Epilogue

It was over and done. When they had returned to Camelot, Merlin had rested for only a day, much to Gaius' discomfort, before returning to the sea of Meredor, to find Kilgharrah and hide the horn once more. Its new place was a natural cave high inside the white rocky cliffs on the beach. The only way to get there was on the back of the dragon.

Arthur's quest might have been a disaster, as the king had called it, but to Merlin it had been most successful. The Dragon's Horn was safe once more, and he was slowly but surely building up a sense of trust with Mordred. The boy begging him to kill him was still fresh in Merlin's mind, and this might well have been the turning point for both of them. Mordred had not only saved him, he had wanted to lay down his life for Arthur. This confession had touched Merlin's very soul.

Gwaine had promised them to keep their secret about the dragon, which was good. He definitely trusted the knight to do so. One day he knew he had to tell him more, because Gwaine was really starting to get too curious about certain things, and it was only a matter of time before he found out.

On their way back home from the mines, Mordred had started to open up to him, and this was mutual. Not that they could speak about the vision or what really happened to the horn with Arthur nearby. It was a secret not only Merlin had to keep, but this time he could share it with someone. He certainly hoped together they could beat the odds, and become real friends. He knew Mordred had wanted this for a long time, and it felt good to be able to give in, and go with his gut feeling. No matter what Kilgharrah said, he knew he was doing the right thing.

The courtyard of Camelot looked more like a welcoming home then before. It had looked so bleak and uninviting when they had returned from Ismere. When his horse came to a halt, it was Mordred standing there. He must have seen him riding up to the city, and it was clear to Merlin he'd been waiting for him when he took the reins, impatiently lingering for the warlock to dismount.

"Is it in a safe place?" Mordred asked, and Merlin knew he meant the horn. They revered to it as 'it' whenever there was a chance they were overheard. And in Camelot the chance was always very real. The way Mordred whispered made Merlin smile. It had this enthusiastic tone to it, that he would not have heard before the quest for the horn. Maybe he'd just been blind to the positive sides of the druid boy, only thinking about the vision, and a way to stop Arthur from trusting Mordred.

Merlin had been terrified, finding out that Mordred had seen the vision as well. He didn't know how he himself would have reacted, if it had been him killing Arthur. Mordred was surprisingly calm about it now. Very determined to beat the odds and make his own future. Beating destiny, a dangerous game they were both willing to play. And after saving both Arthur and his life, Mordred at least deserved the chance to show them he could be trusted.

"Yes, it's in a safe place."

"That's good."

"Yes, it is." Merlin wasn't quite ready to slap the younger man on the back, but the tension that had always hung between them was all but gone. Washed away by the salty waters of the mines of Huail. It felt like a new beginning, almost.

"Want to tell me where?"

Merlin hesitated, not quite certain if he should tell it to Mordred. The less people knew about it, the better. This should really be his secret to keep, and sharing magical related occurrences was something so completely new to him, he didn't even know if he could. Although, this was a good place to start doing so, to fully ignore the wall he'd raised around himself for years.

"Do you trust me?" Mordred extended his hand, a look of expectation on his ever so serious face, his blue eyes shining with hope.

It didn't take long for Merlin to grab it, while he gave it a firm squeeze. "Yes, Mordred, I do."

The smile he got in return was enough to make the day a whole lot brighter. Destiny had showed them what was in store, but that didn't mean they couldn't change it...

In the end it was Merlin's firm belief they only had to share their secrets and stand together.

The End