Camelot

Twenty-Two - Inheritance

Arthur advanced at the Kilgharrah, receiving a fireball in return that he narrowly dodged, before striking the him. Kilgharrah recoiled in pain and swiped angrily at Arthur, knocking him to the ground. I turned to Madeline in worry and saw her palms pressed into the earth once again.

"He's alive, Emalia," she whispered.

The clearing suddenly erupted in noise. I turned my head abruptly to see Merlin standing before Kilgharrah, roaring in a language I did not understand. Kilgharrah began to recoil, moving away from Merlin as though he was ashamed. I suddenly realised what the strange language was – Merlin was speaking the tongue of the Dragonlord's.

His grief was suddenly clear to me. The last Dragonlord had been his father and upon his death, Merlin had inherited his gifts. That was the first time that I truly saw the great sorcerer who was to secure the fate of Albion. Everything became crystal clear.

Madeline, Jensen and I didn't speak a word as Merlin spoke. His voice radiated such power that magic appeared to explode throughout the clearing. It ran through the blood of the three of us and made us feel rich with power. It was the most magical thing I had ever witnessed. The last Dragonlord and the last dragon.

Kilgharrah at last bowed to its master and departed the clearing, losing its battle against Camelot and Uther all at once. Unlike all of the others of his species, he had at least escaped Uther with his life.

With the dragon gone, the three of us departed the clearing. It was best that we were back at the castle before the knights arrived home from their victories and out of our armour and leathers.

At the castle doors, the three of us went our separate ways, all headed to our separate chambers to change back into our gowns. I knew that once she had changed, Madeline would head back to the castle entrance to await Leith's return, while I would remain in my chamber to give Arthur the space I was sure he would need.

In any case, I was sure Arthur would have much to attend to once he returned and regardless of our last talk, there was still much to discuss about our relationship and the servant girl who had taken my place in my absence. It was best to leave those matters to another, dragon free day.

Upon reaching my chambers, I removed my armour and leathers slowly, before securing them in the chest that sat at the end of my bed. Once they were safely locked away, I pulled on my nightgown and sat myself in front of my dressing table to ready myself for bed.

Just as I pulled the last tangle from my hair, I heard the unmistakable sound of my chamber doors opening and looked up to see Arthur's reflection in the mirror. I turned around in surprise, seeing him with my own eyes.

"Arthur," I said, pulling myself from my chair.

He was still dressed in his armour, telling me he'd come straight here after returning from the clearing. He started towards me the second he had shut the door and reached me only steps later. Then his arms were around me.

"The dragon is gone," he told me. "And I have learnt so much."

He pulled away and looked straight into my eyes. All the hatred, fear and anger had vanished and I was relieved to see that the warmth I had once seen there had finally returned. He looked like the man I had wed once more.

"I feared that I had lost you," I said. "When I returned I thought that you had fallen for another and I still hold those fears to this day."

"Emalia, you have to understand that your enchantment worked just the way you wanted it to," he went on. "You took every memory we ever made and completely vanished. Without you in my life, I did develop strong feelings for another."

"Guinevere," I said.

"Yes," he answered. "But facing that dragon today made everything so clear. You, Emalia were the only thing on my mind the whole time and I knew at that moment that the way felt about her, was nothing compared to the way I feel about you. I knew that the moment I got back to you, I had to be honest and most of all, I had to do this."

He reached forward and cradled my head in his hands, stepping forwards to press his lips to mine. They were warm and soft, moving slowly against mine. All at once I was filled with the emotions that I had not felt in a long time. Emotions I did not think that I would ever feel again.

"I never imagined magic would hold a place in my heart, but I was wrong," he smiled, breaking the kiss. "You have my heart Emalia and I love you. Whatever dangers we face from this moment on, we will face them together and defeat whatever comes our way. We will be the greatest rulers this land has ever seen, together."

His lips were on mine once more and his arms were around me just like they had been so long ago. We had been brought back together by something that had once torn apart. I silently thanked Kilgharrah, wherever he was.

All was finally well.