A/N: Thanks so much IndiaMoore, Baje Barra, and Inkycat for the reviews! Well, this is the last installment. Thanks to everyone who has been reading or who just found it, you guys are the greatest. Goodbye for now!

Connotation

~Chapter 16: Epilogue~

By Fox

A Week Later

The little troop of four steals into the night, which really goes against one of the group's instincts, but the other three convince him to do it anyway.

They hike, bantering uncontrollably back and forth, to a small, rocky valley a few hours outside of the lower town. Thankfully, they are all dressed for the trip, despite the aforementioned one's protests.

Silently this time, and without call, Kilgharrah circles the valley where one of the group has lit a fire and lands, peering at the pack of four who have the threads of destiny wrapped around them like spiders in a web.

Merlin and Gwen are the most at ease around the Great Dragon, Merlin truly surprised that Kilgharrah, as he put it, "is so fond of you, Gwen". Gwen would have put it something like "doesn't want to eat me as much as some other people," but she supposes Merlin knows the dragon better.

Morgana stays stubbornly away from Kilgharrah, but at least it's reciprocated, because Kilgharrah refuses to pay attention to her except to snort puffs of smoke in her direction.

Arthur, surprisingly, hasn't met the dragon before, and so approaches him with a mixture of caution, apprehension, and awe, that melts into annoyance and ruefulness as Kilgharrah spouts off a ballad's worth of poetry on the bond between Merlin and Arthur.

The dragon watches as Morgana awkwardly hugs Arthur, nods jerkily at Merlin, and gives another hesitant hug to Gwen, then drags her feet over to him.

She climbs onto his back, settles on his scales and holds onto a sturdy spike in front of her for dear life, though they aren't even in the air yet.

Gwen, Merlin, and Arthur watch and wave as Kilgharrah takes flight, Morgana flapping a hand over the side quickly then huddling as close as she can to the scales, and then the strange duo disappears into the night.

Merlin hugs Gwen and Arthur claps her on the back and promises her a knighthood, and then they put out the fire so as not to burn down Camelot just after Gwen has saved it. They make tracks for home trying to explain to Arthur why Merlin is a warlock and Gwen is a sorceress but they can both do magic, and it ends in a small scuffle which Arthur refuses to admit he lost.

And when Gwen jumps on the chance to show off and heal a scratch on Arthur's arm and they both look suitably impressed, she thinks maybe this whole "saving the day" thing might not be so bad after all. Far away, and very faintly, the dragon roars.