I'm sorry if I had rushed things a little. I will slow down from now. But at first this fic was a one-shot and I don't have enough ground to work on it like this. The last two chapter were here go give me matter to work with. Thanks to French couture for beta-reading me. Enjoy.

Chapter 3

Merlin felt very guilty. He never realised how important Morgana's dreams were to him. In a way, he was dependant upon her power. Each time Arthur faced a potential danger, Morgana would see it beforehand and warn him about it. But not this time. This morning, Morgana had woken up refreshed and she hadn't said a word about Arthur being in danger during the coming hours. That's why Merlin was not as careful to watch Arthur's back than he must have.. And it had cost him a lot.

This morning Arthur decided to go hunting, and naturally Merlin had gone with him. He was tired from all the work Arthur had given him in the past days and he really wanted to be able to stay at the castle to sleep a little. But he was not so lucky. He couldn't explain it, but it looked like as if Arthur wanted him away from Camelot, or at least away from someone. Merlin didn't think that Arthur had Gwen in mind, but the other solution is too farfetched to even consider. Merlin knew that Arthur and Morgana were very close. And it was a normal thing, considering that they grew up together. They shared more things than Merlin could understand. But there is a very big difference between being close as a friend and as a lover. And Merlin was more and more afraid that Morgana and Arthur were the latter. Even if it worried him more than anything, he can see a sens at it was always meant to be.

So, this morning, Merlin was half asleep on his horse when a horrible cry came from deep within the woods. And as impatient as he was, Arthur rush to the place where the cry come from. Everything happened so fast that Merlin couldn't even remember exactly how it had began. He didn't have time to react before Arthur was on his feet, bleeding from the many cuts he had suffered. Merlin didn't have time to think before he saw the beast coming towards him. He had never seen such a strange beast. It had almost no body, but a head bigger than ten men, and with fang of the size of the pilars in Camelot's throne room . There was no doubt that Arthur was so injured. There was almost nothing to do to defend him from being bitten by the beast. Merlin used his gift without looking around too see if someone was looking. He cast a spell and the beast ran away and returned to where it came from.

Merlin quickly dismounted and ran to Arthur. Judging by the corpses around, the prince was luckier than his men. But Merlin didn't like the color of his skin around the bite mark. He can sense something evil in them, and he chose to return the even more quickly to Camelot. Arthur would need all the help he can get and soon, because it looked like whatever was in the bite is spreading very fast. Again, Merlin used his magic to help the prince settle on the horse and they ride as fast as possible to Camelot. He prayed for Arthur to be safe. So lost in his worry he failed to notice a man standing not far off from the corpse of the knight.

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Morgana had spent her evening with Uther. She thought that the man was a heartless bastard sometimes, his hatred of magic had led him to a path of destruction. But sometime, he was nicer than she could believe. And this morning was one of the good days. In spite of herself, Morgana couldn't help but love him when he was like this. She wondered what had happened the past to change him so much. She was well aware that before the death of Queen Igraine, Uther was not like this. During that time people with magic and people without magic had lived together in peace, but the death of the queen had changed everything. The Great Purge had come, and now people with magic have to hid, like Merlin. Morgana didn't have find time to speak with Merlin about his secret. She knows for a fact that hiding a secret can be very tiring, and she hoped to help him with it. Not only because he was a friend to her, but also because he was Arthur's friend too.

Morgana had decided to spend more time with Uther. She needed to understand him better in a way to convince him that she will be good as Arthur's wife. For Arthur, she is ready to forget how much Uther had made her suffer. After all Arthur loved his father very much, and it would break his heart to see the woman he loved hating him. And maybe they can find a safe ground to build a new relationship. Not as ward and guardian, and certainly not as father and daughter, but something different. They both love Arthur very much and if nothing, it was one of the things they can share. If it would make Arthur happy, then she is more than ready to make the effort.

Uther and herself were speaking calmly about some unimportant matter, when a cry coming from the courtyard attracted their attention. They both ran to the noise and both felt a sense of dread when they saw Arthur's unconscious body on the ground. Gaius was already here, and he gave an order to take Arthur into his office. Uther and Morgana stayed frozen in place, their worries for the prince's safety clearly written on their face. Before they had time to react, Gaius had already take Arthur to his office, leaving them alone with Merlin. The poor young man looked like if his world had been crushed and the king and Morgana shared the same feeling.

" Merlin!" Exclaimed a now furious king, "What had happen to my son? And where are the other knights? Why didn't protected their prince? Answer me now."

Merlin opened his mouth to answer the question, but before he can say a word another voice spoke. And what it said stunned the three of them.

" He had saved the life of the prince." Said an old man who clearly don't had eat enough for days. "I have seen him. He chased the beast with his magic and had taken the prince here."

Merlin wanted to deny it but no sound could escape his throat. He saw his death in the King's eyes and there is nothing he can do about it. Uther would not let such a thing pass. At the best he would be chased from Camelot, and at the worst he would be killed. There is no escape for him.

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As soon as she heard the words of the man, Morgana knows that she had to act quickly if she wanted to save Merlin's life. Uther would not take the risk to have a sorcerer so close to Arthur, even if the sorcerer was here to protect the prince. She had to think fast or the consequence would be dreadful, not only for Merlin but for Arthur too. A plan came to her mind. It was a risky one but she had no choice. If she don't do anything, tomorrow morning Merlin would be dead and Arthur very sad. So she acted before she can think more.

"Hello sir," she said to the man. "You know me, don't you ?"

The man seemed to be perturbed by her question. But soon enough a smile come to his face.

"Of course, I know you." He said.

"You saw me this morning?" She continued.

This time the man didn't think about it before he gave his answer.

"Yes, I have."

"What are you doing?" Began Uther but Morgana ignored him.

"I was in the forest with the prince, wasn't I?"

"Yes, you were," replied the man.

"And I have also used magic to save the prince?"

"Of course, you did. I saw you. You can use the magic too, like the boy," said the man with a bright smile.

"What is the matter of this!" Exclaimed the now furious king, "Morgana! This man couldn't have seen you this morning in the woods because you spent your morning with me. Explain yourself!"

"Of course, your majesty. I didn't want you to make a dreadful mistake. This man has lost his mind ! Do you see how his pupils are so small? When I was younger, my father and I meet a man with the same pupils. My father had explained to me that this man was so starved that he had eaten a poisoned fruit. When someone eats it, he has a vision. I think that this man had seen the men who attacked Arthur and his men, but in his ill state of mind he had seen something else than the truth."

Morgana acted like she didn't notice that Uther flinched each time she said "my father". The matter at hand was more important than this question. For now she was only focused on saving Merlin's life, the rest doesn't matter anymore.

"I just wanted to prove to you than we can make this man say anything." She continued. "Arthur and Merlin are very close. Someone must have become jealous of him and said this to take his place as Arthur's servant. Please, my king, think about it. How can the clumsy Merlin be a sorcerer? Do you really believe that he can hide it for more than a year? Don't you think that Arthur, me or even you would have noticed it sooner?"

"You are right Morgana. Maybe Merlin is innocent. But he still hasn't told me what really happened. So, Merlin, what happened to my son?"

Merlin had shaken himself from shock during Morgana's speech, so he was ready to answer the king's question and he did so very quickly. He told him that some brigands attacked them and they had a tamed wolf with them. He also told that Arthur had fought valiantly before he succumbed to his injury. Merlin explained that he was knocked out at the beginning of the battle and had found his spirit again only after Arthur had killed the last brigand. The other knights were all dead and the wolves have begun to eat them, so Merlin had chosen to try to save the prince who was still alive.

Uther seemed to believe Merlin's story and the young sorcerer let out a silent sigh of relief. He knew that he is not completely out of trouble, but he also knew that he will find enough time to share the story with Gaius. But what made him uneasy was the fact that Morgana had risked her life to save his. What would have happened to Morgana if Uther had believed the man? She had basically told Uther that she was a sorceress too. It puzzled him to no end. He couldn't understand why.

Uther gave an order for the man to be taken to Gaius office. He wanted to make sure that Morgana's story about the poisoned fruit was true. If it is the case then he would accept the fact that Merlin is nothing more than what he looked - a clumsy servant devoted to his son. On the other hand, if the man didn't have a vision, then Merlin would be judged and condemned. But he didn't believe it. After all, like Morgana had said he would have seen it before if Merlin can use magic. He left the courtyard to perform his duties but not before he asked Morgana to give him news about Arthur's health as soon as possible.

Morgana promised Uther to let him know when Arthur was better and she was watching his back when he left her alone with Merlin. She didn't dare to look at Merlin. She was well aware that he will be frightened and more than puzzled by the turn of the events. So she decided to leave him alone but not before she said one last thing.

"Next time, Merlin, make sure that no one sees you."

Once again Merlin was frozen in place. A hundred questions rolled into his mind. But the more importantly, how does she know the truth about him and what would she do with this knowledge ?

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In a corner of the courtyard, hidden by her magic, a blond woman felt like screaming. Her plan was perfect and her own sister had made it fail. She was beyond furious. Not only was her sister useless because she had no magic at all, but she will also be on the side of her enemy. This is not possible! She must find a way to have her sister onto her side, or she will kill her with her own hands.

To be continued.

I hope you have liked it. Don't forget to give me a review.

Next chapter : Arthur's recovery.