A/N: Hey there! Well, the idea of this fic came to me after watching Merlin´s S3 episode Goblin's Gold. Was I the only one wondering what happened to the Arthur who warned Merlin so that he wouldn't get arrested in 2X06? Of course, I know that time he was only accused of stealing, and this time it was of sorcery. I understand why Arthur had to do what he did (he couldn't elude arresting Merlin, he found him with the guards), and it broke my heart when he couldn´t look at Merlin as he was being arrested, and his expressions during the accusation. So my crazy fan mind had to make up an explanation for why didn't Arthur defend Merlin, but he did try to uncover Gaius. Here´s the result. Enjoy! :)

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I don´t own Merlin. That´s the reason why Arthur hasn´t got a clue on Merlin´s magic. Sigh.

Genre: Merlin/Arthur Bromance. Because I just love to use that word. Don´t you?:D

Chapter 1

"Arrest him".

And with those two words, Merlin felt how his only hope faded in a second.

•••

The warlock rested his head against the cold metal bars, still unable to believe what had just happened.

Arthur had arrested Merlin.

Arthur had arrested Merlin.

Arthur had arrested Merlin.

"Arrest him".

Merlin had wondered many times about how would Arthur discover about his magic. Maybe he would be obliged to expose himself one of the hundred times a week he had to save the prince. Maybe somebody would see him saying a spell and would report him to the King.

Or maybe, just maybe, one day Merlin would gather enough courage to confess his secret to the man he considered his best friend. Now, well, now he didn´t have to worry about that anymore.

Yes, Merlin had thought a lot of times about the circumstances of the reveal, so many times it scared him. But if there was something that had always scared him more, was Arthur´s reaction to that revelation.

So what was he to do now?

•••

"Arthur, what are you doing?"

Arthur just averted the prisoner´s gaze.

•••

It couldn´t be.

Merlin couldn´t have caused all that trouble in the court. Merlin couldn't have a spell book. Merlin couldn't be a sorcerer. Merlin couldn´t have betrayed him.

Merlin couldn't have been sentenced to death, just before Arthur´s eyes.

Except he had, and now Arthur was desperately trying to find a way to make everything be as it was.

It would have been way easier if he didn't have Merlin´s eyes stuck in his mind, the same eyes that had looked at him hurt and confused when he had just walked to him with the guards, avoiding to look at his servant´s face, because he wasn´t sure he could do this if he did.

But still, Arthur´s eyes had glued themselves to Merlin, when he was taken to the Court Room, when he was exposed by Gaius, when the King ordered his death. When he didn't do anything to help him.

He had seen also Gwen´s horrified face and Morgana´s…satisfied smirk? He had seen Gaius' almost happy expression, and he had begun to suspect. Maybe Merlin had been falsely accused, maybe what he said was true, and it wasn´t just Arthur´s heart that wanted it to be.

But then the prince had seen the furious look on his father´s face, and understood that, if he defended Merlin now, the boy was lost. He had seen it before. When Uther Pendragon made a decision, very few things could change his mind.

Arthur had always been one of those things. But if he started protecting Merlin now, it wouldn´t be like any of the other times he had tried to make his father see reason. He knew he wouldn´t be able to just drop it, to resign himself and apologize to the King, to stand proudly at the balcony while the only best friend he had even known was burned to the stake.

Yes, that´s how it would end. Arthur wouldn´t be able to convince his father, even if he begged him for mercy. That could even mean a worse punishment for Merlin. He was sure his father had never accepted that a noble and a peasant could be more than master and servant, and he wasn´t going to now.

So, what was left for Arthur to try?

•••

Merlin had been in the cells for about two hours, and he still didn´t know what was he waiting for. Or he did, but he refused to admit he hoped Arthur would come to see him.

He hadn´t, and Merlin didn´t allow himself to feel hurt, or disappointed. To Arthur, he was now a sorcerer, a prisoner, and worse, a treacherous friend. It was ludicrous to think the prince would even condescend to see him one last time. What a loss of time, having been waiting that long because he didn´t want to acknowledge he had lost Arthur and there was no getting him back.

But he wasn´t going to leave Gaius alone. As long as the goblin was inside him, his mentor would be in danger, and Merlin wasn´t going to let that happen.

He would escape and figure out a way to hep Gaius. And then, if Arthur wanted to execute him, he could go on. It would save him the shame of looking him in the eye again.

So he got up and waited quietly for just a second, one more second...

When nothing happened, he started to say the words for the spell to get the keys.

•••

Arthur had a plan. More or less of a plan. Okay, so he had no plan. But he had to try.

So when Gaius entered his room, he forced a smile and concentrated on getting proof to free Merlin.

"When we catch him, you´ll see him hang", and no one would ever know how hard it was to pronounce those words.

"I shall look forward to that" and then Arthur knew the truth. Now he could expose the goblin, he could prove Merlin´s innocence, he could save his friend.

Too bad he was knocked out that same instant, so he wasn´t able to help Merlin then. Oh, and nor was he later, for he was braying.

―――――――――――――

Okay, so this was the first part. It´s going to be two-chapters long, this one taking place during the events of the chapter, and the next, what I imagined could have happened after everything with the goblin was worked out. Because really, I think these two needed to have a talk.

See you in the next! I´ll post it soon.