After so many near misses with hiding her magic from Arthur, Merlynn finally decided to tell him the truth something no one seems to approve of; not her mum, or Guais or Kilgharrah. Her life was full of too many secrets that could get her killed; whether it was because she was a witch or because she has fallen in love with Arthur was just a flip of the coin. Uther was going to execute her for both if he ever found out about either of these secrets.

No one could understand why she wanted to tell him the truth, she couldn't understand it herself, but she knew if she didn't and he found out she would have ruined a great friendship. Plus unlike everyone else she was choosing to have faith in Arthur; she was sure he won't execute her... she hoped and something was telling her that she should tell him the truth sooner rather than later.
And when her gut told her to do something, no matter how stupid that thing was she did it. She had learnt the hard way what ignoring it could lead to and there was no way Arthur was every going to end up like Will. Not if she could help, it was her destiny to protect Arthur; to save him so they could unite Albion... he couldn't end up dead.

If her gut was telling her she needed to tell him the truth to save his life, even if it ends hers, so be it.

:::x:::

Traipsing through the woods she wondered why she ever suggested a hunting trip to Arthur, just the two of them. This was one of the stupidest things she's every done, not only did everyone know she hated hunting but Arthur won't have to wait till the get to town to kill her. He could just say it was a hunting accident gone wrong. Probably blame it on her too.

"Merlynn will you stop stepping on every stick you find you are scaring away any animal within a hundred feet!" Arthur turned around to hiss at her. Again. "Hurry up Merlynn I would like to find a decent place to camp out preferable before the sun goes down completely"

"Well we would have been here earlier if someone didn't insist that I clean out the stables just before me left" she shot back. God the idiot was insufferable.

"How is that my fault? Some of us have a kingdom to manage, knights to train, laws to write and I still managed to be ready on time"

"Yes and some of us don't have servants to draw them a bath every morning, polish thier shoes, make thier bed, get thier breakfast, wash thier clothes and follow them around"

"Yes that is true, all I have is someone who is constantly late every morning, who cannot do the simplest of task without moaning as if the word has come to an end and who lies to me" Arthur dropped the bow and arrows on the forest floor and stalked up to her making her back step in to a tree.

"Arthur, I -"

"Are you two still fighting?" Gwaine shouted out as he stepped through the clearing with the other knights. Surveying the scene he realised that they had interrupted something important.

Ignoring everyone one else Arthur stalked of again leaving everyone else to follow.

:::x:::

They had spent the rest of the afternoon, the evening and this morning in extreme silence, Merlynn even managed not to trip, fall or step on a branch which was a miracle in itself. The knights were all feeling uneasy being there.
They had realised that Arthur and Merlynn's relationship had began to sour the last few months but this was something else. This made all of them uncomfortable.
They had thought Merlynn had suggested this trip to resolve whatever has been going on but if anything, the hunting trip had made things ten times worse.

Lancelot was especially happy to see the gate of Camelot just over the hill, in fact they all were. Each and every one of them eager to escape the awkwardness of the previous day.

"Go ahead we will catch up" Arthur spoke causing them to freeze on their horses. These were the first words anyone had spoken since they had stumbled upon the little scence yesterday.
Merlynn was shifting uncomfortable in her seat but nodded her head allowing the others to leave this seemed to incense Arthur all the more so they slowly took off back to Camelot.

Once he was sure that the knights were out of hearing distance he rounded on the browned her little witch sitting next to him. He had so many things to say, to ask, to scream at her that it was hard to choose which one to use.
"I was going to tell you" Merlynn muttered looking straight ahead as if speaking to the wind. "I had planned on telling you for some time now... I just didn't know how to. I mean is not like I can just come out and say it, you would have had me executed"

"What makes you think I still won't?" Arthur snipped back. He saw the way her body had stiffened, as if every cell was on alert. "What makes you believe I trust a single word that comes out of your mouth? You have lied to me for years. Merlynn the faithful and loyal servant. Merlynn the amazing daughter. Merlynn the deceitful little witch" he mocked.

"Arthur I-"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your excuses. I don't want to hear another word from you. I gave you so many chances to tell me the truth. I trusted you, you were treated like a friend yet you sit there planning and plotting against me. Against Camelot"

"What! No, I would never do that"

"Then why learn witchcraft Merlynn, out of everyone in my life. Why would you go out and learn witchcraft"

"Arthur I didn't, I never did. I promise you, on my mother's life Arthur. Please believe me. I was born with it" She pleaded leaning over to grab his hands.

Begging through her eyes, he felt himself soften, wanting to soothe her but he remembered at the very last moment that there was no such thing as a born witch.
Merlynn nearly fell of her horse as he threw her hands of him, snaring at her. "I was going to let you go, just banish you from Camelot, but if you can put your own mothers life on the chopping board like that..." The look of utter disgust that passed his faced made her heart do a funny little squeeze.
"You will come back to Camelot because I do not trust you not to go and join forces some druids with a plan to overthrow Camelot"

He kicked his horse into gear before turning back around looking at the sobbing girl, who was crying as if she was the one with the broken heart. "Oh and Merlynn if I don't see you in Camelot by night fall I will assume that you run away and not only will I chase you but Hunith life will be forfeited" with that he spun around trotting up to catch the other knight who all notice the distinctive lack of Merlynn.

:::x:::

Merlynn had trouble remembering how she got back into town, how she did anything. She couldn't remember a single thing she did after Arthur had left. All she knew was that her gut was right, she should have listened to it earlier, maybe she wouldn't have lost Arthur.

:::x:::

Arthur had taken to avoiding Merlynn, something that didn't go unnoticed by everyone in the kingdom. He had Morganna coming up to him ordering him to fix whatever he did. There was Gwen who tried guilt tripping him into making up with Merlynn. There were the servants who managed to slip Merlynn name into the conversation with them when he was asking about the food supply, the cooks started over salting his food.
The stable hands were late preparing his horses.
His clothes were left unwashed.
His bathing water was cold.
Even his own father had joined the conspiracy urging him to get his normal servant back as he didn't like this new guy.

The final straw came when the knights decided that they would contribute to the situation as well by ambushing him at the end of the training session. Lancelot was obviously the most willing to die or so it would seem as he started prattling on about how sad Merlynn was, how much weight she lost. How she looked so sad and haunted. How the girl kept on crying.

"Arthur if she has done something to you please forgive. If not for her sake or for anyone else then for yourself. You obviously miss her just as much as she misses you. She just wakes up help hunith and giaus with potions or flower picking then goes back to sleep, she doesn't smile, or laugh. She's like the walking dead," Lancelot pleaded placing a hand on his shoulders.

"Arthur is Merlynn. You know the girl that can trip over thin air. The one that never leaves your side, the only one in this damn kingdom willing to die for you. It's Merlynn." Gwaine repeated staring across the courtyard looking at the girl in question. "So stop being a prat and go talk to her anyways I bet you did something to upset her not the other way round."

"That is true, Your Highness. Whatever grievance you may have against her I suggest you forgive her because it is unsettling" Leon chipped in. In fact looking around he could tell that all the knights agreed that he should forgive her, even if they didn't know what she had done. What she was.

"Tell me Sir Leon what is so unsettling about this?" he quirked his eyebrow staring down at the man.
"Servants talk Your highness" he replied

"And what do these servants say, exactly that has caused all of you to be so unsettled that you ambushed me to talk about a serving girl?" he could feel his temper raising.
Why did any of them care what he did with Merlynn? Why were they pleading her case when he was being more than generous.
He could have killed her; he should have; yet he spared her life. He had told no one of her secret.

He had allowed her back into Camelot knowing she was a witch, and here they were, his most trusted friends telling him to be nicer.

"It's THAT Arthur, the way you talk about her, and the way you look at her. That what is unnerving. There hasn't been a day since you two met each other that you have behaved this way. In the three years you have known her she has never been the serving girl, she is Merlynn!" Leon shouted shocking everyone present.
The guy who was always so composed, so well mannered. Always calling him Your Highness just shouted at him and used his given name.

Why the hell was everyone on Merlynn side? Why did he feel so miserable without her? Why did his heart always give an extra kick when he saw her?