Merlin stared at Arthur. It wasn't because he was surprised about the admission Arthur had made, it was because he was shocked that Arthur could be so thick. The answer had literally been standing right in front of him and Arthur just hadn't connected the dots. Merlin sighed. How Arthur can be so smart, yet so stupid was beyond his understanding.

Merlin forced himself not to roll his eyes. "What are you going to do?" Merlin asked curiously.

"There must be some way to help her!" Arthur said, his voice overflowing with frustration. "I just want my wife back. And not someone that tries to kill me. Not someone who makes me choose between my friend and my wife. Not someone who could be so heartless." Arthur's voice broke on that last note. Merlin felt a burst of pain for his friend. It can't be easy, having to see someone you love so much and knowing that they aren't the person you know they are. To know the person you look at is just a shell.

"I'll – I'll ask Gaius," Merlin promised. "I'm sure he'll think of something."

"I will do anything to save her," Arthur whispered. "You tell him that. I will do anything."

Merlin's eyes widened and he hardly dared let the glimmer of hope make itself known. This couldn't be possible. Arthur couldn't possibly be implying that he would use sorcery despite everything that has happened. Maybe all was not unforgiven. Maybe, there was still a chance. Maybe Merlin hadn't ruined everything when his spell on Uther backfired.

"Anything?" He asked, his voice slightly breathless, but he couldn't help it. He thought he had felt hopeful before when Arthur said he didn't want to kill him, but that couldn't hold a candle to how he felt now.

"I lost my father to sorcery. I'm not about to lose my wife to it. Even if that means battling sorcery with sorcery. I can't lose her," Arthur said quietly. He looked like he was at war with himself and Merlin couldn't blame him.

Merlin nodded at Arthur's words. He knew what they meant. Arthur was choosing the lesser of the two evils and shouldn't that mean sorcery was the lesser of the evils? Merlin shook his head. He could think about that later. If there was anything that he was absolutely certain of, it was that Arthur was not ready to know about his magic. it was with that reminder, that Merlin was able to focus on the situation at hand.

He opened his mouth to tell Arthur that he would see what Gaius could do, see if he knew anyone that could help Arthur when he heard Gwen stirring. He looked down at her and saw anger, hatred, and fear brewing in her eyes. "What happened? Why is he here?" She asked. She said he like it was a curse. She winced slightly as she sat up and put her hand to the back of her head.

"I don't know," Arthur lied effortlessly. "You screamed and I woke up to see you lying unconscious on the floor. I told the guards to fetch Gaius so he could help you, but for some reason they came back with Merlin. Not that he's been much help. He's almost as useless as a physician as he is a manservant. And that's saying something." While his voice would sound cold and heartless to Gwen, Merlin could hear the underlying affection that was present in all of their banter.

"If I'm so useless, why not have me banished from Camelot?" Merlin asked. He was trying to stay in character and sound like he usually did with Arthur, but his amusement was really making it difficult.

"What an excellent idea!" Gwen said excitedly, her face lighting up.

"Don't be ridiculous," Arthur said rolling his eyes. His features hardened just slightly at Gwen's support of Merlin's obviously farfetched joke. "You may be a complete idiot and entirely incompetent, but you haven't done anything to be exiled."

There was a long silence as Gwen shot daggers at Merlin and Merlin held her gaze, trying to remain calm under her scrutiny.

"He's a sorcerer," Gwen said. Her voice was even. Merlin felt as if his world slowed down as he struggled to keep his face blank and free from fear. Even as it spread through every vein in his body, he managed to keep it from showing on his face. She couldn't possibly know. It wasn't possible. Then he realized that she really didn't know. She just wanted Merlin gone and would resort to anything.

Arthur's shock was not faked as he stared at Gwen. Then he burst into a fit of laughter. "Merlin? A sorcerer?" Arthur asked in between gasps of laughter. "As if. Merlin isn't smart enough to be a wizard, much less hide it from me for ten years. He couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it." Arthur took a deep breath to calm himself down. Merlin's face hardened at Arthur's words. He knew part of Arthur was joking, but he also knew that part of Arthur really did believe he was that incompetent. Before he had time to say anything, Arthur had composed himself. "Now if you don't mind, me and my wife really need to get some sleep," Arthur said to Merlin, clearly a dismissal.

Merlin bowed and left the room. He hesitated before taking a few steps down the corridor and sitting down, his back propped against the wall. He could be wrong, but he had a feeling Arthur wouldn't be eager to spend the night in his chambers where his wife just tried to kill him. Sure enough, less than an hour later, Arthur emerged, wearing his blue cloak to escape detection.

"Arthur," Merlin whispered, being careful to only alert Arthur to his presence.

Arthur froze and slowly turned around. The relief was evident on his face when he saw Merlin. Arthur sat down next to Merlin. Neither of them moved. Arthur was dreading the moment when he would have to ask Gaius to do the unforgiveable. Merlin was watching Arthur anxiously, hoping that he would be okay. They both knew they had several hours before the old physician would wake and would be able to answer their questions. So for now, they sat in a comfortable silence, trying to prepare themselves for what the morning would bring them.

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