Within a week, the bruise had faded, and Uther hadn't dared to lay a hand on Arthur. The public had no idea, the few who had seen him were told that it had been an accident during training, that the knights were training well. But it was now common gossip among nobles. The women who had been there told their friends, so it spread from kingdom to kingdom. Word got to knights, and back to the knights of Camelot. Which put Leon in the room whenever it was otherwise just Arthur and his father.

Arthur had been somewhat more relaxed lately. He was still wondering when a hit would come but was happy that it didn't. Tonight, he had seen something wrong. His father hadn't hit him, but he could see him holding himself back. That was almost worse. It was confirmation of what Merlin had said, and of what Arthur had feared. That it wasn't training. It wasn't ever training. He just wanted to do it.

On the way back to his chambers, Arthur was needing to remind himself to breathe, taking in short, shallow breaths. This didn't happen often, but it happened enough that Arthur was decent at hiding it. Until he got behind closed doors, with just him and Merlin.

The door closed, and Merlin felt the hand on his arm before he saw it. He could see how much his hand was trembling, which was worrying enough on its own. Then, he looked at Arthur's face, the concern multiplied. It wasn't just his hands that were trembling. He could see Arthur's chest move sharply with his short breaths, the fear in his eyes, and the color drained from his face. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it before. Hell, he worked with the physician, he saw this kind of thing plenty.

But not on Arthur. And never this bad.

Merlin led Arthur to his bed, sitting down with Arthur beside him. He pulled him into his arms, his heart aching as he clung to him as though his life depended on it. He wasn't thinking as he pressed a kiss to Arthur's temple, then rest his cheek against the same spot. He started rocking slowly, the movement hopefully soothing to Arthur.

Arthur calmed down after about half an hour, his breathing almost normal and the trembling having stopped. Merlin looked down at him as he pulled back, relieved to see the color returned to his face and the fear in his eyes replaced with exhaustion. Merlin pulled back more, lifting Arthur's shirt and pulling it off. At least there were no bruises anymore. He put a hand on Arthur's chest, guiding him to lay down before reaching to take off his boots. He pulled the covers up over Arthur before reaching out and fixing his hair. Sure, Arthur would just be sleeping and would mess it up again soon, but he knew that he'd want to be able to pretend that everything was okay. As he turned to leave, he heard Arthur's voice.

"Merlin?"

"Hm?" Merlin smiled, assuming it would be the same interaction as every night. A hint of normality.

"Please stay." His voice was quiet and gentle, more vulnerable than he'd been in years. "I don't want to be alone."

Merlin hesitated a moment, then took off his own boots and climbed into bed with Arthur. He hadn't stayed since that night a week ago, and it felt strange cuddling up with the Prince of Camelot. He lay his head on Arthur's shoulder, draping his arm around Arthur.

"Your shirt's scratchy." Arthur mumbled. Merlin shifted as Arthur started pushing his shirt up a little, instead pulling it over his head himself and tossing it toward Arthur's laundry basket as he settled against him again.

"You're thinner than I thought." Arthur muttered as he rests his hand on Merlin's side.

"I'm a servant, Arthur. And I grew up in a border farming town where my mother and I could barely afford to keep ourselves alive. And then you have me running around all day and Gaius has me running errands in the evenings…" Merlin was rambling again.

"In that case, from now on you'll be eating breakfast and lunch with me. Unless I'm with my father, he would never stand for it."

"If I'm eating like you, do I get to have your body too? You're like a sculpture." He said quietly, running his fingers over Arthur's chest lightly.

"Only if you join me in training as well."

"I don't understand how anyone could bear to hurt you."

"You wanted to when we met."

"You were being a prat. And I didn't know you yet."

"Yeah, but you did hate me."

"A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole." Merlin muttered, repeating Kilgharrah's words from years ago.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Merlin hesitated for a moment. He knew he was safe with Arthur. He'd known that much since Arthur had said he'd been friends with a druid boy as a child. He hadn't dared to say anything then. Not when Arthur's mind was on Cynwal.

"It means I spoke to the Great Dragon," he said quietly. "He told me of our destinies. At least partly. He told me we're two sides of a coin. Two halves of a whole. One cannot exist without the other."

"You spoke to him before he escaped? Why would you do that?"

"I could hear him. Calling out to me. When I first got here. He called for me until I came to him."

"I never heard anything."

Merlin avoided looking at Arthur. "Did you know the Druids seek out children who can speak to each other with their minds? They'll go around calling out for someone. Until somebody can hear them. It's an inherently magical quality to be able to do so." he muttered.

Arthur stared for a moment, processing how that was relevant. It seemed impossible. Merlin, the most incompetent servant he'd had, a sorcerer. Until he properly thought. The odd things that happened when he was around. The fact that Merlin did always get his chores done, but his hands rarely showed it. The way things seemed to sort themselves out if Merlin was there.

"And you can?"

Merlin nodded. "You have no idea. I've been toing magic around you this whole time. Sometimes not even on purpose."

"It can be an accident?"

"For those who are born with it, yes. Things are different for me than with most sorcerers."

"Different?"

"The first time I met a Druid, they already knew me. By a different name. Our destinies have been foretold. Generations before us were waiting for us to be born."

"Find Emrys…" Arthur muttered, looking down at Merlin. "Before Cynwal ran off, when my father found us… he told me to find Emrys. I didn't know what… or who he meant. But… it's you, isn't it?"

Merlin nodded, a smile on his face. "That's the name they know me by."

"Then why did he want me to find you?"

"I told you, we share a destiny. You're going to be a fantastic King." He said quietly.

"Then it's obvious why I needed you. You were right, I was an absolute prat when we met. You made me a better person."

"I'm right more often than you know."

"Of course you are." Arthur said, his voice so soft that Merlin knew he meant it.

They fell silent after that, the two of them falling asleep minutes later. Arthur, comforted by Merlin's presence and Merlin comforted by Arthur's heartbeat.

It had been nearly another month, every day going as it always had. Every night had Merlin at Arthur's side, a different conversation each night. Sometimes, Merlin would talk about life back in Ealdor, or a story of how he'd used magic to save him. Others, Arthur would talk about Cynwal. Today, they'd been up for a few hours, Arthur doing work at his desk and Merlin finding things to clean and tidy up around the room.

"Merlin?"

Merlin looked up, pausing his work to look at Arthur. "Yes?"

"Can you show me?"

"You want me to show you? Magic?" He said the last word quietly, knowing the risk that came if anyone heard him from outside.

Arthur nodded. "It's been a long time since I saw it use it not trying to hurt me."

Merlin nodded and locked the door. He hadn't kept his secret so long just to have Uther walk in on them now. He sat on the edge of Arthur's bed, smiling as Arthur moved to sit next to him. Merlin's hands were trembling slightly as he held out his left hand. His eyes shone gold for a moment as he opened his hand to reveal a rose. He smiled and handed it to Arthur.

"You didn't say anything."

"I don't have to. I told you, I didn't practice magic. I was born with it."

"Born with it…" Arthur said, a small huff leaving his chest. "I didn't even know that was possible before you said it."

"I've been doing magic since before I could speak. My mother sent me to Camelot because she found out Will knew and thought Gaius could teach me to control it better… If she found out you knew, she'd make me leave again."

"I don't like you needing to hide this." Arthur muttered. "Hide who you are. I know you, you would never hurt anyone if you didn't have to. Magic or no magic, it doesn't matter. The good will find ways to do good. The evil will find ways to do evil."

Merlin smiled slightly. "There is no evil in magic. Only in the hearts of men. Your father is blinded by hatred and grief." He opened his palm again, a small flame that was not so much hot as it was warm in his palm. "He can't see that there has been and always will be magic in the heart of Camelot. Saving you, saving the city. Even saving him. Saving the man who would have me dead if he found out I was doing so. The man who makes my existence illegal." He said, noticing as the flame grew slightly and closing his hand before he lost any control of it. He took a few breaths to calm himself, then opened his palm again, replacing the flame with some small orbs of light. He sent them floating around their heads, spinning and twirling around each other.

Arthur watched the lights dancing around them for a moment before his eyes fell on Merlin. He was gorgeous like this. The warm light was reflecting in his eyes, making his messy hair look even softer than it usually did. It had taken until then for either of them to realize that Merlin was just as guarded as Arthur was. While Arthur masked his fear in anger and obedience, Merlin masked his in jokes and smiles. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Merlin's lips, pulling back almost immediately and looking down.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered, looking down.

"Don't be." Merlin muttered, leaning in and kissing Arthur again.

"Tell me everything." Arthur said quietly, smiling at Merlin.

They'd been talking for over an hour, Arthur occasionally asking questions and making observations. Merlin hesitated a moment, looking down.

"You didn't kill Kilgharrah. The Great Dragon, I mean. His name is Kilgharrah. I told him you did because I couldn't tell you the truth. That I sent him away."

"Why would he listen to you?"

"He had to." He said quietly. "Balinor wasn't the last Dragonlord. His son is. The gift is passed from father to son following the father's death."

"I'm sorry. I had no idea."

I only met him that once. I didn't know he was my father until Gaius told me just before we left. That was why he'd agreed to help. Because I told him I'm his son."

"I told you that no man is worth your tears. He was a good man. Would have been an amazing father had he been given the chance."

"You didn't know. I barely knew." He'd left the lights floating around them, the light helping to keep them both calm. "I'd just met him. He wasn't really a father to me. Just… somebody who could have been one."

The warmth and the comfort of being with Arthur made Merlin realize something that had apparently been true for a long time. He was home. Where he didn't have to hide. Where he'd been staying every night, where he was safe. Where he had Arthur.

For the first time, he was somewhere that felt right. He was home.