I just wholeheartedly want to say thank you so much to reviewers, I end up smiling at my emails when they come through and it makes me so happy. Some familiar names reviewing now so thank you for sticking with me, I really hope the rest doesn't disappoint. One review (saroura92 ) asked how Merlin could think it was his fault, and I always felt, at least with earlier series', that Merlin took things to heart, felt that everything that went wrong was because he'd messed it up. And that the burden he felt shouldn't have to bring others down too, so when it does, he blames himself. Ouch, some Merlin angst there, but that's only my opinion/headcannon. And Lynda, guest, asking will he survive..if I told you that, I might have to kill...Merlin. ;)
A slightly longer chapter today (I know, shock horror) with some Arthur angst. The usual of no beta so all mistakes my own and I don't own Merlin or any other characters. Hope you enjoy.

"No...no, no this cannot be happening. I do not understand, why can't he be helped?" Gwen finally spoke up, and Arthur saw from the corner of his eye she was being held up by Elyan.

"It's a sword wound Gwen, front to back, you know nothing can be done. It's a miracle he's still alive." Elyan answered, kissing his sister's temple and softly stroking her hair, though tears fell down his own cheeks too.

"But what did Gaius mean? What was he talking about?" She turned to him. "Arthur?"

Arthur was still slumped, curled in on himself from grief. Anger still surged through him, like fire in his veins, but as he watched the colour draining evermore from Merlin's face, and the light leaving his eyes, he couldn't help but regret his actions.

Sorcerer's need punishing.

He's my friend.

They will always trick you.

But he'd proved himself more times than all of my knights.

To get to you, to weaken you. To gain your trust.

He has my trust. Always.

That's when they strike, like a snake.

No! He would have done it by now.

Would he?

Merlin has saved my life, if he wanted me dead why save it?

SORCERER!

"I am happy to be your servant until the day I die."
"I swear I will protect you or die at your side."

Lies.

This isn't right, none of this makes sense.

Treachery. Kill him. Let him die a painful death, the death he deserves.

He doesn't deserve this.

"I deserve this, I'm a monster."

No you're not Merlin, no you're not!

And with that, Arthur lunged forward, pulling Merlin from Gwaine's hold, despite his pained moans and the angry protests from the knight.

"What have I done. What have I done. What have I done." As he drew himself and Merlin's now ragdoll like body backwards, he wrenched the sword from his friend, throwing it across the room where it skidded to a halt, a trail of blood in its wake.

"Merlin. Look at me, please. Please look at me Merlin." Arthur had arranged the bodies so Merlin was sprawled face first over his chest, their legs entwined and the raven haired man's arms dangling loosely behind and to the side of him. The boy's head was just below Arthur's chin, one hand holding him up, the other carding through his sweat soaked hair.

"I...I never, never, never...oh god...I never wanted this. I was a fool, I overreacted, I'm sorry. Please don't leave me." Arthur was far past being embarrassed for crying in front of his friends, and so, he brought Merlin ever closer to him and let the tears fall as he buried his face in the black locks.

"I don't know about anyone else but I'm still waiting for an explanation." Gwaine had stood now, sternly looking over the pair with Merlin's blood soaked into his pale shirt. His face was a mask of fury, obviously aimed on his King, but underneath, anyone could clearly detect the fond farewell that was mentally taking place for his friend, no, his brother.

Arthur stiffened for a second, bringing his head away from Merlin but only allowing his eyes to look as far up as the knights' boots. He thought things through, his eyes flicking left to right with the decision. Finally he spoke. "Merlin's a sorcerer."

"What?" Leon stepped forward gently from the group. "Excuse me sire, I believe you just said sorcerer?"

"I did."

Silence across the room except for Merlin's ragged breathing.

"I found out earlier this evening. A strike of lightning hit right outside, and an off shoot of it jumped in, I believe my sword and armour attracted it as I was stood next to the window. You know how quick lightning is, happens in a blink, but everything seemed to slow down, it took far longer to reach me and in that time Merlin pulled me away. I dropped all my weapons, and the bolt hit my sword instead. When I turned to him, his eyes were gold. I knew...everything clicked into place and I knew."

"He saved you." Gaius whispered.

"Yes."

"And you ran him through?" Gwaine protested rudely, not caring he was speaking to his King.

"I ran him through because he'd lied, because he is the thing I have been taught to hate, to fear, to destroy. I was angry and bitter and repulsed I had allowed this to happen for so long, for him to get so close to me. All I know about magic is bad, every experience in my life has lead to death, to grief, betrayal and pure heartache. My mother died because of it, my father died because of it, I lost my sister to it, she became the darkest example of how bad magic is. My kingdom, the people I care about most have all been victim to it, for too long. Do you know how many children I've seen killed? Or how many grieving mothers I've tried my best to console? Because they were killed through magic. I nearly lost Gwen through it, and many of you knights, heck, even Merlin was nearly lost to it. It's all I've ever known, to hate it. The last person I was close to who practiced magic became my biggest enemy, she still is, to this day, so I can assume even you can imagine what I thought. I had no time to slow down and think, I've always been taught to trust my first instinct, and that was to hurt him, to make sure he couldn't hurt me. We fought, he defended himself, I screamed pure nonsense in my anger and didn't listen to a word he said. But do you know what? He never once made it seem like he was scared of death, not for his sake anyway, he was more concerned with leaving me, with failing his 'duty' to protect me and care for me. He wasn't afraid of the pyre, he was afraid of leaving his friends behind, his mother. 'I deserve this', he said to me, 'monsters deserve to be punished and killed'. I wasn't able to see past my anger, white hot rage, that's all it was in that moment and I hurt him...I...I've killed him."

"What would you have done?" Percival said, his voice low and thoughtful.

Arthur was confused. "Pardon?"

"Now...if you hadn't have hurt him, if you were both stood here now, having thought it over. What would you have done?"

He thought, the silence growing far more uncomfortable as he thought it over. "I..I...well, for a start I'd talk to him. Give him chance to explain everything, plead his side of the story. Then, I would either send him to the cells for the night, or more likely just back to his chambers, just while I thought it all through. I'd get as much information from everyone else as possible and..."

"There you go then sire." The large knight interrupted, though still with no malice.

"What?"

"You'd have given him a chance. That's your answer."

"But I didn't did I? I got angry and all of that...none of it even occurred to me. And just look. Look..." The tears overwhelmed him, his grief far surpassed his anger now and he regretted every word he'd said to Merlin, every time he'd thrown something at him or pushed him against a wall in what seemed like a lifetime back but was in fact only just a short half hour ago.

Merlin was to die, there was no doubt, and even now he could feel the boy getting colder and growing weaker in his arms. Merlin was to die, and the last words he had heard from his King, from his friend, would be 'I wish I had never laid eyes on you, you bastard'.

Arthur cried tears anew, all the guilt washing over him, coursing through him like water quenching the fires of anger that burned there before. He was going to lose one of the most important people in his life, the people in the room were going to lose their best friend, the person they loved dearly, and all because of him. They would never forgive him. He would never forgive himself. And so, as his heart broke into more pieces than he ever thought possible, he dropped his head onto Merlin's now cold, damp brow, tears mixing with those of his friend's, hands grasping and stroking his face, his arms, his body, trying their best to cover the wound that was pouring with blood. And as he closed his eyes, to pray to any god listening to watch over the man in his arms, light began to dance, to spark and only those looking on saw the pair encased in a veil of glowing dust.

Arthur, on the other hand, fell into oblivion.