I think this one came out quite a bit quicker than my last updates. Yay~

I've always been bothered by people assuming that Arthur would either immediately love/hate Merlin when he found out. It also bugs me when people have him accept it as true right off the bat. I've always thought that he would be the type to look for proof. Something solid, you know?

And don't even get me started on the whole "He really knew all along" theory. I hate that. It just seems like an excuse to make a fic a unceremoniously break off all the conflict with "Oh yeah, I knew that. Duh". It just seems so... childish. Blah.

To be fair, I'm sure there are some well-done fics that include these. I may or may not have read any. I really can't remember right now ( be fair. It's like, what, 1:30 am?).

For all these reasons, I have steadfastly refused to give Arthur any sort of emotional certainty. At least, not until the very end (and that's just a maybe).

On a side note, I will also never refer to characters by thier hair color. I swear it. For some reason, no matter how convinient it may be, that always drives me nuts.

Disclaimer: Are you watching this on TV? Do you see any help from a cast and crew put in to this? Do the math.

Arthur had been right about one thing: Merlin did not attack them, nor did he attempt to flee. To the relief of everyone, the servant had stayed unconscious for the entire ride back to the castle ("It's probably his wound, Sire" Arrok had offered tentatively "He looked right set to pass out even before Lavain hit him").

Upon arriving at in Camelot, the prince had split from his fellow knights, carrying his servant towards the physician's chambers alone. Lavain had offered to accompany him, as a precaution, but he had refused. Sir Gauret had also insisted on "keeping the accursed wretch in his sights", but the prince had denied him as well.

"If this man is a sorcerer as you claim, and if he is dangerous, then I am perfectly capable of dealing with him myself, should the need arise." He snapped at them "Furthermore, in the event that he is not as much of a threat as you claim, I do not want him subjected to any more abuse."He added a cold glare at Sir Gauret, who did not flinch.

What he did not tell them was that he had a plan. He had thought up a way to buy himself some time to think, and oh how he needed to think right now.

And thus it came to be that Arthur was the only one to speak with Gaius about the recent events.

The prince was thankful for Gaius. When he'd brought Merlin in, he'd expected questions. To his relief, the only questions were the business-like inquiries about the wound itself: How long since the infliction, what type of arrow, had it been bound, etc. Gaius made quick work of the wound, pulling out the arrow and binding the area in one clean sweep. A bit of salve here, some water there, a bandage over it all and it was done.

"I suppose he'll be alright then?" Arthur asked quietly

"Yes. I expect he could wake at any time." Said the physician, "He'll need rest, and he won't be able to do anything too strenuous for a couple of weeks, but he should be resuming his duties in no time, my lord."

Both paused for a minute.

"Any time, you say?" the old man nodded.

"Gaius, I need you to do something. I need you to do this for me without telling anyone. Do I have your confidence that this will remain a secret?"

The man looked at him oddly, then nodded.

"You have my word, Sire."

"I need you to keep Merlin asleep" he seemed taken aback at the request, "You gave me your word, Gaius. I need Merlin asleep for as long as you can keep him that way. We don't have much time. Can you do it now?"

Gaius looked strangely at him, considering his options.

"I know, Sire, that you would not ask this of me" he replied, looking into his eyes "were it not important. I can have the draft ready in a moment." With that he turned to his herbs.

"Thank you, Gaius. There is something I wanted to look into; give the draft to Merlin as soon as it's done. This should not take long."

He turned and started up the stairs to his servants chambers. The physician shot him a quizzical glance, but did not protest.

Arthur opened the door without a second thought and began searching the room. He checked under the bed, and looked over the thin straw mattress for hiding holes. He searched the bottom of his chests and cupboards for hidden compartments. He shifted every scrap of cloth and opened ever container.

Finally, he checked the floorboards. With cold efficiency he soon found the loose board, lifting it and emptying the stash of hidden items: A few coins, a carved wooden figure, a blue crystal heart, an ornate staff and an old book.

Arthur opened the book, discovering a moment later that he could not read the majority of its contents. What he could read cleared up any confusions he may have.

Magic book. Magic staff.

He picked up both illegal items and laid carried them down the stairs with him. It was time to make a few unpleasant confrontations

*

Gaius was too old for this.

His ward was grievously wounded, and, even if he knew it would do no damage, drugging the boy was certainly unusual. Something grave was weighing on the prince, and the chances of Merlin's magic being secret were looking slim. For a moment, he had considered not carrying out the deed: if Merlin was in danger, shouldn't he be allowed to wake? Maybe, if he were conscious, he could flee before he were caught?

But after a moment, he realized the inevitable: even if he were to wake, Merlin could not run. Not in his condition. He was not very athletic on the best of days, and Camelot had more than enough resources to track him down. Once that happened, it was only a matter of time before he was overtaken. Magic or no, if he were confront with his wounds, he would die.

The old man sighed as he prepared the draft. His heart would probably stop soon if he the situation of Camelot did not change. There was just too much stress involved in his work. He wondered whether or not he should retire before his untimely doom, or if he should try to die in service. Neither seemed very appealing.

With the potion done, he had to make his choice. He hesitated one last moment, then finally administered the draft.

And then Arthur returned.

Holding the Sidhe staff.

And the book.

And Sigan's soul.

Oh yes. This job was going to kill him.

*

The look on Gaius' face when he entered the room made one thing very clear: he had known all along. Arthur had suspected as much.

"Sire…"

"Hunith is your sister, is she not?" he asked. Not even a flinch.

Gaius stammered for a moment, then responded "Y-Yes, Sire."

The prince nodded, considering. "You should be safe, then. Those with family relations are protected from the charge of harboring sorcerers. Although, in this instance, we might need some extra support. Is there any way in which you would be honor-bound to keep this a secret?" Gaius was in shock, it seemed. Arthur could see him beginning to deny the claims. "Don't bother denying it. I saw him use magic. And, even if I hadn't, these" he hoisted up the stash of magical contraband "should be proof enough for a trained eye like mine."

The physician seemed to deflate. His breathing became uneven and his skin lost what little color it had left.

"On…" he said, after a pause, "On the first day… in the first moments of his arrival… Merlin" he seemed to choke on the words "Merlin saved my life."

Arthur nodded again. "Great. That should be enough to-"

"And three days later, he saved yours."

The prince stopped.

"Gaius…"

The old man's gaze did not waver.

"Merlin was seen committing the crime of magic. His act was witnessed by three knights, and myself. He then, under verbal and physical attack, retaliated against one of the aforementioned knights. Sir Gauret is likely bringing his accusations to my father as we speak." The other flinched, moving a hand to his nephew "I have just found positive proof that these accusations are just. Despite what he may have done for me in the past, I cannot protect him now. Not from the other witnesses."

After a moment of silence, he started towards the door, evidence in tow.

"Sire!" he turned "Are you going to bring those to the king?" the question was quiet, resigned.

"…No."

Gaius' head snapped up

"I am bringing these back to my chambers, where I will hide them. No one is likely to search my room, and I am more than capable of keeping a few magical contraptions hidden for a while."

"Does that mean… are you…are you helping him? Will you try to save him, Arthur?"

His expression hardened.

"Do not confuse this. He has committed a very high act of treason, and, as the leader of Camelot's defense forces, I will carry out my duties. If he is accused, I will do what the law dictates."

His words confused the other man. "But… what are you doing, then?"

His composure slipped for a moment. He dropped his gaze, and stared at his boots, struggling with uncertainty. At last he came to one conclusion.

"I really don't know."

And with that, he left.

I decided not to make Arthur an emotionally troubled teenage girl either. He's a knight. He can get things done without having a Bella Swan-like "feelings overload". Besides, writing about how "betrayed, uncertain, and confused" he feels for a full paragraph feels dull and cheap. I refuse to do it. As mentioned above, I'm trying to stay out of the three main reaction types (exculding the "Already knew" scenario): Instant-hate, instant-forgiveness, and emotionally delicate flower wilt.

Anyway, ranting done. How was it? I based the relative safety rule on the fact that A) it would make sense, considering both humanity and the reason why Uther hates magic (it's always the sorcerer's fault, and those who were close to them were just betrayed, right?) and B) Niether Gwen, nor Merlin/Gaius, nor Mary Collins, nor Edwin were taken in when thier elatives were accused/convicted for sorcery. I just thought it'd made sense.

Gah. I have no idea what the next chapter will consist of. Most of the story will revolve around the time after Merlin's trial, so the actual telling of Uther and waking of MErlin might end up being shamelessly skipped over. It'd be cheap, and terrible, and shameless, but I might be able to make it work. I just have no idea how I'm going to write that bit! T^To

Until next time, I still love all of you. Especially reviewers, but anyone who reads this gets love, too.

Ciao~