It was only Arthur, Merlin, and the knights that gave Elaine her final farewell. They stood at the edge of the water, her body carefully laid inside a wooden boat. The woman lay on top of her final tapestry, and in her hands they placed her fabric and thread portrait of Lancelot.

It was a somber moment, the lady's final farewell. There were questions and regrets inside the soul of each man that attended. Everyone who is driven to an unhappy end in the name of love leaves sorrow in their path.

"I remember when she was here." Gwaine said, breaking the silence. "I was with Lancelot and Percival at the tavern one night, on our time off. I mentioned Elaine, and Lancelot remarked, 'The lady is beautiful.'"

"But he never would have loved her." Merlin added. "Not how she would have had it. Else perhaps both of their stories would have ended differently."

"Who is to say he wouldn't have?" Arthur asked. Merlin shrugged.

"His own heart above anything else. Perhaps it was too full of someone else, and that is why the mirror began to break."

"Perhaps." Arthur replied, staring at the girl's face. Elaine did not look as if she were dead, merely sleeping. Arthur suspected that perhaps Merlin had had a hand in that. The king gave a small nod in the direction of his men, and Percival approached the boat to push it away. As the distance between the land and the boat grew, Merlin gave a whisper and the boat was set alight in flame.

A few moments were had in honor of the maid, and then one by one the knights turned, effectively making Elaine a thing of the past. Merlin lingered a moment more, staring at the water. He could almost feel Lancelot standing there beside him, and felt a pang of sorrow at the memory of his dead friend. And Merlin wondered, as he stood, what would be the remark of Lancelot, a soul past, and the souls of those yet born, when asked about the Lady of Shalott.

MM

"Are you ready?" Arthur asked. He stood next to Merlin and felt inside of him a swell of pride. Merlin now stood, no longer wearing his servant clothes. Instead he wore a coat of blue velvet, with a belt around it that had been specially made for the occasion. On his feet he wore a pair of brand new leather boots, what Arthur thought to be a nice touch. Standing there he looked, Arthur thought, almost regal.

"I'm ready." Merlin assured him, but Arthur could tell that nerves were eating the man inside out. It made sense of course. It had taken his own best friend far too long to accept his powers, how could expect a whole kingdom of people he had never met to do the same? At this thought Arthur felt a pang of remorse. Whereas Merlin had been quick to forgive Arthur's wrongdoings, it wouldn't be easy for the king to forgive himself. He would never forget the image of Merlin wasting away inside those dratted cuffs that he himself should have cut away at the first given opportunity.

Arthur looked at Merlin, the warlock's grin a mixture of tension of his own brand of stupidity. This is how it should be. Arthur thought. How Merlin should be. And me. Both of us.

Seconds drew out with Arthur lost in his own thoughts, and he noticed Merlin shifting his weight impatiently. The king laughed.

"To be quite honest, I am a bit nervous myself." He admitted. The fall in Merlin's expression confirmed that he had failed in his choice of words. "I mean- not nervous concerning my decision concerning you. Just- how things will be different. Good different, I hope." Merlin smiled.

"The best kind of different." Arthur nodded his agreement.

"Well…. After you then." Merlin gave an obedient nod of the head and turned towards the door.

There was no hesitation, no fear of the future. There was simply this moment, this feeling. No matter how their stories were told in the future, what light they were painted in, or how many tapestries or canvases displayed thousands of different interpretations of their faces; they were there.

The door opened and the men stepped into the shapeless light. They were immortal. They were legend.

OK so turns out this epilogue has been sitting in my computer for months and I have never posted it- and I thought I had. I have vastly improved as a writer since this story, epilogue included, but I am posting regardless seeing as this story had been something I greatly enjoyed and I owe it to the readers, if any are left. Seriously. Even though I haven't written a fanfic in a while I may churn out at least one last Merlin one that has been on my mind, and if anyone wants to stick around to check it out, well of course I would appreciate it- the writing in that one would probably be better. I should say thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed this story. I greatly appreciate everything. It is positive feedback that gives me a spark of hope as a writer, that makes me keep going despite the doubt of it all. So, if anyone is still reading, thank you with everything I have. Though it is belated, that's a wrap!