And here we are, the last chapter. This story has been a complete rollercoaster to write, so thank you so much to everyone who has stuck by me no matter what. All of the reviews, favourites etc have meant the world to me and I appreciate each and every one of them so much.

Hope you like this last chapter.

"Arthur? Arthur, where are you?"

Even to himself, Merlin's voice sounded distant and small. There was no answer. He had no idea if Arthur just hadn't heard him or was unable to respond. The thought made him lurch to his feet. If it was his destiny to protect Arthur, then he wasn't about to fail now. They had survived for this long without anyone finding out about them.

Merlin refused to be defeated after coming this far.

"Arthur?"

"Here."

The voice was weak but it was definitely Arthur. Merlin stumbled in that direction, keeping his hands outstretched in front of him as a way of guiding himself through the fog. He had never seen magic manifest itself like this before and if it had been any other situation, he would have marvelled at it. The power was literally sparking through the air and Merlin knew this was revealing just how powerful he could become.

He didn't have to walk for long before he practically fell over the prince. As he hit the floor, Merlin found it was easier to see and he could just about make out Arthur crouched low, his hand over his arm and his eyes darting about. It was as if he was preparing for an attack. Merlin couldn't blame him; the magic had done nothing but harm Arthur from day one.

"Are you okay?" Merlin muttered, knowing that was a stupid question even as he asked it. He could feel the power racing through his body and the blood trickling from his arm. The fog was thicker than ever and sparks could now literally be seen in it. Now more than ever he was glad they had left the castle, for there was no way they would be able to explain this to the guards. But it felt calmer now he was closer to Arthur, as if this was where the magic had wanted him to be.

"What happens now?" Arthur asked. It didn't escape Merlin's attention that he had avoided the question about him. Merlin made to shake his head, to say that he didn't know.

And then, as he stared at Arthur through a magic-induced fog, he found that he did know.

Leaning forward, he grabbed the prince's arm. Arthur jerked forward, taken by surprise and unable to correct his balance in time. He automatically struggled, trying to pull against Merlin, but the warlock had a strong grip. Wrenching Arthur's arm closer, he repeated the actions of all those years ago and pressed their wounds together.

Instantly, blinding pain shot through him and judging by the yell he heard from Arthur, the same was happening to the prince. But Merlin held on, something deep inside him telling him this was the right thing to do.

He had to reverse the bond before it killed them both.

As he held onto Arthur, Merlin looked up to the sky and gave a yell, his eyes flaring gold. The mist instantly begun to clear as magic –more powerful than anything he had ever used before – flooded him and burst from his body. Sparks danced through the air and nature seemed to react; trees leant closer and flowers bloomed even where they were sitting. Merlin was sure he could hear hooves and wouldn't have been surprised if there was at least one stag in the area. Magic was natural and he was allowing it to pour out of every essence of his being. It was only fitting that nature would react to that.

But just as suddenly as the mist had come, it was over.

Arthur's arm fell from his hand and Merlin toppled backwards, lying in a panting heap on the ground. He didn't think he had ever felt so exhausted in his entire life, and that included when he had been kept as a slave.

After a few moments, he forced himself to look up at Arthur. The man was still sitting there, clutching his arm and staring around with unseeing eyes. He seemed to be in some sort of a daze and Merlin reached out, gently touching him on the shoulder.

"Arthur?" Although both his voice and touch were soft, Arthur jumped violently. He twisted around until he saw Merlin and it was only then that he seemed to relax.

"You're still here."

"Where would I have gone?" Merlin asked, trying to make his voice light hearted but not being sure if he actually managed it. Arthur seemed to realise the absurdity of what he had just said – Merlin had been grasping his arm not even a minute ago – for he blushed a touch and forced his features into a more neutral expression.

"Can't you feel it?"

"What?"

"Exactly."

Merlin waited, but when Arthur didn't seem to be about to say anything else, he gave him a prod with his foot.

"Feel what?"

"I never noticed that I could feel the link between us before. It was just something there in the back of my mind."

Merlin nodded, understanding. He couldn't feel the link until Arthur had pulled on the magic. But even as he thought about it, he had a feeling he knew where the prince was going with this.

"Now I can't feel it at all. Do something magical."

"Are you sure?" Deep down, Merlin knew it would be safe. But Arthur had a feast to attend later that day and the last thing that either of them needed was for him to fall sick after they had been seen fleeing from the castle that morning. Taking another look at Arthur, Merlin suddenly realised the man looked healthy again. Considering he could barely stand not even an hour ago, there could be no denying that something major had taken place.

Arthur didn't answer but nodded. There was a look of anticipation on his face, excitement gleaming in his eyes that he was trying to hide. This would be the first time that Arthur would witness him doing magic without in some way be connected to it if they were right about what had just happened.

Realising this was the first time since he had come to Camelot that he would have used magic for something frivolous, Merlin focused his gaze on the pile of leaves near them and let his eyes flash. The leaves instantly rose into the air, forming themselves into the Pendragon crest before he let the magic fade and they floated back to the ground again.

Merlin, for the second time since they had arrived in the clearing, was left panting.

He hadn't realised that he had felt the restriction upon his magic before he had arrived in Camelot. But it had been years since his gift had felt that light and free. For the first time in years, he actually felt like it could indeed be a gift instead of a curse. But upon realising silence had been the response to his display of magic, he glanced a sideways look at Arthur, worried about what he would see.

Any fears that Arthur would have passed out were soon squashed when he saw the prince staring at the leaves. Even from the angle he was at, Merlin could see the look of wonder on his face and he had to smile. Apart from when Merlin had thrown the stones back in the cell when he had first arrived, Arthur had never seen magic used in such a way. He might have been able to pull on it himself, but they had always worried about the consequences. He had never seen it being used for something fun.

"Arthur?" Merlin's voice was tentative and quiet. He knew not to underestimate quite how important this moment was.

"It's beautiful," Arthur muttered, his voice hoarse and not sounding like the prince at all. But a smile instantly spread across Merlin's face. In that split-second, he had suddenly feared that Arthur had only kept his secret because of the magical bond between them rather than their friendship. But with those words, he was suddenly reminded of an Arthur from years ago who had sworn that his father wouldn't find out about Merlin's powers. It seemed that Arthur was still planning to stick to that promise.

"We should get back." Breaking the moment, Arthur stood up and brushed himself down. Merlin knew his previous thought about not seeing Arthur so healthy in a while was still proving to be true as the man didn't even stumble as he moved towards the horses. For a moment, Merlin couldn't move. He just remained sitting on the forest floor, staring after his master and realising that Arthur still wanted him in Camelot. He wasn't going to send him away just because their bond had now been changed.

It seemed it wasn't just about magic now. It truly was about their friendship.

As Merlin allowed himself to accept that fact, he jumped to his feet and hurried after Arthur. His speed was too fast for his legs, however, and he ended up tripping over his own feet and almost crashing into the prince. Arthur seemed to know it was coming for he turned just in time, catching Merlin around the arm and holding him steady while Merlin regained his footing.

"Thanks," Merlin knew he was blushing at his own act of clumsiness but Arthur just gave him a searching look before mounting.

"Just returning the favour." The reply was so quiet and only sounded once Arthur had begun to ride away. But Merlin knew – when he had convinced himself he had actually heard it rather than it being some trick – that was the closest he was going to get to a thank you. Arthur knew what Merlin had sacrificed for all of this time by not using his magic and now seemed to want to do him a good turn in return.

MMM

"Admit it, you're proud of him."

"I am not." Merlin knew full well the grin on his face was giving away how he was truly feeling. He couldn't hide it from Gwen, not when she was giving him such a knowing smile. But what was he supposed to say? He was proud of the man kneeling in front of the king. Only it wasn't for the reasons Gwen thought. It wasn't because Arthur had stopped being such an arrogant bully. It was because, despite all of his teachings, he had accepted Merlin in a way the warlock didn't think was possible.

"You are, I can see it in your face." Merlin turned to face her, not really caring if she knew that he was lying.

"Those socks are very clean, of course I'm proud of him."

The smile on Gwen's face was enough to tell him it was worth it and Merlin found himself grinning back. After all, what was there not to smile about? He had his friend by his side and the king's ward looking stunning barely a few paces away from him. Gaius was watching the ceremony and even Uther looked proud. And Arthur…

Merlin didn't think he had ever seen Arthur look so princely as he did in that moment, on his knees in front of the king and swearing to uphold the laws. He could tell that Arthur meant what he was saying. But at the same time, he also knew that Arthur knew enough about his own mind to know when someone needed protecting and helping compared to being turned over to the king for almost certain death.

The day had been a strange one. They had both acted like nothing had happened. Luckily, they had made it back from the forest just in time for Arthur to attend the meal with the king so no questions were asked. But it was odd preparing Arthur's clothes for the feast when he felt lighter than he had done in weeks. Considering how Arthur insisted on attending a training session rather than relaxing like he should have been, Merlin knew the prince was feeling the same.

Merlin shifted slightly, wondering how long the ceremony was going to go on for. As much as he was proud of Arthur (and not admitting it), his feet were beginning to ache and his back was stiff from where he had been standing in the same position, holding the jug for hours now. He had tried to move earlier but Gaius had looked over at the moment and given him such a fierce frown that Merlin hadn't dared try again. But Arthur had risen to his feet and was nodding away to the various nobles that he was supposed to win over, so Merlin could only hope that they were nearly done.

He should have realised that by now to be careful for what he wished for.

For no sooner had he finished moaning to himself inside of his own mind, there came an enormous crash. Merlin started, instantly looking to Arthur to make sure nothing had happened to the prince. He knew he couldn't rely on feeling it in the same way anymore, if anything of their link remained, it wasn't strong enough for Merlin to bet Arthur's safety on it. But when he saw the prince was still standing and in the process of drawing his sword, Merlin knew it would be safe to look around.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the broken glass and the large horse stalking down the aisle. He could feel Gwen gasp in horror and shifted so that he was shielding the maid. Not that he was sure what he would be able to do anything when he was in front of the king and however many nobles, but he wasn't about to stand there and do nothing. The black knight rode confidently and proudly, not seeming to notice that every sword in the room was drawn towards him.

Merlin could do nothing but watch as he challenged… Well, Merlin supposed he was challenging Arthur but he couldn't be sure. He didn't know the knights etiquette enough to know whether the young man swooping in to take the gauntlet should have done so or not. Judging by the furious look on Arthur's face, the answer was no.

The rest of the feast was cancelled, knights escorting shaking nobles to their quarters. No one saw there the horse had gone; one moment it was there and the next it just seemed to have vanished. Already whispers of sorcery was flooding the great hall, but Merlin noticed how everyone was making sure they were nowhere near the king when they said it. As soon as Gwen fled to Morgana's side and the two ladies had disappeared, Merlin began picking his way across to Arthur's side. The prince was arguing with his father, but it seemed to be a mixture of wanting to get the king to safety and challenging the fact that Oswald had picked up the gauntlet. The look on Uther's face indicated this was neither the time nor the place and the king had just agreed to be escorted to safety when Arthur turned and saw Merlin.

Merlin thought he was heading towards his master. But no sooner had he taken one more step towards Arthur when the man was suddenly by his side. The grip Arthur had on his arm made Merlin wince, but he knew the prince better than to complain and he let Arthur manhandle him out of the hall. Arthur was also shaking, but Merlin knew it was anger and adrenaline rather than the fear that had gripped everyone else of noble birth. The thought made Merlin smile; no matter what happened, Arthur would never back down from a challenge.

As soon as they were in the privacy of Arthur's chambers, the prince let go and whirled on his servant. Merlin made sure to shut the door – he knew the look on Arthur's face well and knew it meant the prince had no intention of just letting things run their natural course. Not when there was a chance that one of his men could be injured or worse in the process.

"You need to do something."

"Me?" Merlin blurted out, his voice uncharacteristically loud as he stared at the prince. Arthur nodded firmly.

"I can't draw on your power anymore and you using it won't hurt me, therefore it is up to you to do something."

Merlin found himself staring at the man. He wasn't sure what he thought would happen when their link had broken. He knew that Arthur had accepted magic to some extent because otherwise he would have never let Merlin return with him to the castle after the forest. But Merlin hadn't anticipated that Arthur would still be seeing magic as a solution to their problems the way he had before. Merlin knew in that instant that he hadn't just changed Arthur's mind about magic, he had changed his life. No longer did the prince think that hurtling headfirst into the unknown, especially when it was up against something magical, was the best course of action. Instead, he actually seemed to be planning.

Maybe the dragon had been right and this was the way that Merlin was going to be able to keep Arthur alive, even if it was just to stop him being so ignorant. So it was with a smile on his face that Merlin dipped his head in recognition of Arthur's order and opened the door again.

It seemed it was time to forgive the dragon for interfering in their lives and go to him once more for help. For it seemed although his reason for coming to Camelot had been solved, it was his destiny to remain here and serve by Arthur's side, no matter what came their way.

And if he could do that, maybe…. just maybe, magic would be allowed in Camelot one day again soon.

His smile in place and a bounce in his step, Merlin set off to work out the next part of his destiny.