Wow I can't believe it's taken me this long to write this chapter. This was hard. I didn't really mean for it to be so angsty, but I guess that's just how life happens sometimes.

I wanted to thank everyone who posted a comment/review and followed. This is my first time ever writing fanfiction and it means so much that you guys enjoy what I'm writing. I'm going to do my best for all 20 of you :) (I know that's not actually a crazy number, but it feels like a crazy number to me ^_^)

Everything was a blur. Merlin wanted to run but his body refused to respond. His body grew cold and numb as his world crumbled and it was reflected in Morgana's eyes. He tried to speak but no sound would come out of his mouth no matter how hard he tried. His palms became clammy as he desperately held onto the wound on his shoulder. That pain was completely eclipsed by the overwhelming sensation that his heart was going to burst from his chest at any given moment. Every time he tried to speak he could only feel his throat begin to close and his eyes start to well up with tears. Every breath he struggled to take only made him feel more like an outcast; a monster.

Morgana rose and approached him slowly. He wanted to run, but the best he could do was to stare pointedly at the ground. He couldn't look at her. Even though he hadn't exactly lied to her, he knew it wasn't much better. As the sound of her footsteps grew closer, Merlin began to shake. "Merlin," Morgana said in a soft voice barely over a whisper as she touched his uninjured shoulder. This sent what felt like a jolt of energy through Merlin's entire body and he jumped about 5 feet backwards. He finally managed to look up at her. Her eyes shown with concern as his own began to swell with tears. "Merlin," her tone became much stronger, "please don't worry. I will protect your secret as my own. No harm will come to you I promise. Frankly I should be the one thanking you and apologizing. So, please. Here, let's get to the camp"

Merlin tried to respond but he still couldn't find words. Eyes still fixed firmly on the ground he proceeded past her towards the druid camp. He was thankful that Morgana did not try to bring up his blatant use of powerful magic. He didn't want to look in her eyes and see the betrayal she must have felt towards him for not being honest with her when the petrified ward had shared her deepest fears with the serving boy. Not to mention that he had just gravely injured, if not killed, about a score of bandits who had no chance at standing up to him. They were merely human. His guilt was almost as crippling as the stab wound which, despite the pressure Merlin was exerting on the wound with his hand, was still bleeding profusely. He made it about 20 feet before his vision began to blur. He could barely hear his friend's voice as everything went black around him.

"Emrys"

A familiar voice echoed in Merlin's mind. Part of him rejected the name. It served as a reminder of how he wasn't normal; how he was a freak. But the voice persisted.

"Emrys, please."

"NO!" roared the seemingly unconscious manservant as his bolted upright. He felt everything shake as the small group around him drew away from him, startled by the sudden outburst. But this did nothing but reinforce what Merlin already believed about himself. His eyes drifted over the unfamiliar faces surrounding him until they came to rest on Morgana.

Merlin froze. He swore he could feel his heart break at the look of pure terror on the Lady Morgana's face. He had never seen her so scared, even when she feared for the safety of her own mind. The longer he looked into her eyes, the more that terror shifted to pity. Merlin didn't know which was worse. He felt pathetic, but he could not fight the instincts of a lifetime of secrecy. His shame began to overtake his fear as he broke eye contact with the King's ward, shifting to sitting with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands holding his face, as if trying to hold his emotions from spilling out for the world to see. After sitting there for a few long breaths, Merlin pushed himself to his feet while trying not to put pressure on his injured shoulder. "Excuse me," he managed to mumble before trying to stumble out of the tent.

Before he could escape he felt Morgana's firm grip wrap around his wrist and pull him back. Merlin fell back to the ground with a graceless thud and looked at her, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion. "Okay, we did not come all this way for you to spend the entire trip feeling sorry for yourself," she barked, making his fear give way completely to his confusion. "Merlin, You are one of the most kind and gentle people I know. Your courage knows no bounds and you are selfless to a fault. I understand what it's like now, to be alone. To feel like no one can even begin to understand you, but to know that if you tried to learn more you would be killed without question. It's been crippling to live like this for just a short while. I cannot begin to understand the pain you have suffered. And yet, you continue to serve and protect the ones you care about. Merlin, I can only hope to be half as strong as you when we return to Camelot."

He stared into her eyes. Merlin's breathing hitched as his mouth formed a lopsided smile. "You...You're not scared of me?" Merlin asked, his voice tender and soft. Morgana simply rolled her eyes and pulled him into a fierce embrace as they both let their emotions overwhelm them.