Ok, this is just a quick two-shot that I finally got round to writing. I began it as soon as S05E05 ended, but only got round to finishing it now!

DISCLAIMER: I totally own Merlin! *cough*inmydreams*cough*

"What will you do?"

Merlin sat across from Arthur, leaning against the sloping bank. His kaleidoscopic blue eyes seemed to bore straight into Arthur, and not for the first time he saw a curious sense of something in them. A strange sense of wisdom, and a slightly haunted look.

"I… don't know." Arthur thought for a moment before slumping back against the log he was using as a pillow. "My heart says do anything I can to save Mordred, but I have seen what misery sorcery brings. Before my father outlawed magic, Camelot was almost destroyed by sorcery. In my own time Morgana has used it for nothing but evil…" He trailed off with a sigh. What could he do? It was bring magic back to the kingdom, and face potential anarchy and the fall of the kingdom, or let Mordred die. The young knight had become like a son to him over the past few weeks, with his eager-to-please nature and strong determination. He remembered the way that he seemed to glow with pride when Arthur praised him for the simplest things. He knew that it would be almost impossible to knowingly sentence the boy to death. Somehow he had wormed his way into the young king's heart.

"What would you do, in my place?" He looked up at Merlin, who had been watching him with an almost unsettling and unwavering gaze throughout his musings. The young man seemed to jump, as if surprised that Arthur would ask him.

"Me?" Arthur fought to urge to roll his eyes. Who else could he be asking? "I'm just a lackey, a maker of beds…"

"Lackeys can be wise," Arthur joked. He looked at Merlin seriously, but the manservant seemed to be avoiding his gaze. He wanted Merlin's opinion, as a friend and an advisor, not just as his manservant. The young servant in question stared down at his hands, which seemed to be shaking slightly. Arthur narrowed his eyes. What was Merlin hiding from him? "It's not like you to be silent." He said, half joking and half serious.

"Kingdom's future's at stake," he muttered.

"And a man's life," Arthur reminded him.

Shaking his head, Merlin said "You must protect Camelot; protect the world you've spent your life building. A just and fair kingdom for all." Arthur may have been imagining it, but he thought he heard Merlin's voice crack slightly on the last word, as if it was hard for him to say the words. Maybe he just saw Mordred like a brother, and shared the same views as Arthur about letting him die. But there was something in his eyes, that same, haunted look…

"You'd have me sacrifice a friend?" Arthur asked him, regarding Merlin with the same intensity that the young man had given him before.

Merlin opened and closed his mouth a few times before continuing. Usually Arthur would have laughed or made a joke about Merlin looking like a fish, but he needed to know the answer. He needed Merlin to tell him what to do, and guide him, as he had always done. Not that he would ever admit it of course. "I would have you become the king you are destined to be." There he was again about destinies. The man always seemed to spout some prophetic nonsense when Arthur wanted a straight answer out of him.

Arthur leant forward, a new sense of urgency to get an answer out of his friend suddenly overwhelming him. "If I do save Mordred, all my father's work will be for nothing; sorcery will reign in Camelot. Is that what you'd want?"

Merlin did not reply. Arthur could distinctly see him shaking now, and regarded him with slightly narrowed eyes, slightly worried about his friend. "Maybe my father was wrong, perhaps the old ways are not as evil as we thought." As he said this, he looked at Merlin to see his reaction.

There was something new in his eyes now, a flicker of… was it hope? But then it died, replaced by a troubled look. "So, what should we do?" Arthur continued, sighing. "Accept magic, or let Mordred die."

Merlin seemed to be struggling with himself, letting out a shaky breath. He glanced around, as if looking for the answer, still avoiding the king's gaze. As he looked at the fire, the flames reflected off his eyes, and Arthur saw that they were glassy, filled with unshed tears. Arthur did not press him for an answer, simply watched and waited. Merlin looked younger and more vulnerable than he had ever seen him, apart from when he had held the dying dragonlord in his arms.

Trembling, Merlin finally looked into Arthur's eyes, and as a single tear slid down his cheek, he spoke. "There is something I have to tell you."

Second part will be uploaded soon! Please R&R! :)