AN:

I'm a terrible person. This took WAY too long. I'm so sorry people. I hope it was worth the wait..

oh, and this is dedicated to justmeagaininpink whose messages encouraged me to finish this :)

I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. I'm clearly to lazy and they both clearly would have taken much longer to write...

Sorry, please don't kill me.

Chapter Ten: Together At Last

Alined strutted back towards his castle, happy that soon his step-son would be dead. There was no way the damn boy would be able to escape the beast. There was no need for him to remain in the cold snow, watching as Merlin was torn to shreds by the powerful claws and deadly jaws of the monster he sent after him. Thoughts of the carnage that would soon be taking place made Alined pick up his pace, hoping to reach his mirror in time to witness Merlin's downfall. Once the little prince was dead, nothing would stand in his way. He could have all the council members who wanted him deposed banished from his country, after he confiscated their ill-gotten wealth, of course. Catrina would definitely be the first to go.

No one questioned him as he sauntered past the guards, although he did get a few glares from the nobles still in the palace. Their hate couldn't reach him now though, as he practically skipped into the strange building the mirror lead to.

The smug grin in his reflection did not startle him at first, as he felt the same smile on his own face. But, the mirror never smiled. Alined couldn't remember the last time his reflection in the magic mirror had looked anything but bored. Now, it looked practically gleeful, even as the smile from his own face fell into a confused frown. Something must have gone wrong.

"Why are you so happy?" Alined asked, trying to maintain his composure, "Finally decided to help me on my quest instead of constantly arguing with me?"

"Ha!" The mirror cried, in a voice that sent shivers down Alined's back. "No, my poor king. It is finally time for you to pay the price of all the magic you took. Not even Catrina would want you after this."

With that, Alined's reflection morphed into something dark and shadowy, one claw-like hand extending out through the glass of the mirror as Alined watched in horror, unable to move. The dark hand that had broken through the mirror extended towards him, palm splayed displaying a gaping hole in the center, filled with tiny, dagger-sharp teeth. The mirror-creature was grinning from ear to ear as the hand began to pull something from his chest, causing Alined's screams to fill the strange dimension in which the mirror was housed.

As the blinding white light dimmed, Merlin slowly re-opened his eyes. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, afraid that his hunch had been wrong and the terrifying beast was still standing before him, ready to strike. But, when the haze faded from his vision, the beast was gone. In its place stood a figure Merlin had never thought he would see again.

"Father?" Merlin gasped, not quite able to believe what he was seeing. "Is that you?"

The man who had been a beast had been staring awe-struck at his human hands until Merlin spoke, his long-lost son's voice breaking him from his trance as a horse voice murmured "Merlin?"

"Father!" Merlin cried, tears streaming down his face as he flung himself towards his still-living father. Strong, warm arms wrapped around him as he buried his face in the thick coat King Balinor had been wearing when he rode out to face the beast, on the last day Merlin had ever seen him. The familiar sent that surrounded him was so comforting he couldn't hold back another wave of tears.

"Son," Balinor whispered into Merlin's hair, "I'm so proud of you."

"I thought you were dead." Merlin replied, pulling away slightly, so he could better see the face of the man he missed more than any other. "I thought after Mother died, I was all alone. What happened to you? I missed you so much."

"And I you, Merlin. The rumors of the beast in this forest were false. When I went out to fight it I found a strange man waiting for me. He used magic, and the necklace you broke to transform me into a hideous creature, forced to obey his will. I can't believe what a strong man you have grown up to be. But who are these men?" Balinor asked, still clutching Merlin as he turned slightly towards Arthur and the dwarfs.

"This is Prince Arthur of Camelot," Merlin said, pointing out Arthur, "and his bravest knights. Without their courage and friendship, I would have died long ago."

"Then I cannot thank you enough." Balinor said with a smile. "If there is anything you wish for as a thanks, I shall do everything in my power to see that it is yours."

"Actually, sire," Arthur said, stepping towards Merlin nervously, "there is one thing I desire."

To both Arthur and Merlin's joy, Balinor granted Arthur's request, and he and Merlin were set to be married in two-weeks time. Arthur's father, King Uther, had been a little upset that his son had not chosen to marry some fertile young maiden, but after some persuasion from Queen Ygraine, he consented as well.

They had decided to have the wedding in Merlin's home, seeing as they were both their already and Balinor and Merlin were unwilling to leave the kingdom that had suffered so much in their absence. They both spent most of their time discussing how to best heal the wounds Alined had caused their people, neglecting the upcoming wedding. The only way Arthur could get Merlin to focus on their wedding was when he suggested that they open the ceremony to the lower towns that had suffered the most during Alined's reign, feeding them and granting them a day to relax and celebrate the changing times. Both Merlin and Balinor had thought this a brilliant plan, and had enthusiastically thrown themselves into wedding planning.

The dwarfs had all been given rooms in the palace, with promises of as much food and drink as they desired, plus enough funds to re-establish their businesses as soon as the wedding was over. Gwaine, Aithusa, Percival, and Elyan had clearly been making the most of it, and spent most of their time eating, drinking, and exploring the castle, while Will followed with slightly less enthusiasm. Leon and Lancelot often visited Merlin and Balinor, giving advice about how they best thought Alined's actions against people like them should be dealt with. Both had already been offered positions on the new council, which they had gratefully accepted, Lancelot nearly fainting when Balinor promised to knight all seven of them officially as soon as things had settled down a bit.

Alined had not been seen since the day he attacked Merlin in the woods. At around midnight he had been sighted by a nervous handmaiden going into his room, but after that both the prince and the king had come 'back from the dead' and all thoughts of the previous king were lost. Most figured he had snuck out in the celebration, afraid of what the new ruler would do to him after seeing what he had done to his kingdom. Balinor had ordered the guards to arrest him on sight, but had sent no one out to search, hoping that the man would never enter the kingdom again.

The day of the wedding was perfect. As Merlin was slightly younger, he would be escorted down the aisle, leaving Arthur alone in front of a huge crowd as they all waited for his soon to be husband. He was surprised no one had seemed to notice how much he was shaking as he waited for Merlin to walk through the door and to his side. Arthur had almost fallen over when Merlin walked in, looking more beautiful than Arthur had ever seen him. The blush that graced the other prince's cheeks told Arthur that he wasn't the only nervous one, but when Merlin finally reached his side and the priest instructed them to clasp hands, the butterflies in his stomach vanished. As long as he had Merlin, nothing else mattered.

Merlin was pretty sure this was the best day of his life. His father was back, all the dwarfs and his friends from the kitchen were seated in the first rows smiling at him, and he was getting married to the most perfect man in the world. He was so lost in his happy thoughts that he almost missed his cue, needing a nudge from Arthur as a reminder to say 'I do' and swear to love him forever. The entire room exploded in applause as he and Arthur shared their first kiss as husband. As custom dictated, they had to separate to accept the congratulations from the guests before meeting back up in the courtyard where the celebration feast was to be held. Merlin mournfully let go of Arthur's hand as he was quickly surrounded by well-wishers.

Although Merlin was quite happy to hear the joyful remarks of all his friends and other guests, he really wanted to make it through the crowd quickly so he could be reunited with Arthur. He had barely made it five feet when a strangely familiar old man in a dark, dirty, cloak crept up to him, extending a gnarled hand to offer a gleaming red apple and saying "A lovely apple for our newly-wed prince."

Merlin picked up the apple and brought it to his lips, but just before he took a bite he stopped, dropping the apple and removed the hood of the cloak.

Alined was barely recognizable, but Merlin could tell it was his step-father. His face was covered with wrinkles and his skin hung from him in bags, making him look about 100 years older, but it was still definitely the man who had made Merlin's life hell for the past few years. Remembering something the man had said to him on his twenty-first birthday, Merlin leaned down so he was at the same height as the elderly ex-king and said, "It's important to know when you've been beaten, yes?"

With that, Merlin walked away, knowing that in the state he currently was in Alined would be able to do little harm. Whatever he had done to Merlin and his father had clearly taken a toll on him, destroying what little life he had left and leaving only the crouched, crippled husk of a man that was currently limping out of the castle.

Arthur had made it through the crowds much faster than Merlin, even after he was accosted by all the dwarfs, making him swear to treat Merlin well to each and every one of them multiple times. He was about to re-enter the crowded hall when Merlin stumbled into the courtyard, looking slightly haggard, but still incredibly happy. Arthur quickly moved to his side and scooped him up, leading the kingdom in the first of many dances that would stretch on into the night. As they spun and jumped Arthur realized how lucky he was to have been robbed in the woods that day. He would have put up with a thousand Alineds to be with Merlin. As Merlin leaned against him and whispered, "I love you." Arthur knew his life was going to be perfect.