A/N- And here we are, the real end. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!

"You're late again, Merlin."

"Sorry, sire." Merlin clumsily came into Arthur's chambers, holding a tray of food and something else wrapped in a cloth in his hands. He also had an odd look on his face, Arthur noted. One of those mischievous grins he often had.

"How was your trip?" Merlin had recently made a journey back to Ealdor for his Mother's birthday.

"It was…interesting." Merlin set the tray down on the table in front of Arthur, but kept a hold on the strange parcel he was carrying.

"Interesting? How so?"

"Well, Mother thought that while I was home, we would go through some of my old things." Merlin sat down across the table from Arthur, completely ignoring proper customs. Arthur shook his head, but didn't comment. "And I found this."

He pushed the covered package over to Arthur. Arthur stopped eating and picked it up.

"What is it?"

"Open it." Arthur did so and stared.

"It's… a book?" The book looked old and worn, like it had seen many years of use.

"Look on inside." Arthur opened the cover and saw it was a book of children's fairy tales. As he flipped through the pages, a faint recognition stirred in the back of his mind.

"I know this book. Why do I know this book?"

"It was yours."

"Was mine? What are you doing with it?"

"You gave it to me." Suddenly, everything clicked in Arthur's mind. The memories of running away, meeting his friend, having adventure. That was Merlin? The same Merlin sitting across from him right now, with a stupid grin on his face?

"Do you remember?"

"It was you?"

"Apparently. Mother never told me until we found the book. She hadn't wanted it to get in the way of anything and thought it would be better if we remembered it ourselves."

"That was your Mother?" Arthur was still trying to grasp all the information he had just been presented with. Those thoughts and memories were there still, just a bit out of reach. He could recall some clearly, and others were shrouded in fog.

"Yes. Arthur, are you alright? Oh, I should have warned you! Gaius said I should have, but I thought it would be more fun this way."

"More fun? "

"Yes, you should see the look on your face, it's priceless."

"Really? So is a decent servant."

"Wow, that hardly even makes sense."

"Shut up Merlin." They sat there while Arthur digested everything.

"Do you remember the time we fell in the creek?"

"Yes! Mother got so mad. And then you couldn't believe it when you got sent to the corner."

"Well, I'd never been punished like that before!"

"Wait, do you remember that first day when we raced?"

"Maybe…"

"I won! I remember now! You tripped and I beat you, Arthur Pendragon!" Merlin had a look of triumph upon his face.

"Merlin." Arthur's voice was low and dangerous.

"Yes, Arthur?"

"If you ever speak to anyone about that, so help me God, I will kill you."

"Understood."

They sat in silence again, until Merlin couldn't stand it anymore. "You called me your friend."

"What? I did no such thing."

"Sure you did. When those boys were harassing me, you stepped in and called me your friend."

"You must be imagining things Merlin. I would never claim to be friends with such an idiot."

"Oh, come on Arthur! That same day you helped me with my ankle? Remember? I fell out of the tree and sprained it, or something."

"I remember. You were as clumsy then as you are now."

"And you're a bigger prat now than you were then."

"Hang on-"

"At least back then you were trying to be normal.'

"Because I had run away from home! I couldn't very well run around talking about how I was prince! I would have been sent home right away."

"Alright, whatever you say Arthur, but seeing you try and wash dishes was one of the funniest things I've ever seen."

"Well, speaking of washing things, I have a few extra chores for you to do today…" Merlin groaned.

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-princessmelia