A/N: Last chapter. It's been a pleasure to write this alongside all of you wonderful reviewers, who've given me some great feedback. Glad y'all enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it! Seeing as this is the last chapter, I'm going to give you a summary of the sequel to Trust, A Second Chance.

'Everyone had someone, everyone but him. Amid his family in Camelot, Merlin suffers from loneliness. When a noble family arrives at Camelot, a familiar face gives Merlin hope, but ulterior motives and a plot against Camelot and Merlin himself leaves the warlock fighting for everything he holds dear – even that which he thought he'd lost.'

Yup. That's it! A Second Chance takes place approximately one year after Trust. Arthur will be more of a secondary character in Second Chance (sorry, Arthur fans – but don't worry, he'll still be there) and Gwen will appear more. Merlin will be the star role (obviously) as Camelot's Court Sorcerer, (Warlock?) and Aithusa will make an appearance as a grown dragon. There will be a villain, a plot against Camelot, and dark magic involved (like any decent Merlin episode) as well as a canon character who hasn't been seen for a while… I'm sure some of you have already guessed who it is, if you're smart. (I'm sure it'll be blaringly obvious within the first chapter)

But I'm rambling about something I haven't posted yet! So, thank you all, here's the Epilogue!

The feast that followed was a strange experience for Merlin. He was used to standing at these events, scrambling about with a pitcher in hand, but presently, he was seated at the place of honor at Arthur's right hand side with his mother at his own right. Naturally, Gwen had taken her place on Arthur's other side, and the knights lined the tables near to them. Gaius was at the head of one of the tables, within arm's reach of Hunith.

The crowd of onlookers and well-wishers all seemed to want to congratulate Merlin at the same time. The result was an incoherent roar of words Merlin only thought he understood until the next round of gabble hit his ears. The ceaseless talking and celebratory cheers thrown at him continued for some time, until Arthur, much to Merlin's relief, stood and raised his hands for silence. The room quieted down and waited for their king to speak.

"This day will live on in Camelot's history as a day when two worlds finally reconciled with one another, the start of a new time; a time of magic and men, together, at peace." Arthur looked about the room and his eyes landed on Merlin for a moment before he continued, "My father said that his crusade against magic was a war. But it wasn't – it was persecution, a persecution that has now come to an end. My only wish is that I had heeded better judgment and ended it sooner.

"But now is not a time for remorse or regret; it is time for celebration. I want everyone here, everyone in Camelot and beyond to know that from this day forward, all people of magic need not live in fear as have for so long, that they may find safety, acceptance, and freedom within these walls as citizens of Camelot.

"In the future, I hope that we may come together again as we have tonight, magic and non-magic folk alike, to celebrate our peace and friendship," he looked at Merlin, "for many years to come. So let us begin this new era with a time of fellowship, a feast: the feast of Emrys." Arthur tried not to smile when he saw Merlin's startled expression in his peripheral. "It is only fitting, of course, that Emrys himself would open the celebration with some magic of his own." He turned to look over at Merlin where the warlock sat, totally unsuspecting. "Merlin?"

Merlin was a cornered deer. Use his magic? In public? He wanted to hiss a protest in Arthur's direction, but was too gobsmacked to say anything. Magic? To open a feast? What kind of magic? He glanced over at his mother, who still wore the merlin feather in her hair, but she ducked her head as if to say: This is your time, my son. Gaius' eyebrows dictated a similar message. Merlin gulped. All eyes were on him, Arthur watching with particular interest. Time seemed to freeze, just for a moment, and it occurred to Merlin that the tables and fixtures of the room were exceedingly bare. With the smallest of smiles, Merlin looked deliberately at the centerpiece of wildflowers sitting at the king's table.

"Ábræde æleþ blóstme."

A collective gasp rose from the crowd as the flowers sprouted shoots and leaves that spread across the hall in seconds, before the tables, doorframes, and even the chandeliers were all sporting wildflowers of all different colors. There were smiles all around, and a few people applauded. Arthur clapped Merlin on the back before he raised his glass.

"To peace and magic," he said, and the rest of the hall echoed,

"To peace and magic."

"And Merlin!" Gwaine exclaimed after the rest. A round of laughter followed. Merlin blushed and hid his face, but the huge smile gave him away. He stood with the court, and was the first to tip his glass against Arthur's.

As the feast wore on, the food was pushed away to make way for dancing, but Merlin remained resolutely by the sidelines, insisting that his incoordination and lack of instruction would make him a hazard to everyone around him. He smiled as he watched Gwen and Arthur dance together, like the king and queen they were. It was a joy to be by their side; as an ally, an equal. He hoped the coming years would see new familial bonds grow between them. After the song ended, Arthur came up beside Merlin and interrupted the warlock's reverie with a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"That was a pretty trick you did with the flowers, earlier. Gwen seemed to like it." He squinted at his fiancée, who was gliding across the floor and greeting the attending guests with grace and warmth. "You'll have to teach me how to do that sometime."

Merlin snorted. "I'd sure like to see you try, Arthur," He tried to ignore Arthur's offended expression and instead said, "That wasn't a half-bad speech you gave, by the way."

Arthur shrugged the compliment aside, but Merlin could tell he was pleased with himself. "Well, I couldn't have you writing a speech essentially given to you, now could I? I had to branch out on my own writing abilities." He looked especially proud as he said it, but Merlin cocked a speculative eyebrow. Arthur ignored it, but after a few moments of Merlin staring, his expression broke. "Okay. Gwen might've helped."

"Helped?" Merlin was trying not to smile. "How much help?"

"…A little."

"Really."

"…Maybe."

Merlin chuckled, and Arthur sniffed with pronounced royal dignity. After the moment passed, Merlin glanced at Arthur. "Did you mean it, what you said?" He asked, genuinely curious. Arthur turned to face him, serious and not at all embarrassed.

"Every word," he said. The two shared a look, and Merlin nodded. But before he could open that big, wise-worded mouth of his and make any suitably touching, profound comments, Arthur wrapped an arm around Merlin's shoulders.

"Now come on, Merlin. I'm holding this feast in your honor – I named it after you, for Camelot's sake – and I'll be damned if you get away without dancing."

Suddenly every profound thought flew from Merlin's head, and his face went white. "What? No, Arthur, I can't dance!" Sorcerer or not, he was still physically insignificant next to Arthur's strength, and the fact showed as the King dragged him across the floor.

"Sure you can, you're magic, remember?" Arthur reminded him, as if this solved everything. Merlin began to protest, but then, as though by some horrible scheme meant to drag him into the pits of humiliation, Gwen appeared out of nowhere, Hunith close by her side.

"Gwen – mother!" Merlin hissed in protest, but Hunith laughed that musical laugh of hers and took her son's hand and pulled him over.

"Come now, Merlin, it's fine. Your father was the one who taught me how to dance, you know," although touched by this revelation, it did nothing to quell Merlin's fears. "Perhaps I can teach you a thing or two. Come on, then." As Hunith lead her famous, gifted, most-powerful-sorcerer-of-all-time son to the dance floor, Merlin glared over his shoulder at the king. Arthur saw it and smiled wider.

"You're horrid, you know," Gwen told him.

"Then so are you," Arthur pointed out. She smiled and took his arm.

"Look at him. Emrys, the all-powerful sorcerer, can't even dance without stepping on toes." Indeed, at the moment, Merlin was wrestling with his robes and his own feet as his mother patiently showed him the steps. "Merlin, Emrys… They're one and the same, aren't they?" she looked up at Arthur, who was still watching Merlin.

"It's always been him, just him – whatever his name is now."

"Merlin Emrys, perhaps?"

"A surname?" Arthur looked down at his fiancée.

"Why not? It suits him."

"Merlin Emrys," Arthur repeated pensively, looking back up at his old friend. "Court Sorcerer. Does have a certain ring too it." Gwen agreed. "Not so much as Queen Guinevere Pendragon, mind you." Arthur added with a smirk. To his delight, Gwen blushed that beautiful, sun kissed shade of pink. Shifting the focus from Merlin, he turned and bowed. "Now, milady, may I have this dance?"

"You most certainly may, milord," she said, sweetly placing her hand in his. He smiled, and they went together over to the swirl of dancing couples near the center of the room – a swirl interrupted, of course, by Merlin's bumbling attempt at the waltz. Arthur had a laugh or two at the warlock's expense, but was glad to see his friend learning the steps quickly.

"You know, Arthur," Gwen told him at some point in the dance, "I don't know if you fully realize how much you've done for this kingdom – for him," she nodded at Merlin.

"No," Arthur agreed, watching the back of Merlin's head, "but I do know how much he's done for me." He looked down at Gwen. "The rest of it has years to play out." The couple smiled at each other and floated away.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Merlin had overheard their exchange and was left smiling because of it, even as he tripped over his own foot for the umpteenth time. He knew that, just like dancing, this new era in Camelot's history would come on a learning curve and would take time. However, just as he knew that he would eventually learn to dance, Merlin knew that Camelot would eventually become the land of magic and unity that Kilgarrah had spoken of so many years ago. And no matter how many times Camelot ended up tripping over her own robes and stepping on his toes, Merlin knew one more thing with absolute certainty:

He wouldn't miss it for the world.

finis

A/N: Well, there you have it, then. Hope you all enjoyed it!

And yes, I know the waltz wasn't invented until centuries and centuries later. My excuse? …Magic, of course.

Thanks for reading, and hope to see y'all again when I start to post A Second Chance. Until then!