"Arthur, look out!"
The knife came flying out of nowhere. He thought all the bandits were dead? Apparently not. Arthur didn't duck in time - he couldn't, the weapon was so fast. It was like someone had propelled it through the forest with a slingshot.
Merlin's eyes flashed a shimmering gold, just as Arthur turned towards him to see what was wrong...
The knife came to a clean stop, right in front of Arthur's heart. He froze. The weapon dropped to the ground.
Oh gods.
"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed after a seccond. "That... That was magic!"
"What?" Oh Gods, Arthur was going to have him killed! "No, I'm sure there's another explanation, Sire..." Uther would have a pure set up before nightfall, he was practically dead already!
"Don't try to deny it. I saw it with my own eyes! And... Merlin?"
The warlock looked at him through scared eyes. He was tense and alert, poised ready to bolt if necessary.
"If my father catches you, he will have a pure built within an hour."
"What?"
"You heard."
"You mean... You won't?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Do you want to be killed? I can arrange it, if you insist-"
"No, no. I mean... You'd lie to your father to protect me?"
"It's not lying... More... Not mentioning a fact that I have recently learned of. And it's a good job it's a long walk back to Camelot... You have some explaining to do."