Freed

All Hail

"Right... I nearly forgot that these new powers of yours came with the ability to read minds. "

"Not all the time! Sometimes you just think very loudly and clearly."

"And you were trying."

"Not very hard!"

"My word, Guinevere. They really do argue like an old married couple don't they?"

Morgana and Merlin glared at Arthur as he and Gwen chuckled. Then Merlin shook his head and turned back to Morgana.

"I'm sorry, I was just startled is all."

"I'm sorry too. I should've thought of that before speaking up."

"And just like that, they're happy lovers again," Gwen joked.

"Oh, knock it off you two!" Merlin replied.

"So what are we doing at the Great Hall?" Morgana asked.

"You'll see. Now go on. You know that Gwen and I always have to go in last."

Merlin and Morgana rolled their eyes. Merlin extended an arm to Morgana and she took it.  Then, he nodded to the two servants, friends of his, that were attending the doors. When the doors opened they found rows of people; from council members, to noblemen, to knights, to even some common folk around town.

Curiously, they walked down the aisle to find two smaller, but still very ornate, chairs off to the side facing the kingdom. Weird... the only people facing the kingdom should be the King and Queen. Still, Merlin and Morgana sat down and watched as their friends took their thrones. In the front row sat Gaius, Iseldir, and the remaining knights of the round table. Merlin could feel anticipation in the room. Some were nervous, others were excited. He could hear their quickened heartbeats. As if Morgana could sense him starting to slip, she put her hand on top of Merlin's and his attention was brought back to the real world. Arthur and Gwen were walking down the aisle to their thrones. Out of curiosity, Merlin's mind reached out towards Arthur's to try and figure out what was going on.  He wasn't getting anything. Arthur's head must really be blank.

'Merlin, if you are trying to read my mind I'll have you know that I can still have you thrown in the the stocks for a week.'

Merlin had to clear his throat to hide a snicker. Guess Arthur saw that one coming. Morgana had a wide grin on her face having heard the unspoken words between them.

'That goes for you too, Morgana!'

She attempted to wipe the smirk off her face as she looked down. Now it was Merlin's turn to grin.

The King and Queen stood in front of their thrones to address the people. All were seated as Arthur cleared his throat to speak.

"People of Camelot, we have gone through much trial in the last days. We have gone to war. Though we won the victory, we also lost. We lost, friends, family, loved ones. We have lost some of those that make Camelot so important to us."

Merlin didn't notice he was squeezing the handle of the chair until Morgana put her hand on his. He let go and gently held her hand, grateful for the comfort.

"But, they did not die in vain. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten. We will rebuild and continue to create a stronger and even more just land. To begin this rebuild this rebuilding, Camelot will be creating an initiative to recruit and train more knights. Knights of any background, noble and peasant alike."

Arthur took a deep breath, glancing over at Merlin, curious how he would take this.

"In honor of those that died protecting Camelot, and the one who died to save my life, the program will be called the Lancelot Recruitment Initiative."