"I don't understand" Arthur mumbled across the fire.

They were sat there the king and his servant up until now entirely in silence, because, he wasn't his servant he – like so many others had lied and betrayed him. A sorcerer! For all these years he, never told him not once even appeared to come close. Arthur had told the boy everything, had befriended him, protected him, loved him as a brother and he had done nothing but lie.

But that wasn't what he didn't understand, after all everyone lied to Arthur – even Gwen.

"Sire, it is my destiny-"

"Not that Merlin" Arthur forced himself to sit up straighter against the tree groaning as he moved "Why, did- ah- you save my father?"

The boy frowned, he didn't want to point out that he had, in fact, saved Uther many times and if the king wanted an answer he would have to be more specific.

"Which time?" For once Merlin wasn't even joking there wasn't any sign of Mirth about him.

"Of course, of course you saved him more than once! HOW MANY-!" He sighed, "When Morgause showed me my Mother, and I… You saved him, at your own peril, if my father had died then I would have brought magic back to the kingdom, you could have been free. You must have known that."

"Yes. Yes, I did, but you would never have forgiven yourself. You're my friend, I couldn't do that to you Arthur."

"But you killed him. That was you wasn't it, the old man is you?"

"No. Well yes but it wasn't my fault! Morganna she tricked me, I was trying to help"

"There's a lot of that going round"

"Arthur you have got to believe me, I only wanted to help him."

And he did, gods help him, Arthur looked at the face of the man who had been- who he had thought had been eternally loyal to him, and he believed him.

"I believe you. I don't know why, you must have hated him."

Merlin's eyes switched to his fingers, it was almost if he was enchanted he couldn't stop picking them, he was sure soon they would bleed.

"Hated me."

"No! I- You are my bestfriend whether you care for me or not"

The king knew he cared for him. Their bond was stronger than anything he had felt with the knights or even Guinevere- just as well really, seeing as he would never see any of them again now. It wasn't worth telling Merlin that now though, especially not given his lies.

"And my father?"

"Uther… took a lot from me. But I didn't hate him."

He almost chuckled at that, the irony, "He hated you. Hated your kind, taught me to hate you. How can I go against that now? He was proven right so many times. He always taught me that magic was evil."

"Uther was wrong! About so, many things." Merlin's voice trailed off as he thought of the bitter king, the king that had corrupted his best friend, stolen his father and extinguished all his kin. They sat like that for a few minutes Merlin sorting through his emotions and Arthur filtering the past finally connecting the dots.

"Go on then, it's not like you to shut up. If I'm dying-"

"Your not-"

"If I'm dying I should know what you really think"

"It doesn't matter now."

"It does to me!" The harshness in voice, it commanded Merlin better than anything else ever coud have.

Merlin sighed again, in fairness no matter what happened now, there was no harm in being honest, not anymore.

"I… I didn't like him. He was a good king, yes, in many ways but he was also an arrogant fool"

"Merlin."

He'd missed that, that cocky, self-righteous, authoritative, and yet affectionate tone that only Arthur could pull off.

"I'm sorry, you did ask" He smirked, "No, but really, he never learned from his mistakes, and his ignorance caused all of this. He's the reason I don't have a father did you know that?"

No, no he didn't know that. He supposed it made sense, but it was yet another thing that Merlin had lied about. "The great purge?"

"no, it was true what I said, that he had abandoned me"

"Oh god don't tell me you are my brother too. You do not have a right to the thrown Merlin do you hear me?"

Arthur could not work out why he kept doing that! Why did he keep joking when he was so angry? Habit he supposed, he just couldn't control himself.

But to Merlin it showed, that maybe just maybe they still had a chance.

"No, will you just shut up and listen. Honestly you want honesty but you won't be quiet, it's no wonder I never told you, we've spent the last 5 years talking about you"

"Merlin. Too soon."

The tips of his mouth curved up "Sorry. Anyway, I thought he had abandoned me, but he was on the run. Until," He paused taking a deap breath "The dragon was released, and we were forced to go find him. And he died in my arms."

"Balinor?"

Merlin wasn't entirely sure why he was tearing up, his initial reaction had faded fairly quickly as he realised that he had a father right there with him anyway, but it seemed recounting the story was too much for the sorcerer.

"And I said… Oh merlin I'm sorry"

"Yes well you couldn't have known. The point is Arthur, I should hate your father but I don't. Because like it or not he is the reason I became your servant, he gave me a purpose, and his mistakes made you the man you are today, the greatest king the world has ever known." He smiled, "and I, your servant and your friend, have been awarded the privilege of witnessing that"

The pain was beginning to wash over Arthur again and he was sure he unconscioussness was about to take him again, "no- Merlin, you made me the man I am today. I couldn't have become this without… without all your annoying twittering."

Merlin laughed, a weak watery laugh but a laugh all the same.

"That's true, you were a bit of a Pratt"

"Were?"

"Sorry, sire, I was trying to be respectful but in the interest of honesty, you are a clotpole, always have been always will be."

"Idiot" he managed to mumble before slipping unconscious.

So there it is, I've never written one of these before, but I've been binge watching Merlin and I couldn't resist, I hope it's ok. I think it goes a little bit OoC at times especially in there thoughts.