Chapter 1
Over the past month, Arthur's world had radically changed. The foundations of every belief he'd ever held had been shaken.
It had seemed like a normal day. Just a brief hunting trip in a nearby forest, it was not anything out of the ordinary for the prince and his manservant. The quiet normality was shattered when a swarm of serkets surrounded them. The horses panicked and both managed to throw off their riders and run, only to be cut down by the scorpions' claws. For Arthur, it seemed hopeless. Between him and Merlin, there was only a sword and a crossbow. Merlin was useless with both, so the fighting would be left to Arthur and while he knew he was an excellent fighter, he also knew he couldn't defeat a dozen massive scorpions by himself.
It was as that hopelessness descended that Arthur's world changed. Merlin sighed behind him and haltingly whispered, "I'm sorry, Arthur. Please don't hate me for this."
Before Arthur could figure out what Merlin meant, fire enveloped some of the closest serkets. He turned to Merlin and was shocked to see his hands raised and eyes gleaming gold, filled with a calm confidence. The stunned prince did nothing as the warlock continued his attack on the serkets. Earth and wind joined the flames in crushing the scorpions stupid enough to remain.
Finally, all was quiet. Merlin was facing away from Arthur, shoulders tense and rigid as if waiting for a harsh blow. Staring as if he could not comprehend what he had just seen Arthur did nothing. They stood in this deadlock for what seemed to be hours before Arthur came to himself and asked a simple question that was loaded with a myriad of complex problems.
"You have magic?"
Merlin slowly turned around and replied with a resigned tone, "Yes."
These four words sparked a conversation that lasted for hours. At first, it was just Arthur yelling about how stupid Merlin was and demanding to know why Merlin had started to learn sorcery, why he had betrayed Camelot and Arthur, and how long he had been lying. Surprisingly, it was the last question that seemed to trouble the prince the most. After Arthur stopped to gain his breath, Merlin began to answer all his questions in a quiet, shaky voice. He spoke of how he had been born with magic, how he had never chosen, and how he would never use his magic to harm Arthur and Camelot.
At first, Arthur did not believe him. What Merlin was telling him went against everything he'd ever been taught. But slowly, pieces of the puzzle came together as forgotten memories resurfaced. Numerous times Arthur had seen Merlin come out of a fight without a scratch, and had woken up from unconsciousness to find Merlin's smile and a completely fixed problem. Arthur had begun to wonder just how many times Merlin had used magic to help him. This train of thought led to a continuation of the conversation, except now it was Merlin recounting the last few years of his life for Arthur to hear.
In the end, Arthur went off by himself to think. Everything he had just learnt was swirling in his head like a hurricane, but it really came down to a battle of two known facts: that magic was evil and that Merlin was not. As Arthur debated with himself, Merlin just sat still as a stone with a mixture of fear and hope in his eyes.
The sun was setting when Arthur finally stood up and approached Merlin. He looked his servant in the eyes, his face showing no emotion through the princely façade. Just when Merlin thought he was going to die from waiting, Arthur began to speak.
"Merlin, I have believed all my life that those who practice sorcery were evil, no exceptions. But I know that you aren't, in any way, evil, even though you are most definitely magic. I cannot completely understand how the two concepts can work together, but I am willing to take a leap of faith and trust you. Prove to me that you can use your powers for good, and I'll rethink my position on magic. But if you lie to me ever again, I'll be forced to acknowledge that my father has been right all along."
Merlin simply nodded, eyes brimming with emotion. Arthur's words gave him hope that one day Arthur would see magic, and him, for what it truly was.