How Merlin Should Have Ended

The Change

When there was no longer any risk of Arthur bleeding out, Merlin lifted the restriction spell around the king's bed. He fully expected Arthur to reprimand him for this offense and had been prepared to take whatever punishment his friend wanted to dish out. To his great surprise, Arthur's big punishment was to wrap his arm around Merlin's neck and rub his knuckles against the top of Merlin's head vigorously. The slight soreness of his scalp seemed a small price to pay for Arthur's renewed good health.

Once the king was done dishing out punishment, he set about the task of planning the funerals. Word spread quickly of his plan to give Morgana a funeral. It was not a popular opinion with the people, though Merlin sensed they would get over it eventually. Gaius, however, disagreed.

"She was an enemy of Camelot," Gaius had advised the king the first time he'd announced his intentions to the Round Table. "She's been responsible for many deaths among your people. They will not be pleased."

"Enemy or not, she was my sister," Arthur answered. "And will get a proper burial. We'll put her to rest with dignity for the person she once was, not the person she later became." Gaius gave in at that point, and none of the other knights had spoken up, so they'd moved on to the next matter of the Round Table.

Arthur's plans for Mordred's funeral were universally accepted. Merlin suspected the knights would have wanted nothing less than to honour their fallen friend even if Arthur hadn't insisted on it. Merlin quickly realized that the only way Arthur would have been able to get out of holding a funeral ceremony for Mordred was if he'd told everyone about the druid knight's betrayal, and even Merlin knew that was pointless. As usual, when Arthur followed his heart, he came to just the right decision. Prophecy or no, Mordred wasn't all bad. He had, after all, helped heal Merlin from poison once and saved Arthur's life on more than one occasion. It was best that his friends remember him fondly.

The funeral pyres had been completed the day before, and the ceremony was set for that afternoon. So far, they hadn't seen any of the problems Gaius had predicted. Merlin suspected that the people of Camelot were so relieved to have it all be over that they were putting up with the king's sentimentality over his half sister's death.

Despite the fact Merlin was to attend a double funeral in just a few short hours, Merlin couldn't help but be cheerful, even if he was doing his best to hide that fact. It was over. The prophesied moment had come to pass and everyone he loved was still alive. His friends were happy, magic was accepted, and there was peace in the united land of Albion. He'd achieved everything he'd set out to do almost ten years ago. The relief he felt from this reality was more than he knew how to express.

When he arrived at the funeral, Merlin took his place standing with the knights as they all surrounded the pyres. Morgana's body lay on the pyre closest to him, while Mordred's body was on the adjacent pyre. When Arthur began his speech, silence fell. Even Merlin, who knew the truth about Mordred, couldn't help but be moved by the king's words. It was more than just Arthur who spoke on Mordred's behalf. A few of the other knights had stories to share about the good times they'd had when Mordred was amoung them.

When it was time to speak for Morgana, only Arthur's voice rang out. He spoke of the girl he'd known as a child and of the strong compassionate woman she'd grown into, before mourning the loss of that woman to the hatred that had filled her heart.

"The one I called family died many years ago," Arthur continued his eulogy. "Today we bury an enemy, and mourn the loss of the ally she once was."

Holding his torch high, Arthur moved forward to light Morgana's pyre. The fire caught at once and quickly spread.

There was silence throughout the courtyard as both fires burned. Merlin found himself staring at the flames. He watched as they danced along the logs, their colour changing slightly as they moved. The bright oranges gave way to lighter yellows, and at times there was even a hint of blue to be found in the flames. It was rather beautiful in a morbid kind of way.