I decided to add a third chapter to this fic xxx Please tell me what you thin.

In another world:

The cell door swung open two unfamiliar Knights dragging him from his cell and into the throne room where the court was gathered before the Regent King. Merlin held his head high, even as his head spun; glancing towards the Knights of the Round Table, silent hope visible in his eyes.

Another man read out the charges – the crime of magic. Merlin admitted to its use before a shocked crowd.

"Is it true that you can get rid of magic – a sorcerer can rid himself of his magic?" Arthur asked, his eyes conveying a mirage of emotions, swirling in there depths.

"Yes." Merlin spoke plainly and simply. Arthur needed to make up his mind now – without his interference. Arthur was talking about getting rid of his magic as though he was spring cleaning. His breath shortened slightly – he knew what would happen if he lost his magic.

"Do it then or else be executed."

Merlin nodded slowly and began to speak the spell; glancing once more towards Arthur, Gwen and the Knights an unnameable emotion in his eyes, before bowing his head.

"STOP!" Everyone turned at Gaius's outburst, the only sound in the room Merlin's voice as he continued.

Arthur looked thoughtfully at Gaius for a moment, judging the physician, before giving one small nod. The physician spoke in a rush:

"Stop him!" He gestured at Merlin who was still speaking under his breath, more slowly. "He'd going to kill himself."

At that Gwaine launched himself forwards at Merlin and put his hand over the younger man's mouth, trying desperately to get him to keep quiet. Lancelot just looked at Merlin, understanding but sad.

Merlin finally stopped talking. Arthur dimly registered that this was the first time he could remember Merlin doing so. Actually there was one other occasion – when he'd been poisoned and Arthur had ended up getting attacked by giant spiders. He immediately shrugged off the comparison – Merlin wasn't going to die. That one fact was clear – even though his manservant possessed magic, he wasn't going to execute him – just make him get rid of the magic. Then Merlin could go back to normal, happy go-lucky manservant mode. Not sorcerer.

He was sure that Merlin would be fine – it wasn't like he had the opportunity to use magic much anyway – he was always with Arthur. And never in five years had Arthur seen Merlin use magic.

Never ever.

He wasn't that unobservant, was he?

"What do you mean he's going to kill himself?"

Lancelot spoke then, "He's more than just possessing magic. He is magic, in its purest form. Removing the magic will kill him instantly."

Lancelot.

Lancelot had known about Merlin – the matter of fact tone of voice he was using was proof enough for that. Now that hurt. Merlin had told Lancelot – Lancelot who hadn't been around for long, his secret. The jealous look on Gwaine's face told him that the same thought had occurred to the other Knight as well.

That just wasn't fair.

Why had Lancelot known?

Why had Merlin started to study magic?

Then he realised he'd said that last bit aloud. Merlin replied – Gwaine had finally removed his hand from the sorcerer's mouth. "I was born with magic. I am a warlock not a sorcerer. Lancelot and Gaius had already said, I've always had my magic, never known life without it. I was moving things about with my mind from a few hours old. I never had a choice." Had his father executed people for how they were born? That changed things slightly. "Then my magic started to grow faster than I could control it. So my mother sent me to Camelot."

Leon intervened incredulously, "Your mother sent you, a sorcerer – warlock – with growing magical powers to a place where you are hunted and killed. Why?"

"I was less likely to be notice than in a small village. And..." He paused, looking as if he was waiting for a cue. "In Camelot I had some ... help."

Gaius.

He meant Gaius.

That's why he'd stopped – Gaius had told him it was okay to oust him assisting and 'conspiring' with a known magic user.

Well ... Merlin hadn't mentioned names. Unless he did Arthur couldn't really arrest Gaius – even if most of the Court also guessed who he was talking about. None of them would say anything – Gaius was well loved in the kingdom as both a physician and the king's advisor. No one would attempt to turn him into the King without at least a protest.

Arthur interrupted Merlin before his accomplice could be named. "So what have you been doing here?"

Merlin looked at him solemnly.

"Saving you."

Arthur couldn't help it. He laughed.

Merlin saving him? Merlin who couldn't hold a sword and protested at the thought of bunnies being killed? His cheeky, sharp manservant?

His mischievous, witty manservant that had magic.

Saving him.

Well, he thought, looking back, this was one excuse for all of the falling tree branches.

Thinking of the number of occasions when this happened, he blanched.

It seemed that Merlin was actually somewhat good at saving his life.

His pride refused to admit it.

"Really?" The hall was looking at him curiously – he'd burst into laughter and then paled in about ten seconds. Gaius was looking at him knowingly.

"All of those occurrences when something happened and you never quite worked out how you defeated the sorcerer. All of the incidents that you noticed and all of the ones you didn't. Everything out of the corner of your eye."

There were a lot of these occasions in the last few years.

Okay. Merlin was really good at saving his life.

How humiliating.

"So I suppose killing you is basically signing my own death warrant?"

Merlin's lips twitched. "It could be. Maybe not."

"How so. It seems you've been saving me. Would I be alive if you weren't?" He spoke sarcastically.

"I could put up a shield. Only destiny could harm you. But it would only work on you – no one else in this room."

"Why not?"

"We have a bonded fate. Our futures were mapped out for us centuries ago with the first prophets."

Bonded fate? He did not like the sound of that. "What is this 'bonded fate'?"

"You will be the greatest King this land has ever known, uniting all of Albion. But you face threats from friends and foe alike, which is why I was born. To protect the Once and Future King, right to the death."

Arthur swallowed. Something like that seemed both impossible and daunting.

"Who told you this?" He was proud that his voice only showed a little of his emotions – shock, fear, anger.

"Kilgharrah."

His face and the face of the court members showed the need for further expansion. "Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon."

Merlin knew the Great Dragon?

Arthur slumped back in his throne. This day was going to be even longer than he'd thought.

oOo

The next time Morgana tried to invade (Arthur was King by this time. Uther had died peacefully in his sleep whilst Merlin had been in Ealdor. Arthur had forgiven him easily – everyone knew that Merlin's talents did not lie in the healing arts) she arrived in the hall dishevelled and dirty, looking furious.

"Do you know how many magical shields I just had to burst through?"

Merlin looked amused. "Of course. I felt you trying to get through the first one. You went the long way though. Such a shame, I had so many other ideas to try out. Guess I'll have to wait until next time." He looked appraisingly at her. "I doubt you'll try that particular route again. Unless you're mad. Actually ... you might go that way again."

His once beautiful sister did indeed look deranged, filthy and eyes popping with rage at the speech Merlin had just delivered. She was still used to be spoken to with respect, even if that respect was more out of fear than anything else. She was being spoken about like this by a mere servant. It irked her more than she could say.

Shame.

She should have thought about that before she went evil.

"I am not mad!" She screeched.

Merlin nodded condescendingly.

Her eye twitched.

Arthur had flashback to when he'd found out about Merlin and the twitching his own face had done as Merlin's secrets were unravelled one by one – Balinor, the Great Dragon, Morgana, Nimueh. Everyone one had had saved, all those he'd killed. All in Arthur's name. It had been over whelming.

Whilst Morgana was attempting to restrain her face, Merlin had shifted totally in front of Arthur and had sent a blast of power at Morgana who sped backwards and crashed into the wall.

She landed on the stone wall with a hiss.

"This isn't over."

She vanished with a cruel smirk and a large quantity of smoke.

Merlin huffed. "Just as dramatic as she used to be."

Arthur just shook his head.

Merlin waved his arm slightly and the room was restored to the condition it had been about fifteen minutes previously. "Shall we get back to business?"

Not too sure about the ending but I wanted to finish this and that's where it decided too. Please read and review xx