Hey guys! So, I got a review asking for what happened to the girl, and another person believed Arthur was too forgiving, and overall I wasn't so happy with this story, so I decided to rewrite it! I like this one a lot better, though I still think I could have done a better job.

"I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, declare you guilty of treason, under the crime of using sorcery within Camelot's borders, and hereby sentence you to death. You shall be hanged tomorrow at noon. The council is dismissed."

At those words, the young girl standing in the center of the room collapsed to the floor, her thin shoulder wracking with sobs as the guards pulled her up and dragged her to the dungeon to await her fate. In that same moment, Merlin, the manservant to the king himself, glared daggers at the back of the royals head. A wide range of emotions surged through him.

Rage, at the choice his master, his friend, had made.

Guilt, at the fact the he couldn't do anything to stop this.

Grief, for the young life that would be lost the next day.

Watching as Arthur stood up, he followed him back to his chambers, determined to change the king's mind. Walking into the room, he closed the door and stopped, waiting for Arthur to turn to him.

"Arthur." he hissed when his friend finally looked his way. "What was that?"

Arthur sighed, and brought a hand up to rub his eyes. "That, Merlin, was me doing my duty and protecting my kingdom from the evils of sorcery. That was justice."

Merlin narrowed his eyes at the blond. "No." he said defiantly

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "No?" He asked

Merlin nodded, staring into the other's eyes, allowing his rage and grief to show through. "No. That was not justice. That was not protecting anything. That was sentencing a nine year-old girl to death, simply because she had performed a simple healing spell to keep the last living member of her family alive! That was not justice Arthur, that was needless murder. She never harmed anyone!"

Arthur scoffed, and stared at his servant incredulously. "And what would you know about justice Merlin. As far as I'm concerned, you are a servant and I am the king. You do not tell me what is right and what is wrong. And you know full well that all sorcery does is corrupt. It's evil Merlin."

Merlin's glare hardened even more at those words. "It is not magic that is evil Arthur. Magic does not have a side, it is simply the person who uses it that decides where their allegiance lies." He grit his teeth, waiting for the man's reply, only to become even angrier - if that was even possible - at the laugh that came from the king's mouth.

"Really Merlin? And what would you know about magic, hmm? When did you suddenly become an expert in the subject? You've seen how magic corrupts, Merlin, just as much as I. Just look at Morgana. Look what magic did to her! Look, and tell me magic is not evil Merlin! Look me in the eyes, and tell me that sorcery is not what creates monsters! Even if that girl was not yet corrupt, she was heading that direction. I did her a favor!"

Merlin lowered his head, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He felt his anger ebb away, hurt coming in to take it's place. "I know a lot more than you would think, Arthur." he said quietly

Arthur looked down at his servant confused. What was up with him lately? Ever since he had begun to place justice on sorcerers at a faster pace, the blue eyed man had been even more emotional than usual.

"Merlin..." he said, taking a step forward and stopping as his servant looked up, tears forming in his eyes. He gasped at the look of hurt and betrayal, and took a large step backwards.

"You know nothing Arthur. Nothing! You have no idea what it's like to be hunted, to be afraid for your life every second of the day! You have no idea what it's like to have to hide in the shadows! You don't know anything at all! You're just like your father!"

Arthur watched, frozen, as Merlin turned and fled from the room, tears pouring down his face. He sighed, and sat down, rubbing a hand across his face. He hadn't expected Merlin to react so intensely.

A few minutes later he looked up as the door opened, and Gwen walked in with an angry look on her face. "What did you say to Merlin, Arthur?" she asked, walking forward to stand in front of his desk

Arthur sighed again. "We had a fight about the meeting. He didn't agree with my decision to sentence that girl to death." he explained

Gwen sighed, and glared at him. "Well, whatever you said hurt him Arthur. You need to go after him and apologize." she said

Arthur nodded, and stood up. "You're right, Gwen." he said

He gave her a quick kiss as he walked past her, before leaving his chambers and heading to find his manservant. He decided to check with Gaius first, if anyone knew where Merlin was, it would be him.

Knocking on Gaius's door, Arthur walked into the room to see Gaius sorting through different herbs. "What brings you here, Sire?" he asked, looking up as he walked into the room.

Arthur sighed, and sat down on a chair. "Has Merlin happened to come by lately? I need to speak with him." he said

Gaius raised his eyebrow. "I'm sorry Sire, I haven't seen Merlin since the council meeting. Why, may I ask, are you looking for him?"

"Merlin and I had a fight. He didn't agree with my decision to sentence the girl so harshly, and made his opinion clear. I said something that must have hurt him, because he ran out of the room extremely upset. I believe I should apologize for whatever I said to hurt him so much." he explained

Gaius sighed, and gave the king a pointed look. "I believe he goes to the tower in the west wing when he is upset, Sire. I am not positively sure if he is there now, but it is a place to start."

Arthur nodded, standing up. "Thank you, Gaius." he said, heading for the west wing.

After the fight with Arthur, Merlin had ran out of the room, unable to contain his emotions any longer. He was just so angry, and what Arthur had said had hurt. Sure, he had no idea that Merlin had magic, but the words were still cruel.

Now, sitting at the top of a tower in the west wing, looking out of the window at the streets of Camelot, he sighed. He was such an idiot. He never should have let himself get so emotional. He could have accidentally let something slip, and then his secret would be out. After their conversation, he knew Arthur was not ready to know about his magic.

Another tear fell to the floor as he remembered Arthur's words, and he scrubbed at his face violently. He was being pathetic, hiding away from the world because someone hurt his feelings.

Footsteps sounded from the stairs, growing louder by the second. Merlin knew it was most likely Arthur, coming to find out why he had been so upset. Sighing, he turned back to the window, waiting for the king to show his face again.

As the door opened, he stared stonily at the sky. He knew if he looked at Arthur right then, he would probably burst out in tears and tell him everything. He couldn't do that, so he kept his eyes fixed on the sunset below.

"Merlin." hearing the sound of the king's voice, Merlin tensed, but still refused to look at him. He heard a sigh and footsteps, before he felt someone sit down next to him. "Merlin." Arthur tried again

Merlin sniffed, and looked to his left away from Arthur. He heard his friend sigh, and felt a stab of guilt at his actions. Arthur hadn't known those words would hurt him, it wasn't his fault.

"Merlin, please look at me." he said

Shaking his head, Merlin brought his knees up to his chest, curling into a ball. He heard another sigh, and felt a hand grab his chin and turn his face so he was looking directly into the blue eyes of his friend. He felt tears well up in his eyes again, and tried to look away, but Arthur held his chin strong.

"Merlin, I don't know what I said to make you so upset, but I know I did something. I'm sorry Merlin. I know I have no right to ask you this, but Merlin, what's wrong? You've been acting strange these past few weeks, ever since the executions started up again... are they what's causing this?"

Merlin sniffed, and shifted his eyes to the ground. "Partly..." he admitted

Arthur sighed. "Merlin..." he mumbled

Merlin's head shot up, anger once again filling his eyes. "They didn't do anything wrong Arthur! They never hurt anyone!" he said

"Merlin, why do you care so much?" Arthur asked, eyes narrowing. "It's not as if you actually support sorcery is it? You've seen what it does Merlin, you know how it corrupts. And I ask you again, what do you know about magic?"

At those words, something inside Merlin snapped. In that moment, he didn't care what Arthur knew, he didn't care about the consequences that would follow. Everything just came out.

"What do I know? What do I know?! I know a lot more than you think, Arthur. I know what it's like to be afraid of your life, to be ashamed of who you are! I know what it's like to have to hide!"

Arthur narrowed his eyes at his manservant. "And how is that Merlin?" He shouted "How is the great Merlin so knowledgeable about magic?"

"Because I have magic!" Merlin shouted

Arthur froze, and Merlin's eyes widened at those words. He began to scoot back from Arthur, fear shooting through him at what Arthur might do next.

The words rang through Arthur's head over and over again. Merlin had magic... No, that was impossible. But looking at Merlin's terrified expression, watching him back away from him, Arthur knew, he knew. Merlin was telling the truth, and he was scared - of him.

Arthur stared at Merlin, who was backed in the corner, preparing himself for the harsh words and strikes he was sure were soon to follow.

"Merlin..." Arthur whispered

Merlin winced, waiting for the accusations and insults to come.

"Why... are you telling the truth?"

Merlin nodded slightly, pushing farther into the corner.

Arthur felt hurt and betrayal slide through him at the realization. All these years... Merlin had been lying to him. Straight to his face. "You... you... all these years... you never told me... did you not trust me?" he asked

Merlin winced again, shaking his head. "It's not that Arthur-"

"Then what is it?" Arthur cut him off, his voice hard and cold. "Have you been going behind my back all this time? All those attacks on my life, were they you?"

Merlin felt panic fly through him, a hurt expression crossing his face. "Arthur... I would never-" he choked on his words, a tear leaking from his eye.

Arthur simply shook his head, turning his back on the man he had thought was his friend.

"Arthur, wait! I-"

"No." Arthur said "You don't get to speak."

With that said, he walked swiftly out of the room, feeling his servants gaze on his back.

He tried his best to ignore the feeling of guilt swirling in his stomach. Merlin was his friend, wasn't he? So why had he lied?

He needed to think.

Arthur lied on his back in his bed, staring at the white ceiling above him. Hundreds of thoughts were swirling through his head.

Merlin...

Magic...

Had he been wrong? Was magic not really evil?

Was Merlin right? Is it simply a tool, like a sword?

Sighing, Arthur knew he should let his servant explain. He knew there was more to this. He just couldn't bring himself to go and find his friend. He didn't know if he could face him.

Standing up, Arthur made his way to the dungeon where the young girl was being held.

She sat with her back to him, her small shoulders shaking in fear as she cried, soft sobs echoing from the cell. Hearing his footsteps, she whirled around, eyes widening in terror at the sight of the king.

"I am not here to hurt you. I just want to talk."

She looked hesitant, but eventually she came a bit closer to him, a curious look on her face.

"What's your name?" he asked

"A-Amara." she said softly

Arthur nodded. "May I ask you something?"

She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Is... is magic evil?"

Amara smiled softly at him, shaking her head. "I know it's what you've been taught to believe, but magic is not evil. It is simply a tool, a weapon. Much like your sword. Magic has no side, it is for the person who wields it to decide what they believe."

Arthur nodded, emotions and thoughts swirling through him. Maybe... maybe his father really had been wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Merlin really was good.

"Thank you Amara. I realize I have wronged you, and shall have you released soon. You will be free to go, so long as you be sure to never harm another soul."

At his words, Amara grinned a grin much like Merlin's, and happiness sparkled in her eyes. "Thank you, Pendragon. Your deed shall be remembered. I am extremely grateful."

Arthur couldn't keep the small smile from his face. "Guards!" he called "Release the girl and escort her to the gate. She is free to go."

The knights looked at him strangely, but did as they were told while Arthur made his way to where he assumed Merlin would be. He had questions to be answered.

Arthur found Merlin in the exact spot as he had been before, curled up in the corner with his head tucked between his knees and body.

"Merlin." he said softly

Said man's head shot up, his blue eyes meeting the kings. Arthur felt guilty at the look of utter despair in his friends eyes, and wished he could take back everything he had said before. Walking over to Merlin, noticing the way the man flinched when he moved, he sat down beside him, thinking of what to say.

"Merlin... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said earlier. I know you would never intentionally hurt me. But I... I don't understand. Why wouldn't you tell me?"

Merlin felt more tears well up at Arthur's apology, and knew there was no turning back. "I... while you're father was still alive, I couldn't risk it. I knew, if I told you, you would have to choose between me or you father. I couldn't make you do that..." he explained

Arthur nodded. "And... what about after he died? Why didn't you tell me then?" he asked

"You were even more spiteful about magic than ever before! If I had told you, I had no idea what you might have done. Magic has caused you to lose a lot Arthur, but it's not all bad. Magic is like a sword, it has no side. It is the person who wields it who chooses either dark or light."

Arthur nodded. "That's what the young sorceress said before I let her go. How... how long have you had it?" he asked

Merlin smiled at Arthur's show of kindness. "I was born with it." he explained

"But that's impossible." Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin shook his head. "It's not. As long as I can remember, I've been able to do magic without even thinking about it. I would move random things when I was young, do random acts of magic without even realizing it. I thought I was a freak, and I knew everyone else though that too."

Arthur felt sympathy for his servant rush through him. "So... all these years you've just been hiding this from everyone? Did anyone know?"

Merlin nodded. "Gaius knows, I saved his life with it the first time we met. Gwaine knows as well."

"So then... what have you been using the magic for?" Arthur asked "All these years, you couldn't have just stopped using it all together."

Merlin sighed. "I use it to save your royal arse."

Arthur's eyes widened. "W-what!?" he spluttered

Merlin smiled, a little happiness coming back to his feature, his eyes beginning to light up. "Think about it. All those lucky moments, a branch falling off a tree and onto an enemy, a bandit suddenly dropping his sword."

Arthur froze, and suddenly everything seemed so clear. "So... so that was you then? I can't believe I never noticed!" he said

Merlin chuckled, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "There's a prophecy." he said

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "A prophecy?" he asked

Merlin nodded. "The Once and Future King will bring magic back to Camelot, and rule over all of Albion, with the warlock Emrys at his side."

"So... the Once and Future King is..." Arthur trailed off, going silent

Merlin nodded. "You are the Once and Future King, Arthur. Your destiny is to bring peace to all of Albion."

Arthur nodded, stunned. "B-but, how? I'm not even a good king!"

Merlin sighed. "You are a good king Arthur, a great one! You are the greatest man to ever live."

Arthur swallowed, trying to suck in the knew information. "And this Emrys... is that... is that you?" he asked

Merlin nodded. "Yes. That is the name the Druids have for me." he said

Arthur sat back against the wall. "You've got a lot to explain Merlin." he said

Merlin grinned. "Where would you like me to start?" he asked cheerfully

"The beginning." Arthur replied

Merlin nodded, and began his story.

"It all started when I ran into the biggest prat of them all, his majesty Prince Arthur..."

So, it really wasn't that much of a change. I just added a couple new scenes and edited a few sentences. Overall though, I think it's better. Arthur may still be too forgiving, but it depends on what you guys think. I'd love to know any thoughts you guys have on this, and constructive criticism is always welcome.

Please review!

Thanks for reading!