Hello dears~~

I'm on a roll today XD This is the Third Part in Destiny Tales serie, and the direct Sequel to Comfort from Avalon. This story will be a sort of Watch the Serie fic, but with a twist ;)

By the way, know that I have written 7 more chapters of Our Past, all posted on my Tumblr and AO3 (again, links on my profile); so you know where to go if you want to read more than the Prologue :P

Pairing: Merlin/Arthur.
Note on Pairings: Because of the fact Merlin and Arthur will discuss past events, Arthur/Gwen and Merlin/Freya will be mentioned. Also, Lancelot/Gwen is a side pairing.

Prologue

The flames of the fire reflected on Merlin and Arthur as they sat side by side on the rug in front of it. They had come back from Lake Avalon, and as Merlin promised he would tell Arthur everything. Except he couldn't start. All his life he had hidden his magic, and now he was afraid of the consequences of telling Arthur the whole truth.

Arthur watched Merlin as his internal battle was obvious. It saddened him, because he genuinely wasn't angry at him. All he wanted was to learn more about magic from Merlin. He wanted to learn more about Merlin.

"Come one Merlin, you can tell me everything" he started, fondness slipping in his tone. "I am serious when I say I understand. I don't hate you. I just want the truth. No matter what it is."

Merlin smiled faintly. "But you could hate me after that."

"No." The king replied, startling Merlin from the firmness in the single word. "Do you think I'm blind? Do you think I don't see how much scared you are? How much you genuinely care? No matter what you have done, I know you never meant bad. And honestly, my father has done many bad things." The blond now knew how much it was true, as now he understood not all magic was evil. "So please Merlin…" he trailed off, vulnerability crossing his face.

He knew Merlin must have suffered all these years. And he hated that. He wanted Merlin to share his burdens with him, like Arthur himself had done with Merlin.

"Alright." The warlock agreed, a faint blush on his face. He had seen what was truly in Arthur's heart. He had seen the genuine care, and it gave him the strength he needed. "I'll explain everything that happened since I met you. But first, I should start by telling you that…" he paused, a bit unsure. Arthur put his hand on his, gently pushing him to speak. Merlin sighed, looking down. "That I am born with magic." He finished, glancing as surprise crossed the other man's face.

"Isn't that… Impossible?" he asked.

"Well, Yes. I am the only one like that. I could move object even before I talked or walked."

Once again, surprise grabbed Arthur. "Without spell then?"

"Yes, I didn't need them. My magic has always been a part of me, like a limb I can control. And like the blood in my veins."

"And… you said no one is like you? What about… Morgana?" he winced at the mention of his sister.

"She is born with the ability of seeing the future, and with magical abilities. It is only as she grew up that it developed."

"So you mean… At best others can be born with capacities that awaken later, but no one except you had it since the beginning?"

"Exactly. For me it has always been an instinct. I would stop a falling object mid-air while everyone else would try to catch it with their hands." He stopped, letting Arthur digest this.

The blond was indeed shocked. It sounded like Merlin had great magic. The prospect that Merlin could be powerful, and had chosen to stay his servant-and was happy to be, like he had once said-humbled him.

"But then… How did you manage to hide it in your village?"

"My mom explained to me it could be dangerous. She raised me to try hiding it, like you can raise someone to try controlling their emotions. I managed not to do any blatant magic." A smile appeared on his face. "But sometimes, I would play pranks with Will."

Realization hit Arthur. "He lied for you this day. He knew who you were, but lied to protect you."

"Will didn't know right away. I accidentally used magic in front of him as we were teenagers. I was so used to him, and he was my best friend. I forgot to hide." Merlin smiled fondly yet sadly. "He took it well. If you don't count the slap on the head and the 'Idiot'." He chuckled at the memory.

Arthur smiled too, happy Will had been such a good friend. Curiously, Arthur asked, "And with your mom? Did she let you use magic when you were alone?"

"Oh yes. She was afraid for me, but she always loved watching me do little tricks. And I always loved making her smile with it."

The other male smiled fondly, not being surprised. Even knowing he had magic, he understood Merlin was the same he had always known. Only this part of him-his magic-had been hidden.

"Can you show me?" Arthur requested. He really wanted to see by himself.

Merlin's eyes widened. He eyed his friend, hesitant. But the blue eyes that gently watched him patiently was all the reassurance he needed. He put his palm between them, his eyes glowing gold as his magic rushed to his command, happy and eager to finally be revealed to Arthur. A blue ball of light appeared, white surging inside.

Arthur, who had been mesmerized by the golden glow of Merlin's eyes, gasped. "That's the one! When I went for the Morteus flower, it saved me!" He stared at Merlin. "But you were dying!"

Merlin smiled. "I'll explain when we get here."

Arthur pouted slightly, wanting more than ever to learn more about his friend. Merlin let the ball over, its glow warming both of their face. Both were subtly watching the other, admiring the glow on each other face.

Merlin then kept talking. "One day, my mother learned that Will knew. She was very freaked out. It didn't help that the villagers were shunning me out more and more." He looked down. "They were getting suspicious. They always felt I wasn't normal."

Arthur frowned at Merlin's words. He didn't like the way he sounded, as if he believed what the villagers thought. It pained him even more when he remembered when Merlin had said to him he didn't fit in his village anymore, when he had asked why he left Ealdor all these years ago, when they knew each other less than a year. Was it the result of his father's reign? The greatest friend he ever had living each day under not-so-gentle looks and hiding all his life in fear of death and hate? Arthur clenched his fist. As much as he loved his father, this part of his reign was one he truly hated now.

Merlin saw the emotions crossing Arthur. It touched him the man he secretly loved didn't think like everyone else. He took Arthur's hand in his, relaxing it. Arthur jumped lightly, and smiled at his friend. He nodded to him, telling him to continue.

"My mother decided to send me to Gaius. She wanted me safe, and she believed he could help me." Merlin smiled fondly. "And that's when my life really changed…"

To be continued…