of the person's clothing and he jerked them around. Grabbing onto their forearms, Arthur spun them to face him...and promptly let go in shock.

"Merlin?"

"Sire?" It was harder to say who looked more surprised to see the other, but Arthur immediately grabbed his servant, pulling him behind the tree.

"Where are they, you must have seen them?"

"Where are who?" There was nothing but the utmost confusion in Merlin's voice and glancing at him, Arthur knew his servant didn't have the faintest idea what he was talking about.

"I heard chanting, there are sorcerers around."

"Oh, that was me." Arthur felt his eyebrows raising as he glanced at his servant, and sure enough, the man's normally pale complexion was tinged ever so slightly pink. Arthur glared.

"You were chanting?"

"No!" Merlin's quick protest was so loud that Arthur knew if anyone else had been lingering around, there was no way that he could take them by surprise. "I was, um..singing?"

"You were singing?" Merlin nodded enthusiastically.

"I was gathering some herbs in the forest for Gaius, especially as he still isn't up to it just yet. But there was something so peaceful about being here, in the sunshine on my own that it just kind of...slipped out?"

"You weren't on your own though." Arthur scowled, forcing the tension to leave his body and his hands to unclench themselves. He took a few steps away, not wanting to admit that there was something about this place that made him feel...well, he didn't know what it made him feel. If pushed, Arthur would have said that it almost felt magical. But there was no way that he was going to admit that out loud, for it was feeling like the same sort of magic he had felt in the clearing where he had pulled the sword free. It was the sort of magic that he could honestly say made him feel safe. It was why he would never be able to mention it out loud.

"Well, how was I to know that, you're early." Merlin seemed to cringe as Arthur turned to look at him, and this time, there could be no denying the flush working his way up his face.

"I'm early?" Arthur said slowly, a niggling doubt beginning to work its way into his mind. Merlin had been getting earlier in arriving at his chambers, Arthur had only just been making it back in time. But what if that hadn't been anything to do with Merlin getting up earlier – Arthur had given up on that as a lost cause years ago – but because whatever it was that he had been doing was taking less time.

"You know, you normally don't get here until about a half an hour after the sun is up, and... I'll just shut up now?"

"Oh no, please, keep talking." There was a warning note in Arthur's voice that implied his words were more of an order than a suggestion. "Why is it precisely that you know what time I get to this point? How..."

Arthur paused, grabbing Merlin by the front of his jacket and practically slamming the slighter man against a tree. He should have known that Merlin would have realised that he had been up to something, and he wasn't sure how that made him feel. He had been trying so hard to make sure that he kept up the look of being strong in front of his men, even his queen. He couldn't afford to be weak, not after everything. He wasn't sure if he felt ashamed or relieved.

"How do you know that I would even be out here? Have you been following me, Merlin?" Despite his own anger, he hadn't expected the familiar defiance to leap into Merlin's eyes. Over the years, he hadn't had to defy his master quite as much as he had done at the beginning, and Arthur knew that was partly because he had matured and begun to think through his decisions a little more. Yet right now, his servant looked as annoyed as Arthur was feeling.

"Not everything is about you, Arthur." Merlin shrugged off the loosening grip that Arthur had on him and walked a couple of steps away. Despite the fact that Merlin had just turned his back on his king, Arthur let it go. The lanky man clearly had his arms folded across his chest if the way his shoulders were set was anything to go by and he had one shoulder resting against a tree, propping him up. "Camelot is my home as well, you know."

Something stirred unbidden in the back of Arthur's mind at Merlin's words. Something about his servant once confessing that he wasn't sure if he had found somewhere that he belonged. Did that mean he truly felt like he did belong in Camelot? Despite himself, Arthur found that thought alone caused him to smile softly. Everything he had thought he had known in Camelot had been ripped from him in the last few years, everything apart from Merlin. Even Gwen had changed in those years, from Morgana's faceless maid to his Queen. Yet Merlin was still just Merlin.

"It hurts me to watch her burn like that in the same way that it does the knights and you. I know that none of you are coping, not even you, Sire. I know full well that you are out here before dawn each and every day, trying to prove yourself to a piece of straw. Does it help, Arthur? Does it make you feel any less frustrated or helpless at the fact that we were forced to run?"

At some point whilst he had been speaking, Merlin had spun to face Arthur, his hands falling back down to his sides. Arthur was surprised to see that his fists were clenched in a similar way to how Arthur's had been earlier, and there were tears in his eyes. It wasn't the sort of tears that Arthur could mock him for, but ones that he understood. Sheer and utter frustration.

"No." He admitted softly, not even attempting to pretend that Merlin had it wrong. "She still fell. I was still too slow, too weak in order to protect the one thing that I vowed I would give my life for."

"Sometimes living for what you believe in is harder than dying."

Arthur blinked, not being sure whether that had truly been his servant that had spoken. He wasn't sure that he would ever truly figure the man out. Sometimes he came out with things like this, and other times, he was practically the same gangly youth that had come stumbling in through the city gates just in time to insult the second most important person in the kingdom.

"Should I have died for her?" Arthur mumbled, avoiding Merlin's eye and staring back at the castle. Even damaged, even knowing that Morgana had sat on his throne and tried to declare herself queen, Arthur didn't think he had ever seen a sight so awe-inspiring.

"No." Merlin's voice was quiet, almost thoughtful."Your destiny is far greater than just being King of Camelot, Arthur. You showed that in the woods when you drew the sword out. This is only the beginning for you. If you had died, the things you will do, the things that you will achieve, all of that would have been lost too. But I should have."

The last part was added on so quietly that Arthur blinked in astonishment, not being sure whether he had truly heard it or not.

"Why the hell should you have died for her, you're just a..."

"Just a servant? Is that truly how you still see me, Arthur? You stopped seeing Gwen like that a long time ago, yet have I really not come on anywhere in your eyes?"

"You know you have." Arthur was fully aware that the conversation was now just bordering on awkward, and he wasn't quite sure how he should be dealing with it. Luckily, Merlin shot him an amused grin.

"I'll always be your servant, just admit it."

"Exactly. You never seem to realise just how important and influential that role is." Arthur knew that Merlin had never understood the true privilege he had been granted the night he had saved Arthur's life. It normally took a lot of effort to find someone worthy enough of being granted the honour to serve royalty. Not everyone could be trusted as much as Arthur trusted Merlin. "But why should you have died for Camelot?"

"It might be your job to keep her safe," Merlin mumbled, now purposefully avoiding Arthur's gaze. "You and the knights. Yes, you are all suffering, but at the end of the day, you did your duty. You got her back safe and sound, meaning you didn't fail. But I was supposed to keep you safe."

For once, Arthur didn't comment on it. He didn't make some scathing remark about Merlin not even being able to hold a sword, let alone defend the king. Somehow, he knew the man was wrong. After all, why had he woken up in the woods with only Merlin there if the man hadn't kept him safe? The knights had fallen, the citadel had fallen, Arthur had been wounded... Yet it was Merlin that kept going, that got the king to safety when all else seemed lost. Deep down, Arthur knew that it was Merlin's words that had kept him fighting, given him the strength to take Camelot back.

"You did." He practically whispered. This was a far stretch compared to how the conversation had started out, yet Arthur knew that it needed to be said. For both of their sakes, they needed to admit what happened. "You kept me going when all else seemed lost. You saved my mind from giving up completely, and never underestimate just how powerful an act such as that is."

Merlin slowly turned to face Arthur properly, no hint of mirth in his eyes as he looked at his king.

"Are you okay, Arthur?"

"No." If someone had asked Arthur a few years ago whether the only person he could truly be truthful with was his servant, he would have laughed at them and had them arrested for sheer stupidity. But right now, he couldn't think of anyone else he would be able to say the words to, not even Leon. "But I will be. I have to run, I have to take it out on straw as you rightfully pointed out, because I failed in protecting her. I have to pay the price for that, the way Gwaine fought monsters in his head and I left Leon in the middle of the town. It's simply something that I have to do. But I will be alright."

Merlin nodded, a small smile on his face and turned away again. Arthur wasn't finished though, and reached out to grab his arm. He had already crossed the line long ago with things he felt comfortable saying to Merlin, ever since he had heard the chanting in fact.

"Are you?"

Something in Merlin's face seemed to light up at the question, but rather than the energetic nod Arthur was expecting, Merlin simply sighed.

"Like you, I will be. But I have to come out here each morning. I have to pr...pick herbs." Arthur pretended not to notice Merlin's slip, or the way his eyes flickered down to the floor before meeting Arthur's gaze again. He had learnt long ago that Merlin was hiding something, and knew full well that although you could read how the servant was feeling just by glancing at his face, you only saw what Merlin was prepared to show. He was an open book, but the page was one of his choosing, and no one could turn it without his express permission.

"For Gaius?" Arthur asked gently, a soft smile on his face. Merlin echoed his smile.

"For Gaius." The two men simply looked at each other for a long moment, understanding in their eyes. Maybe neither had quite uttered the whole truth, but they knew they other was more than aware of that. There were always going to be things that could never be said between them, and this was just one of those things. But the important bits had been voiced, the understanding that neither of them were quite there yet, but that they would be given time.

"Come on, you need to get me breakfast." Arthur eventually muttered, turning away and beginning to walk back towards the castle. For some reason, he didn't feel the urge to sprint it this time, didn't feel the need to outrun the demons that had been chasing him ever since Gwaine had announced that the city was under attack.

But as he walked, Arthur didn't look back. For he was sure that if he looked back, he would see Merlin doing something that he wouldn't understand, wouldn't be sure if he wanted to understand. His servant had come out here for a reason, the same as Arthur. The hope to be able to do something alone. Just because Arthur no longer had that pressing desire in the same way now that they had talked, it wouldn't be right of him to assume that Merlin felt the same. So he gave his servant a few moments of privacy and simply walked away.

For his part, Merlin let his eyes flash and finished placing the wards that would warn him in future of enemies approaching. The magic rolled off him even as he cast an anxious glance towards Arthur. As the protection was put in place, he was sure that he saw the King shiver ever so slightly. But as Arthur didn't falter in his step, Merlin bent down, grabbed the first plant he saw and hurried after his king.

"Gaius." He muttered with a shrug when Arthur glanced at his hand. It was only then that Merlin realised he had picked up nothing more than a common flower, yet Arthur didn't say anything.

Side by side, the king and the warlock strolled casually back into the castle they knew that, without the other, would have been lost.

The end.