This is the end, you guys. Thank you so much for your reviews and for reading this story.

Back to the Start

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive
Your darkest moments

Her eyelids feel heavy as she wakes in the morning. Her sleep had been plagued by magic, sorcery, seeking vengeance, destroying everything she holds dear, and finding herself in a strange land with mechanical carriages and large, imposing buildings. But most of all, she was haunted by blue eyes. A boy, no man, who held her heart. She thinks her strange dreams must be a result of the execution she witnessed yesterday. Yes, that must be it.

She thinks of the blue eyed man and she laughs to herself. He was probably a random person in the crowd during the execution. Yet she feels as if the man in her dreams knows her too well. It's silly. She has never met him before. No one could understand her so well, so completely. She supposes it's just her imagination running away with her. After all, who actually had a name like 'Merlin'? She stretches back onto the silken sheets and pillows, feeling worn and tired. Just how long has she been asleep?

"Good morning, my lady," a knock at the door. It's Gwen. Morgana smiles at her friend and maidservant.

"Morning, Gwen," she greets, watching as the girl arranges a light breakfast (or is it lunch, now?) on her table. She's smiling brightly, nearly humming.

"What's gotten you so happy today?" Morgana asks with a small grin.

"Oh, nothing. I just met Gaius's new apprentice today. He's nice," she blushes.

Morgana's smile falters, ever so briefly. She doesn't know why, but her heart feels heavy.

"Oh?"

"His name is Merlin. He's funny. And brave. He stood up to Arthur," she begins to gush.

Morgana's stomach clenches. Merlin. So her dreams are becoming reality? The thought terrifies her. That means that she's a witch, a sorceress. A small shiver runs through her spine. Uther would have her head.

"Are you alright?" Gwen asked, noticing her mistress's faraway stare.

"Fine, just fine," she slips off of the bed, putting her dressing gown on over her nightgown.

She sits down at the table easily. As she picks up the cup full of tea, she winces. There's a deep cut on her hand, and she doesn't know how it got there. Perhaps she injured herself when practicing with a sword, and didn't notice until now. Yes, that's it.

Gwen goes into the washroom to draw her a bath and Morgana is left alone to think. Merlin. Why does she feel that all of this has happened before? She bites her lip, unable to eat. She resolves to go to Gaius to get a new sleeping draught, and to meet the man who infiltrates her dreams.

She hears the door open and assumes it's Gwen. Tonight's the banquet, and she's complaining about Arthur. Does she always have to go with him to events? Can't she just hear the Lady Helen's singing without Arthur and his bored expression sitting next to her all night?

"...the man's a total jouster," she complains as she walks behind the screen. Just as she's about to pull her dress off, 'Gwen' clears his throat.

"Ehm, my lady, I'm sorry to bother you, but Gaius sent me with a sleeping draught," his voice sounds familiar, if not hurried and apologetic. Comforting, like home. Morgana peers from behind the screen. She lets out a little gasp of breath upon recognising him. He's the man of her dreams.

She steps out from behind the screen, openly staring at him. He does the same, mouth nearly agape as she searches her face intensely. Her hand with the cut stings, and she brings it up in front of her. He mimics her actions and she sees that he too has a deep gash across his palm. Green eyes meet blue, and something clicks.

"I've brought you a sleeping draught," he stutters, handing her a small vial.

Their eyes are still linked, and when she touches his hand, a spark ignites.

"Merlin," she whispers. Her mind reels back to bumping into the man outside of a bookstore, him catching her.

"Morgana," the corners of his lips quirk upwards into a small smile. He looks at her as if he knows her, inside and out. She licks her lips, nervous. Her hand shakes, causing the vial of sleeping potion to swirl about.

She fights the urge to throw herself at him, hugging him tightly. Tears sting her eyes. She remembers a spell to make them forget. But they don't.

"Sorry, my lady. I should get back to Gaius, and you should get back to, well," he swings his arms towards the screen. It's like whatever recognition he felt disappeared completely. She bites her lip.

She nods briefly. She turns away, and lets out a small gasp upon seeing herself with Merlin on her bed, skin on skin. Her cheeks flush and she hears his footsteps lead away. She doesn't want him to leave. She remembers. Modern day London, her revolt against Camelot. Her deception. She remembers it all. She must be mad, but she remembers. She whips back around and grabs his wrist.

"Is it really you?" she asks, hands moving, cupping his cheeks.

He nods wordlessly, breathing heavily.

"Do you remember me?" she asks, biting her lip.

"I don't know what to remember," he blinks, thousands of years worth of memories fighting in his brain for dominance.

"Merlin," his name rolls off her tongue easily, "remember."

Her fingers rest on his forehead, and her magic flows through her fingertips and to Merlin, calming his memories, restoring them.

"Morgana," he whispers painfully. His head felt heavy, overloaded. His eyes open before screwing shut. He goes limps and lands with a thud on the floor. Morgana lets out a yelp, sliding onto the floor next to him. So this was the price for remembering? The price for getting another chance? If this way the price she has to pay, then she doesn't want it.

Morgana panics. She only has two lives worth of memories to sort in her brain, whereas Merlin's lived countless lives, and is now back at the beginning. Their memories had to be gone because their minds couldn't handle it. He doesn't move and his skin is burning up.

"No. No, no, no," she murmurs, pressing her forehead against his. She tries to absorb his memories to ease the pain. Image after image hits her, making her dizzy. No wonder he collapsed under the burden of all those memories. She kisses the top of his head, murmuring words she didn't quite understand, but knew anyway.

Both open their eyes at the same moment, green and blue mere centimeters away from each other. He gasps for air and hugs her tightly.

"I am never forgetting you again," he mumbles into her hair.

"You didn't forget," she breathes heavily. He really didn't forget. He just needed a jumpstart on his memories.

"What if the spell didn't work? What if we're doomed to repeat everything," she murmurs quickly, panicked. Her mind is suddenly blurred and hazy. It's a feeling she knows all too well.

"That's not going to happen. We know each other, we trust each other. I have nothing to hide from you," he runs his fingertips down her shoulders.

"And I, you," she smiles, "how'd you know where to find me, before?" she refers to the far-away future.

"I will always find you," he grins, "even if I have to wait a thousand more years."

He leans his head down and presses his lips to hers. She wraps her arms around his neck, on the verge of tears. They were going to fix this. Camelot would be great once more, and they would be together. Always.

It takes all of her self restraint not to stare at him from across the banquet hall. He looks ridiculous in that hat with the feather, but he's beautiful nonetheless. She wears her dark pink dress, the one Uther finds scandalous. She sends a pitying, if not slightly hateful, glare towards her ward. If he only knew of the destruction and hatred that caused (will cause, now) her heart to harden, maybe he would be a better man. She doubts it.

She's wandering the perimeter of the grand hall, carefully getting closer to Merlin. Arthur makes an annoyed face from a few feet away, as he speaks to Sir Leon and Leon's father. Morgana laughs silently at his misfortune. Sir Leon is a kind, honourable man. His father is very much the same. Except, of course, Sir Leon is quiet and soft-spoken, while the elder man could speak for hours on end.

She keeps her pace, watching as Gwen and Merlin chat easily. She can't help but feel a bit jealous of Gwen, but then remembers that she's the once and future queen. She smirks. She'd rather Gwen marry Arthur, so long as she keeps away from Merlin. Gwen goes to refill goblets with wine, leaving Merlin standing alone in the corner. When she knows no one is looking, she grabs his arm, startling him.

"Mor-er, my lady," he's a bit bewildered, and the hat slides down onto his forehead.

"Meet me on the balcony in ten minutes," she whispers, before gliding away as if nothing ever happened.

Merlin stares after her. She is going to be the death of him.

Exactly ten minutes pass. Merlin steps onto the balcony, startled when Morgana's arms wrap around his waist from behind.

"We're going to get caught," he whispers. He's a bit concerned and afraid of the wrath of Uther Pendragon, but he's feeling careless. He refuses to hide his magic for longer than absolutely necessary. Soon, he will tell Arthur the truth. He's already wracking his brain, trying to figure out the best way to do so. First, the prince must trust him, so maybe in a year. If not more...

"Let them catch us," she smiles, turning around to face him. She stands on her toes, kissing him softly. Their foreheads touch and he lets out a breath of contentment.

"We need to start planning," he bites his lip.

"If memory serves correctly, Nimueh will be back soon," she furrows her brow.

"I'm guessing I can't kill her this time," he says sardonically, recalling how he struck her with lightning.

"No. Not this time."

Music starts from inside, the Lady Helen taking her place singing. Merlin pulls her into his arms and they sway, hearing her voice. Before she even has a chance to relax in his arms, his eyes widen.

"That's not Lady Helen, remember? It's Mary Collins," Merlin releases her from his hold and she stares at him, puzzled, before bits and details of the evening come to light.

She cast a sleeping spell on everyone to kill Arthur. A son for a son. Before she can react, Merlin's already back inside, stopping the witch, saving Arthur's life (again). Uther is feeling kind, and lets Merlin be Arthur's manservant. Morgana snorts. Who would want to be the prat prince's manservant is beyond her. She glides into her place at the table as if nothing happened, and Arthur pouts at Merlin, of all people, being his servant. She fights a laugh and smiles charmingly.

"Oh, cheer up Arthur, at least you're not dead," she points out teasingly, "he saved your life."

His eyes narrow and he shakes his head at his foster sister. She grins and out of the corner of her eye she can see Gaius and Merlin speaking quietly, Gaius obviously upset. Her smile falters and she tries to calm herself down. Gaius leaves Merlin side and he sighs, turning around. He catches her eye and smiles. She smiles back brightly.

They were going to do things right, this time. Camelot would prosper with her and Merlin's help.

Emrys and Morgana le Fay, helping King Arthur lead Camelot into its Golden Age. It will happen, if it's the last thing she does.

The end. Thank you so much for reading this and sticking with me, the whole way through. So everyone's basically back where they were in the first season, except for Morgana and Merlin, who went through it all already. Please review and let me know what you think.