The council meeting was as boring as ever thought Arthur. Merlin couldn't agree more, his legs always got so tired at these things.

The lords were discussing the importance of taxes, it was riveting as usual. Arthur looked behind to see that Merlin was ready to fall asleep even though he was still standing. He smirked, Merlin's face looked ridiculous. Arthur had a burning desire to throw something at him but unfortunately the council would frown upon the childish behavior. Arthur would only acknowledge to himself that throwing things at Merlin was childish.

That's when things got a lot more interesting, a man came into the chamber room. It was clear that the man had wealth. He was dressed in imported silks and his face had the softness of a royal. He had black hair, intensely green eyes that emphasized the look of panic on his face.

The knights had immediately drew their swords, they were exceptionally wary of strangers barging into the castle. It always meant danger.

The man immediately put his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "I mean you no harm. I only seek assistance."

Arthur stood up. He surveyed the man, he did look disheveled. He looked around the room the tension was clear. He squeezed Gwen's shoulder reassuringly, and nodded for the knights to lower their swords.

"What is your name?" He asked. Unaware of how Merlin had moved forward, ready for any sign of an attack. Merlin was wearier of an attack than anyone else. Morgana had declared war, this could be a trick.

"My name is Rathor. I am seeking a man in Camelot." Arthur nodded, "why are you in such a hurry?"

Rathor swallowed "it is a long tale but in essence, it is a matter of life and death." That got everyone's attention. "I am a rich man, I use my means to travel the 5 kingdoms where I met someone who saved my life. Thusly I owe him a great debt." That was something almost all the people in the room understood. With the exception on the nobles, they all were extremely uncomfortable and wished to take their leave. Arthur was not a fool to their discomfort and motioned for them to leave.

Now only his most trusted Knights, Gwen and Merlin remained. "Why don't you sit and tell us the rest of your tale Rathor. Perhaps we can help."

He nodded, it was becoming exceedingly clearer that the man was exhausted. "Once this someone saved my life he revealed that he was dying, and furthermore in the act of saving me, he was injured accelerating the process."

Arthur assumed he was here for Gaius, the physicians' skills were well known through the kingdoms. "Rathor I will certainly send for the court physician, just inform us of where this man is? He seems as if he is an honorable man." Arthur didn't notice the flinch at the word man but Merlin did. He had a sinking suspicion this indeed had something to do with magic.

"That is not what I seek. He is content, almost eager to die. He feels his time on earth is over, but before he passes on he asked me to seek out his friend, for he no longer has the strength to call him. He tried without success, so here I am, in search of his friend."

Arthur felt for Rathor, he knew the weight of the obligations to the men whom you owe your life too. It was a heavy burden. "Alright who is this friend?"

Rathor smiled "This is where my story gets even stranger, I was not told of the friends name, but of only a message. I was to deliver it to the king's court. I was told the friend would understand and seek him out immediately."

Everyone was confused, but Merlin who was now alarmed. He was the only one with an identity worth protecting.

Gwaine hated to wait "so out with it man. What's the message?"

"Kilgharrah is at the lake of your loss and love." Merlin went from fear to pure terror. He didn't think that Kilgharrah was close to death, in fact he thought he had time. It took all his will power to not run out at that very moment.

"I do not know this man. Anyone?" Arthur asked, he thought it was most likely Gwaine after all he had been a wander for most of his life.

"No" was the only response. Merlin remained silent, there was no reason for any of the knights to consider him.

"I am truly sorry but if you tell us where to find this Kilgharrah perhaps we can get more answers." Arthur said. He did truly want to help.

"It is alright my lord, I was told to expect this, but the message has been sent and I am not, under any circumstances to tell anyone where Kilgharrah is. I gave him my word. I will be returning to my own castle in Queen Annis' kingdom but please circulate the message. I would not be able to stomach the idea of the message not being received by the mysterious friend."

Everyone agreed on the spot. Gwen offered Rathor a room, but he declined saying he was anxious to return to his family.

Merlin on the other hand was waiting for his opportunity to slip out and see his friend. The minutes seemed to be stretching out on for hours. He felt terrible, he might not make it in time. Just as Merlin was about to run out of the castle regardless of what questions that may be raised, Arthur ended the council meeting.

All the knights were in a rousing debate on who the mysterious friend could be that they didn't notice Merlin sneaking away. Everyone but Mordred.

"Where is Merlin off to in such a hurry?" He asked aloud. He felt that if Merlin was to treat him with such suspicion it was only fair to return the favour.

All the knights looked behind. "No idea, he always seems to be running off somewhere." Gwaine said. He always wondered where his friend went off to but he did work for Arthur. Merlin probably needed the break.

"The tavern most likely, he sneaks off there from time to time." Arthur said. He wondered if he needed a talking too. Over the years Merlin had been going off to the tavern more and more. But then again Gwaine lived there and he was fine.

Speaking of which Gwaine was in the midst of a fit of laughter. "Oh princess I don't know where you get your information, but Merlin never steps foot in the tavern unless we force him to."

Percival had to agree, the little guy never fancied a drink, even after the bloodiest quests.

Arthur was immediately confused. How could that be the case? Where did Merlin disappear to, then? He would be gone for days, Gaius said that he was at the tavern. Why would he lie?

"Does anyone know where Merlin disappears to?" Arthur asked, specifically to Gwen and Gwaine the two of them were the closest to Merlin besides Gaius.

No one said anything. This was answer enough for the young king. It was time for answers.

"Well than what are you waiting for, let's go after him."

Leon was surprised at this, "Sire..."

"He has the annoying quality of following me when I don't ask. Let's see how he likes it." Arthur responded. Gwaine was excited about this, perhaps he would get some insight to his friend. For some odd reason Merlin never made total sense to him.

All the knights and Genevieve, who would not be left behind, went to the stables. John: the stable boy informed them that Merlin had left not 15 minutes earlier. It was now clear to everyone that the mysterious friend was indeed Merlin. But where was he headed? What was the lake of losses? It sounded depressing and gloomy something Merlin was not.

"It should be easy enough to track him." Leon said. Leon had a great deal of respect for Merlin in many regards but covering his tracks was not one of them. Merlin had an uncanny habit of knocking things over. He always left a trail.

Leon soon realized he was mistaken. Once the knights entered the forest they realized that Merlin didn't leave such an easy trail. Percival had to spend several minutes before he picked up the trail. Mordred knew immediately the tracks were being removed with magic, only the faintest traces of broken branches and crushed plant life left any indication of Merlin's path.

About an hour into the journey they had finally caught up with Merlin, he was barely visible beyond the trees. He was just a faint shadow. They all immediately slowed down. For some reason they felt the need to let Merlin do this. He must have gone to painstaking lengths to cover his tracks, it was clear he wanted to be alone.

Whoever Kilgharrah was, he was important to Merlin. Percival knew what lake this was. He whispered "the Lake of Avalon is just beyond that ridge."

All of them knew of the lake. It was known throughout the 5 kingdoms as the lake of the immortals. The Sidhe made their home in the lake.

Everyone dismounted off their horses, tying them down. The rest of their journey was to be made on foot.

Unfortunately for Merlin the knights were quite proficient in traveling throughout the forest quietly as to avoid detection. Gwen too had become accustomed to moving in stealth during her time spent as Morgana's slave.

Merlin saw the Lake come into view. It was still breath taking. Merlin wished that he could just partake in the beauty and not be reminded of the sadness the lake invoked in him. Each time he saw it, he immediately thought of Freya; the love of his life. No matter how hard he wished he would never have a life with her. Lancelot also came to mind, he brought guilt. Guilt; that he didn't stop him from going through the barrier. Guilt that Morgana tore apart a piece of his soul. Guilt; that he had not been able to clear his name. The list was a long one.

But what was most clear was his friend, adviser and kin Kilgharrah was lying in front of the lake. It was obvious that he was dying. It was worse than the last time he saw him. Kilgharrah's color was distorted and green, while his whole body was much thinner. There was a clear stab wound to the right side of his body. It must have been close to his heart.

Merlin's breath was taken away at the sight. Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon reduced to the sickly version before his eyes was unbelievable.

The Knights immediately froze, the dragon! Not in their wildest dreams would they have believed Merlin would be seeking out the Dragon. The Dragon that Arthur killed!

No one knew what to do. Should they confront him? Bad idea. The dragon did look sick, but it was still a dragon that could easily be deadly. Arthur, Gwen and Leon in particular knew the danger it possessed.

They decided silently to listen.

"Kilgharrah I got your message." The dragon opened his eyes. "Merlin, it is good to see you."

Merlin sense of dread increased tenfold. "You called me Merlin, you never do that. Things couldn't get worse could they?" It was clear the pain in Merlin's voice. He did not want to lose another friend.

"Yes I did call you Merlin, for that is one of many names you will be remembered for." If Kilgharrah didn't look so terrible Merlin would have thought everything was normal.

"Please Kilgharrah tell me what to do, I will do it. Let me help you." Merlin pleaded.

"There is nothing you can do, it is my time. I am ready to die knowing that you are ready to embrace your destiny."

"NO! If I am as powerful as you say I am I should be able to save you!" Merlin couldn't take it. For his whole life he had to watch people he loved die without being able to save them.

"It isn't fair that the only life I seem to be able to save is Arthur's." This time Merlin just sounded defeated.

Arthur on the other hand was beyond shocked. What was going on? Merlin powerful, Merlin saving his life and by the sound of it multiple times, it didn't make sense.

Mordred deeply regretted voicing his observation, he may have just destroyed Albion.

"Ah young warlock, don't underestimate the good you have done. You have saved all the Knights lives multiple times, the lives of the citizens of Camelot, the list would go on and on." The old dragon looked as if he was smiling.

The knights and Gwen were in a tail spin. WARLOCK! That meant that Merlin had magic. Magic, Merlin it didn't make sense. What was going on?

"Kilgharrah what did you do for Rathor?" Merlin asked. In hopes he could keep the conversation going long enough for him to convince Kilgharrah to let him help.

"I saw that the boy was about to be killed by a particularly skilled group of bandits, I thought it would be easy enough to stop them. Unfortunately for me one of the men threw his sword it has hit a blood vein. I am slowly dying."

Merlin's face looked even sadder if that was even possible.

"You were ill, why would you risk it?" If Arthur wasn't mistaken he thought he heard a slight hint of annoyance.

"Because of you Merlin, you reminded me of the honor of the noble breed of the dragons. You would have easily risked your life for a stranger. I wanted my last days of life to matter." The dragon sounded like a tired old man. Struggling to prepare for death. No matter how wise a man was, death was the great unknown.

"Kilgharrah you have left your mark upon this earth." Merlin said. Arthur thought so too, all the lives he destroyed. Kilgharrah definitely deserved to die.

"You are the reason that Albion will exist, if it were not for you Arthur and Uther would have died when I came to Camelot. I would never have embraced my destiny."

Arthur was even more shocked if that was still possible. Could he really owe his life to the creature that terrorized his kingdom?

"Young warlock I doubt that. Destiny has a funny way of happening, and you would have saved Arthur's life from Lady Helen even if I had not told you, that the fate of the future rested on your shoulders."

Could Merlin be that important? Did he really save everything? Did he face the burden alone? These questions were going through the silent crowds head and the answer seemed to be yes. Merlin was that great.

"As I recall I said that if anyone wanted to kill Arthur I would help them." Merlin joked but Arthur was extremely angry. Would Merlin have really let him die? Somehow he had already accepted the fact that Merlin seemed to have saved his life multiple times.

"You don't have that evil in your heart, Merlin do not underestimate yourself. This is the reason I sent for you. My time is coming to an end and though I wanted to spend my last moments with you, my friend." At those words Merlin couldn't help the fact his eyes began to water. Even though the relationship had its bumps it was one of the greatest friendships Merlin had ever known, and for some reason fate had to end all of his great friendships in death.

"You must prepare, for Albion is to live or die but the events in the coming weeks. I have complete faith in you but, I can no longer help. It is time you embrace your destiny and become Emyrs." Merlin swallowed. Was he ready?

"Kilgharrah my friend, my kin I will miss you dearly. It is hard to imagine my life without you. Even the times I contemplated leaving you in the cave or killing you, I never thought you would truly be gone..." Merlin couldn't continue. The grief was getting to him. He didn't know how much more loss he could take? He was only one man!

"Young Warlock it has been the greatest honor of my life to help guide you on your path to destiny and I cherish the time with you dearly. You helped me rekindle faith in mankind again. Your mercy was the kindest act I experienced in the past 30 years."

Merlin didn't know what else to do but he went forward and wrapped his arms around the large dragons arm. Though he barely covered a bit of it, Kilgharrah understood. The boy who had become a man was showing Kilgharrah just how much he loved him.

The bond between the two of them was undeniable. No matter the hardships they had faced through the years, they were kin.

"Merlin my time is fading."

"So soon." Merlin's voice was weak as if the world had ended.

No matter the feelings any of the Knights had for Kilgharrah the pain that Merlin was in was heartbreaking. Merlin was there friend. He had done ridiculously dangerous things for the sake of the Kingdom, he had risked his life with the rest of them. Everyone knew his loyalty was with Arthur.

"It is the cycle of life, but it doesn't mean that I will be completely gone from this earth. I will always live on in your memories."

"I don't know why that is meant to be comforting. It just reminds me of what I lost, what I couldn't save. THIS Lake is a monument to my failures, Lancelot and his honor, Freya the love of my life and their deaths just remind me of the long list of others Will, my father, more recently Alator."

"Merlin you have done so much good do not forget that, I as many would gladly die for you, it may not mean much now that I am dying but the sentiment remains. I don't care if you can be an exceedingly annoying boy who loves to challenge and question me."

Merlin had to smile just a little. He wiped his face of the tears that were spilling over.

"Kilgharrah it has been an honor. You will always be my greatest adviser and friend. I will do my best to be the man you think me to be."

"I have no doubt." Kilgharrahs' voice was becoming fainter; he was unable to support the weight of his head anymore. Everyone knew that the dragon had but minutes left.

Merlin thought with all his might and projected memories of their time together. Memories filled Kiligharrah's mind, bringing a faint smile to his face. He was truly touched. He and Merlin shared in the sights of their first meeting, the banter they exchanged, when he freed Kilgharrah, letting him live, the advice over the years, the laughter, Athisua's birth it was all reminisced. The good, the bad, their journey together was remembered.

Kilgharrah's breath started to falter. "It was a...privilege...goodbye...young...warlock"

Merlin couldn't help the tears the spilled over. "Goodbye friend, you are not the last of your noble breed but your are the closest to my heart. I will remember you."

Merlin fell to his knees. His pain couldn't be expressed. The past weeks culminated in this... Kilgharrah dead. He now understood why Kilgharrah came here of all places.

He wanted to be laid to rest in the Lake of Avalon. "Say hello to Freya and Lancelot." Merlin whispered as he lifted the Great Dragon into the lake. As Kilgharrah's body touched the lake, it swallowed him. It looked as if the Lake had embraced the new life. Merlin felt Kilgharrah soul move to the beyond. Kilgharrah rested in peace.

The knights didn't know what to do. Should they go to their friend? It was clear he needed someone. Gwen had dealt with her fair share of grief lately but what would she say? Gwaine just wanted some Ale perhaps that was what Merlin needed. Leon couldn't imagine the burden placed upon the young man's shoulders, how could he say anything that mattered? Percival felt that he would never find the right words. Mordred just felt guilt. He should have kept his mouth shut.

Arthur on the other hand moved forward. It didn't matter to him that Merlin had just broken the most sacred law of Camelot. This was his friend and he was in pain. Merlin may have lied to him but by the sounds of it he was the reason Arthur and Camelot were still standing.

Merlin finally heard the sound of someone approaching but by then Arthur was just a few feet behind him. Merlin had run out of words. He couldn't help but have the fear creep in, he was still to consumed with his grief to react. This was the most pivotal moment in his life and he was crying.

Arthur saw the fear in his best friend's eyes and felt ashamed. Did he live with this fear every day? He sped up and put his hand on Merlin's shoulder in a sign of comfort. This meant more to Merlin than he would ever be able to express. Arthur had in his own way shown him some sort of acceptance.

"Merlin...it's ok." Those three words were the kindest thing Merlin ever heard. Arthur pulled him into an embrace.

Merlin finally had a grip on his emotions, at least he was no longer crying. The rest of the knights and Gwen came out of the forest. All except for Mordred, he waited at the edge. Gwen ran up to Merlin and embraced him. Merlin returned the hug.

The knights nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Though this was one of the hardest moments in Merlin's life this was also one of the greatest. He had finally gotten acceptance from the people closest to him

I wanted to do my own version of the reveal before the series Finale of Merlin

I hope you enjoy :) I would love reviews. And might i say the latest episode was AMAZING! it Blew my mind, so sad its over