"It was early night when we got ourselves free…"

Then...

Merlin swayed and Gwaine rushed to catch him. Merlin struggled to stand and sounded nearly hysterical.

"We have to go-we have to stop her! If she goes after Arthur again-I have to be there! I have to...!"

Gwaine interrupted him, "You won't do anything before I clean you up. Just by looking at you, I can see you've got a concussion and you can't even stand up on your own! Sit. I'll light up the fire again-but Merlin, will Morgana notice that you destroyed the stone?"

"I don't know-not for sure." Merlin sobered. "And now she is hours ahead of us." Merlin grabbed Gwaine's hand. "We have to go, soon."

"Soon Merlin, I promise. Merlin, can you…can you heal yourself?" Gwaine hesitated to ask, but noticed that Merlin hadn't actually realized that he'd revealed his magic to someone else. Even if it was Gwaine.

"Healing magic, I'm not so good with." Merlin shook his head.

"Then what kind of magic are you good at?" Gwaine started to light the fire.

"I fight. I do tricks. Do you know how many times I have saved Arthur's sorry arse?" Merlin's eye started to close.

Gwaine glanced at him and grinned. "Really?"

"Really. I fight-I fight for him and for sake of the future of this land. And I have lost so much." Merlin's voice quieted down. Gwaine took one of the blankets and wrapped it around Merlin's shoulder.

"Merlin, did you hear me? Look at me, Merlin." Gwaine tried to catch an eye contact.

"Tired." Merlin whispered, his eyes almost closed. Gwaine shook him lightly.

"I know, but I don't think you're alright. I have to clean the wound and you have to rest tonight."

"Can't. Morgana." But Merlin was already lost the battle against the tiredness and Gwaine.

"We come up with something tomorrow." Gwaine promised.

"Tomorrow…"

"I'll watch over you Merlin, I promise."

Merlin's hazy gaze lifted up and watched his friend, "Gwaine?"

"Yes?"

"I have magic."

Silence. Gwaine didn't know if he was going to laugh or cry "I know now. You should have told me sooner."

"Not mad?"

"How I can be. Not ever to you." Gwaine smiled. "Lay and sleep a bit."

"I'm sorry. I'm…a monster." Merlin murmured when his eyes closed and Gwaine flinched.

"How you can say that? Merlin?"

But Merlin had fallen asleep. Gwaine watched him. A monster? How could he think that of himself? Magic or not, Merlin couldn't be any kind of monster. Gwaine got some water and found some clean rags and started to clean Merlin's face and wound. Carefully he studied if there was any broken bones. Some of the fingers on the left hand and maybe one or two ribs were. Gwaine cursed while trying to bandage Merlin as well as he could. While doing so, he watched Merlin. He had never thought about it, but he nad never seen Merlin half naked and he saw how Merlin was covered with scars. Mostly small ones, but there was some bigger ones. A normal man would have been killed by them, but Merlin-Merlin wasn't normal man.

Gwaine felt tired. When he was sure that Merlin was alright, he lay down near the fire and closed his eyes. It didn't take much to fall asleep, but he was awake long before Merlin; and before the sunrise. He quickly prepared a breakfast for them from their remaining foods.

"Gwaine?" Merlin's voice was still weak and Gwaine walked over to his bed and touched Merlin's forehead.

"You have a fever, Merlin. You are burning up."

"We have to go." Merlin tried to get up but Gwaine pushed him back down. "First, let's see your eye, Merlin. I'm bit worried about it."

Like Gwaine suspected, the eye looked dim and it didn't react to light.

"I can't see anything with it." Merlin whispered. Gwaine gnashed his teeth.

"That damn witch."

"I'm sorry."

"Why you are sorry?" Gwaine stood up and walked to fetch the food.

"My magic…"

"Have you killed with your magic?" Gwaine asked suddenly.

"Yes, I have." Merlin's voice was steady.

"Why?" Gwaine turned to look at him to see how Merlin reacted. But-despite his fever, his blind eye and broken bones-Merlin's gaze was steady. He looked so confident, so sure of himself when he answered.

"To protect Arthur mostly; but sometimes also myself, you, or the other knights."

"Who else knows about this? Not Morgana, I see."

"Gaius, my mother, some druids, some-two or three-other magic users, and Lancelot knew."

"Lance knew? He knew, and you didn't tell me?" Gwaine was offended, although he knew it was stupid. He picked up the food angrily.

"I never told him anything. He saw me like you and Gaius did, saving your life." Merlin muttered and Gwaine sighed.

"Right. Merlin, listen me carefully. You, and your magic. It doesn't matter to me. What matters is that I know you." Gwaine placed his hands over Merlin's shoulders. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry Gwaine. I should have trusted you earlier. But...I was afraid."

"Afraid of what? That how I would react?"

"No, actually." Merlin smiled, but the smile was sad. "It was because everyone who knows me and the truth about me is in danger. I can't-I couldn't…" Merlin's voice died down, he looked away. Now he looked so broken that it hurt to see.

Gwaine stared his friend and then nodded. "Maybe I can understand that reason. Now, eat. And you are right-I hate to admit that-but we have to leave. Even when you are in that state."

"I heal fast." Merlin murmured and Gwaine frowned.

"Your magic?"

"Yes. I'll explain later, if you don't mind." Merlin wasn't ready to answer. He was still tired and sick, probably sicker than what he seemed.

"No, I don't mind-if you promise to answer my questions."

"I promise."

They ate in silence, but the silence was peaceful. They were still friends, whatever may happen. Finally Gwaine stood up and walked over to look out of the small window.

"We could never reach her with a ride. And it's still raining." Merlin walked beside of him, limping, and stared out, then he sighed.

"Oh, that's not the problem. The problem is how to get Kilgharrah to let us both ride with him-and in this weather."

#Now...

Arthur truly looked at Merlin this time and he could see how tired he was-he was beyond exhausted.

"How's your eye now?" Gwen asked, her voice hardly a whisper, but Merlin heard it, and he answered equally as quietly.

"I still can't see."

Arthur looked away.

It hurt to know.

It hurt so much that he wanted to run at Merlin, demand him to lay down and let Gaius look after him.

But Arthur was still too proud for that. Instead he asked, "So, who is Kilgharrah?"