Thank you so much once again! This is going to tie into the series, but because of their pasts etc, I'm having them ever so slightly younger. Also remember they - especially Merlin - have been through a lot in their past in this series, so anything that might be slightly OOC, they are slightly different to the Merlin and Arthur who met at the beginning of series 1.

Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Merlin could see Arthur's mind working overtime as he tried to work out who it was standing in front of him. If they had been in private, Merlin would have used a little magic, pulled on their link a touch as a reminder. But all he could do out in the courtyard was stare back, disappointment swirling in the pit of his stomach.

He had never seen Arthur acting as a prince. Arthur had always found him, been in Merlin's territory and therefore a little unsure of himself because he was the wrong side of the border. Whenever they had met before, Arthur had had no authority, no power. Now Merlin could see that he was a completely different person in his own kingdom.

Had he always been this arrogant or was it just something that had emerged as they had grown up?

"Merlin?" Arthur eventually spluttered, glancing at his friends as he too clearly realised just how stunned and uncertain his voice had come out. They were looking at him strangely and before Merlin knew what was happening, Arthur was stalking towards him. He grabbed Merlin's arm –not too gently either – and practically yanked him from the courtyard, up a few steps and into a secluded corridor.

Instantly, Arthur's demeanour changed and he looked more like the excited child that Merlin remembered. Merlin knew he had to be almost coming of age now. The warlock himself wasn't far off and Arthur was only a few years older. But his eyes lit up with excitement and a familiar grin was uncurling on his face as he stared at Merlin.

"What are you doing here? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"Yes," Merlin spat, suddenly finding that he was angry. Leon was worried, so was Gaius. Merlin had just been pulled from his home and the life he knew to travel to a place that – as Arthur had just pointed out – was dangerous for him. All to save the life of someone Merlin wasn't even sure he knew anymore.

"I came to help you."

"Help me? As if I need any help, Merlin," there was a teasing grin on Arthur's face and Merlin glared at him. It was as if the prince had no idea what was going on around him.

"You're supposed to be sick."

"I was. Then I got better. Big deal, it happens all the time. Gaius just worries too much, he clearly found the cure without even realising it. But now you're here we can have some fun. Just like old times?"

"You mean with you taking control of my magic whether I want you too or not?" Merlin didn't bother keeping his voice down. He was angry. Angry that Arthur didn't care how worried people were about him and was just treating it like an inconvenience. The prince's face clouded over.

"That's not fair," he said in a low voice, anger filling his eyes. "You know I was only trying to save your life."

"And I came here to save yours and instead find you acting like a…like a… complete and utter prat!"

"You can't call me that."

"I can call you whatever I want. I came here to save you. Now I don't even know if I want to."

Without thinking what he was doing, Merlin turned on his heel and walked off. This was not the boy he remembered. This was not the boy he had ridden through the night to come and help.

But Merlin had forgotten that he was in Camelot now. This was Arthur's home. More than that; this was Arthur's kingdom. Apparently insulting him as a couple of guards strode past was not something he was allowed to do and before Merlin knew what was happening, before he even knew the guards were there, he felt his arms being taken in firm grips.

"Arthur! Arthur, make them let me go!"

"So you can insult me again?" Arthur said coolly, nodding to the guards. Merlin couldn't quite comprehend this was happening as he was pulled along the corridor and down a stone set of stairs. Before his mind had caught up with him, he found himself thrown into a cell and the door locked firmly behind him.

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled but the prince didn't appear. Merlin wasn't surprise. It seemed that Arthur had grown into a bully as he had got older. Scowling, Merlin sat down, rested his elbow on his knee and let his palm cup his chin, thinking. Would Gaius remember that he was supposed to have someone living with him? Would he think it strange if Merlin didn't return, or would he not care either way?

Merlin shivered in the cool air as he huddled against the wall for warmth. Eventually realising that Gaius wasn't coming tonight, he slipped off his jacket and awkwardly pulled it over his body as he lay down in order to try to get some sleep. He had slept in worse, normally with fear coursing through his body and making him shiver. He could handle this, and it wasn't long before Merlin found himself drifting off to sleep.

It was a voice calling him that awoke him again. For a moment, Merlin could only blink. He thought he must have been going mad, that the fear of being in Camelot was starting to get to him already, because he could have sworn the voice had come from inside his head. It was an echoing sound, but one that promised great power. Before Merlin could think anything of it, he heard his name being called again. This time, there was no denying Gaius' tone and it was only then that Merlin realised sunlight was streaming through his barred window. He quickly threw the jacket off and sat up, just as Gaius entered.

"What did you do?" The old man demanded, but Merlin scowled at the floor. He wasn't going to apologise for telling Arthur the truth. If Merlin was to stay in Camelot, then the prince better start getting used to honesty.

"I met Arthur," Merlin muttered venomously. "And there is nothing wrong with him. I'm going home. Even if there was something wrong, I won't help him."

"Merlin," Gaius chided gently, but Merlin shook his head. It felt like the sting of betrayal, seeing how much Arthur had changed. Unless he had always been like this, but he had certainly never let it show to Merlin if that was the case.

"He's not the person I knew, Gaius."

"Maybe not on the surface," Gaius said softly, reaching out and resting a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "But he is still the same person underneath. He is still the prince who risked everything to save your life."

"I don't care," Merlin muttered, but he knew he was sounding like a petulant child and there was no conviction in his voice. Leon especially had seen how worried Merlin had been upon discovering Arthur's illness. He knew he couldn't hide it from the two men that some part of him still clung to the idealistic notion of the Arthur who had been his best friend for years despite them being apart.

"Let go of me!" An angry voice sounded and Merlin jumped. He found himself glancing towards the cell door in confusion but he didn't have long to wait. Leon strode into view, his face grave. His hand was gripping tightly onto the arm of a furious struggling prince as Arthur was pulled into the dungeons.

"I order you to release me!"

"I take my orders from the king, Sire," Leon mumbled, not sounding that apologetic as he pushed Arthur into the cell. Merlin thought it was odd for the knight to remain on the outside. Leon always struck him as the type of man who would stay as close to Arthur as he could. But he didn't have to wait long to find out why. As soon as he entered the cell, Arthur spun on his heel and clearly intended to march straight back out again.

Only he turned just in time for Leon to shut and lock the door. All three of them were now stuck in the cell.

"What the hell?" Arthur said, slowly and deliberately. He stared first at Gaius, then at Merlin as if they were the ones who had somehow planned this. Merlin couldn't speak for Gaius, but he had been the one in the cell all night. He wanted to get out as much as Arthur.

"You two need to talk," Gaius said gently. "And no one can overhear you here."

Suddenly, Merlin felt as if understanding flashed through him. Gaius had known he was down here the evening before, but clearly hadn't been able to get Arthur down here before now. He had left Merlin here as a way of making sure they had somewhere private to talk. It was the extremities of those actions that made Merlin realise that, regardless of how pig-headed he was being, these men were truly worried about Arthur.

"Talk to him? I tried that and the only thing he did was insult me. I'll talk when he can hold a civilised conversation," Arthur sniffed, glancing at Merlin as if he was something beneath him. Merlin saw red and before he knew what he was doing, he had shoved Arthur. Hard.

"I looked out for you just as you did me. You might be a prince here, Arthur, but I know you for who you really are. I thought you were a better man than this. I thought you would be someone worth wanting to save. But now I see I was wrong."

Merlin turned away. His anger had disappeared and another emotion had taken its place. Hurt. He thought he would come, help Arthur and things would go back to the carefree nature between the two of them. But he had arrived to find Arthur was a stranger to him these days and it felt all of his childhood memories had been shattered. Sinking down the wall, Merlin hugged his knees to his chest and found that he was burying his face in them. He didn't want Arthur to know that he was upset, for he was sure it would just fuel the man's ego to an even greater extent.

There was a moment of silence before Merlin felt another body sit next to his. Arthur made sure there was space between them, but there was no denying he was trying to offer some sort of comfort to his old friend.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" he asked. His voice was soft and quiet this time, and it sounded so much like the Arthur that Merlin had known before the warlock just wanted to hit him.

"It would help if you weren't such a prat," he retorted, not ready to forgive Arthur yet. After all, it was one thing him saying it when they were alone in the cells. It was another thing entirely Arthur being able to actually act upon it when he was back in front of his friends.

"I'm sorry. It's just…it's easier that way," Arthur admitted and, despite himself, Merlin found that he was looking up. Arthur looked miserable as he stared at the opposite wall, his hand idly picking at a stray thread.

"What is?"

"Being with those other boys. It's easier to put on a front. Father says I have to keep them happy for their fathers are the king's strongest supporters and when we grow up, they will take the position of their fathers just as I will mine. They don't like people being seen as weak."

"So picking on others is a way of showing your strength?" Merlin sighed, giving Arthur a quick kick to the ankle. "I thought everything that happened before would have shown you that being a bully never ends well. It just causes pain for others."

"Merlin, I…. I didn't think." This time, there was true regret in Arthur's voice. Merlin ignored it though, instead focusing on ridding his mind of the memories of his time as a slave. He tried to think back on it as reuniting him with Arthur rather than the negative and terrifying experience it had been.

"Well that was obvious," Merlin responded drily, determined to get some sort of relaxed atmosphere into the place. He felt stifled and he knew it wasn't just being locked in that was causing it. This was the longest he had gone for a long time without using magic and his fingers were itching to cast a spell. He could almost feel the magic bubbling in his veins, wanting to be let lose.

"Go on then," Arthur suddenly said. Merlin stared at him only to find that Arthur was watching him with equal intensity.

"What?"

"Are you forgetting that your magic technically belongs to me? I know you want to, I can sense it. There is no one down here but us and we all know about it. Do something."

Merlin knew Arthur wasn't only saying it for his own benefit. It was almost as if the prince wanted to once again witness the wonders and beauty of magic. It was now Merlin remembered that he was not the only one keeping a secret. He was not the only one who had been forced to deal with what had happened before. But while Merlin could talk freely with his mother about his experiences and his bond with Arthur, the prince hadn't been able to breathe a word to his own parent. Merlin knew that Gaius and Leon would have listened. But there was always the risk of being overheard and the consequence to be deadly in Camelot. It wouldn't surprise Merlin if Arthur had never spoken again of the fact Merlin's magic was bonded to him.

"Do you always feel when I want to do magic?" Merlin asked, instinctively keeping his voice down this time. Arthur shook his head.

"I think it must be because you are close to me. I haven't been aware of the, well, you know, the connection since leaving you. Now it's like this wave has just crashed over me and I can feel how much you want to do something. So for the love of Camelot, Merlin, do magic before this feeling gets too annoying."

Merlin smirked. Coming from any other man, that would have been a plea. Yet Arthur had somehow managed to turn it into an order and Merlin knew it was time to actually do as he was told for once. After all, he couldn't risk Arthur getting truly annoyed with him and having him thrown from the city for not doing as he was told.

Just because he was beginning to forgive Arthur for his earlier behaviour, that didn't mean he trusted him entirely yet. The prince still had to prove that he could be the man Merlin had always believed him to be.

He glanced around the cell, wondering what he could do that wouldn't be too obvious. Leon might be standing guard and they might have ensured that no one was in ear shot, but Merlin knew he couldn't exactly blast the cell door open. It would lead to too many questions. His eyes settled on a pile of stones. They were little more than pebbles really, but they would suit his purpose fine.

Reaching into himself, Merlin nudged his way past the familiar barrier. He couldn't remember now if that had always been part of him or not. But it was almost as if there was a cover on his magic, something keeping it down until the time was right. He had grown so used to pushing past it, however, he no longer thought about it. He didn't take proper note of Arthur shifted uncomfortably beside him as he did so, he instead thought about the power he could feel flooding his veins.

Letting his eyes burn, Merlin lifted three of the pebbles into the air. Using his hand just as a way of directing the flow of magic, Merlin let the power flow from him as he made them swirl and dance in the air, spiralling around each other with a grace that wasn't entirely natural. He glanced at Arthur out of the corner of his eye and saw the prince was watching them with a small smile on his face. Merlin didn't need to ask to know that Arthur would deny that smile with everything he had if he knew Merlin had seen it.

Controlling the flow of magic, Merlin carefully guided the pebbles back down to the floor. He didn't want to overdo it, especially not when he could see Leon shifting uncomfortably outside of the cell. The man was loyal to Arthur, no one could doubt that. But this was deliberately flouting Camelot's laws and Leon was a knight sworn to uphold said laws. Not wanting to make things difficult between them, he let the magic fade.

"How was that?" he teased, turning to Arthur. Then he froze.

"Gaius!" His shout was loud and alarmed and he could see Gaius turning out of the corner of his eye. He ignored the man for now, however, and instead focused on the prince.

Arthur had gone deathly pale and seemed to be struggling to breathe. When he looked up, his eyes were full of agony and Merlin knew this was no trick. He could almost feel the pain coming from the prince, radiating through their strange link. Sweat beaded on Arthur's forehead as he looked to Gaius desperately. But even as Gaius took a step towards them, Arthur's eyes rolled in his head and he passed out where he was sitting.

Now, Merlin understood. He knew why there were worry lines etched deep into Gaius' face and why Leon looked almost haunted as he quickly unlocked the cell door.

There had been a very good reason why Merlin had been summoned to Camelot.

Arthur truly was sick.

Dangerously so if this was anything to go by.