Merlin looked up from the papers he was reading and leaned back from his desk, stretching stiff muscles. The sun was just beginning to set over the city, and the sounds of the market in the street below drifted in through the open window. He heard a juggler competing with a street magician for the attention and coins of passers-by on the corner, their voices mingling with the talk and laughter of the crowds in the street. The wheels of an old witch's cart rumbled against the cobblestones, weighed down by potion ingredients. Nearby, a farmer sold vegetables to a Druid woman with three children in tow. A man stood outside the shop where he sold spell books, talking with the baker next door. If he squinted against the sinking sun, Merlin could make out soldiers and sorcerers alike, wearing red cloaks and standing side by side on the walls of the city, keeping their home safe. It had taken a lot of work and even more time to make it happen, but magic was finally returning to Camelot. Merlin smiled.

"What are you smirking about? Last I checked, tax records were no laughing matter," Gwen said wryly. Merlin glanced over at the queen, who was sitting behind her own desk with a pile of paperwork in front of her.

"They are when the numbers look this good," Merlin shot back. "It would make you smile too, if you weren't too high and mighty now for a little thing like accounting." Gwen threw a balled up scrap of paper at him, which Merlin dodged, grinning. What he'd said was true: nearly ten years had passed since Merlin's return, and despite all the fears that magic would destroy Camelot, the kingdom was thriving.

"Really, though," Gwen said eventually. "What were you smiling at?"

"Nothing in particular," Merlin said with a shrug. "Just…" He let out a long, satisfied breath. "Things are good."

Gwen followed his gaze out the window down to the market, and a look of contentment settled on her face. "Yes," she agreed. "They really are."

The End

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading! You've been really patient with me, it took me a long time to finish this story and I'm glad that you all stuck around until the end. I hope you enjoyed it!