After Merlin had head back to the castle and the dragon had flown off, Arthur still can't shake the shiver he felt down his spine when the dragon looked at him. The dragon had known they were there the entire time. "Arthur?" Gwaine called and he was snapped out of his mindset.
"Hmm...what is it? You seem lost in thought and bit...tense."
"Um...oh...I don't know, we only figured out a whole lot about Merlin that no one in their right mind could've guessed! Hello? Where have you been that past couple of hours!?"
"Right, Merlin, he..." Arthur could suddenly hear his heart pumping through his entire body over the entire forest. "He thinks I'll throw him into the pyre if I tell him I know...he thinks I would actually kill him..." Arthur collapsed to his knees and looked at his shaking hands. He then looked up at Gwaine who was now holding a hand to his back.
"Arthur...Perhaps you should talk with Merlin tomorrow..."
"And what exactly am I supposed to say? The second I see him, I'm going to be reminded that he actually believes I would kill him. He's not just my servant...he's my friend...and he thinks I can so easily decide to kill him."
"You're also forgetting all the good things he thinks about you. You're forgetting about what he's done for you."
"Dear God...he was going to Nimueh...to bargain his life for mine...he was going to die...he was prepared to die..."
"Arthur, he's still here! That's what's important. He still thinks of you as a great friend!" Gwaine pulled Arthur to his feet, quickly gathering that all of this new information may have been too much for Arthur to handle. "You need to focus on that. We need to get you back now...he'll be waking you up tomorrow as usual and you can talk with Merlin then."
"He has magic, he's a creature of the old religion, he's a creature of magic, he's a dragon lord, he's a warlock, he's more powerful than Morgana, we apparently share a destiny...with all of that power...why has he let me treat him like a servant...and why is he so afraid of me when he could just wave his hand and end me?"
"You'll have to ask him that yourself, princess. Although, with everything I heard...he values your life far more than his own."
"ARTHUR!? ARTHUR ARE YOU OUT HERE?"
"That sounds like Merlin..." Arthur mentioned.
Gwaine turned his head..."Because it is Merlin...Hey there Merlin...we're over here. Princess here decided to go on a late night hunting trip and dragged me out of bed for it."
"Yeah Gaius told me." Merlin looked at Arthur who was glaring at Gwaine. Merlin gave a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Arthur, it's the middle of the night, you could've been attacked, you're the king...you have to take better care of yourself and be careful in the decisions you make. Camelot would be lost without you."
Quickly realizing Merlin had said that Gaius told him they went hunting he looked at him with a confused expression. "What exactly did Gaius tell you?"
"Well, I went looking for you, and when I went to ask Gaius he told me the two of you just left to go hunting. Tell me, Arthur, do you remember what bandits are, or how many enemies you have? Because I do and they are a royal pain in the ass and if you're not careful that might be a literal phrase for you!"
"We apologize Merlin, he just wanted to clear his head about some things."
"How bad was your discussion with Gaius?" Merlin laughed.
'Merlin is laughing, he's smiling, he's so carefree right now. He's also worried that I might've been hurt...He also ran straight towards me despite him thinking that if I found out who and what he is I would kill him...' "Umm...well...it was educational to say the least. I can't say that my mind has been put at ease while I was out here...but a nice walk through the woods helps."
"Uh huh...right? Why are you lying to me? Why are you both lying to me?" Merlin raises his eyebrow and looks between his king and Gwaine.
"What makes you think I'm lying?" Arthur asks. 'Is he using magic right now to see if I'm lying?'
"Because I know you. You never think a 'walk' in the woods is 'nice' You actually hate it. You only ever go in the woods if your hunting something or if your going after someone...so who was it you were after?"
'He didn't use magic on me...' "We heard there were bandits nearby and we didn't want to alert them by riding horses so we traveled here on foot. We were just about to head to their last known location when..."
"No you weren't." Merlin interrupted. "I was just out here."
'I guess now is a perfect time...perhperhaps he won't think i want to kill him...' "And what were you doing out here Merlin?"
"I was talking with a friend."
"What's your friend's name?"
Merlin smiled as he crossed his arms. "His name is Kilghara." He answered honestly.
"Strange name."
"Yeah, so is the name Gwaine or Merlin."
"You've got me there my friend. So, now that we've all been found out, lets head to bed."
"You still haven't told me what you were doing out here."
"I'm the king Merlin, I don't have to give a reason."
"Tell that to your people." He muttered under his breath but Arthur could still hear it.
"Merlin..." Arthur started as they were walking back. "...Do you think I'm a good king? Be honest please..."
"Are you sure you want me to..."
"Yes...Be honest with me. It is just you, me, and Gwaine."
"You can be a selfish prat, stubborn, willful, pompous, rude, annoying, but you are also selfless, kind, brave, humble at times, reassuring, and what I believe to be a great king." Merlin answered honestly and made sure that Arthur could hear him speak, by saying it slower than he wanted to.
'That was almost exactly what he told the dragon.' "Will I ever figure you out Merlin?"
"I hope not." He smiled at Arthur but Both Arthur and Gwaine just looked at each other. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it was one of the things Arthur wanted to clear his head about."
"Ah, well I hope I answered your question well enough...it is just my opinion after all."
They went back to the palace together. Gwaine knew that tomorrow, Arthur would want to talk to Merlin alone and Merlin had know idea the kind of questions he'd be in for tomorrow.