Chapter Three

Agravaine burst into the hovel without even pausing his headlong rush to knock properly. "MORGANA!"

An invisible force slammed him back against the wall, Morgana's eyes flaring gold before she realised who he was and released the magic.

He dropped to his knees, gasping for breath.

The beautiful young woman glared at him without sympathy. "I thought I told you to never sneak up on me like that."

"I am sorry, my lady, but I have urgent news."

"Arthur is dead?" Morgana asked hopefully.

"Well, no, but I know you will find the information I have for you most pleasing."

She settled back into a chair, waving a dismissive hand. "Get on with it."

Agravaine smiled. "I know who Emrys is."

Morgana paused and then slowly sat up straighter, eyes fixed unblinkingly on him. "What did you just say?"

"I know who Emrys is," Agravaine repeated, the excitement nearly making him tremble. It had been all he could do to keep himself from exploding when Arthur oh-so-casually revealed the identity of Emrys without even realising the significance. "Not only who, but where as well. He has been hiding in plain sight all along and he is not an old man as we had thought. It must have been a disguise."

"Who?" Morgana demanded. "Who is it?"

His smile widened. It gave him much pride and joy to be able to give Morgana the answers she had so long been searching for. He knew he had disappointed her in the past but this would make up for all of it. "Emrys," he said slowly, "is none other than Arthur's manservant."

Morgana launched herself to her feet, shock and fury flaring in her eyes. "MERLIN?!"

At her shriek of outrage, every object of glass in the hovel shattered. A shard nicked Agravaine's arm as it whistled past, drawing a line of blood, but he was more terrified by the expression on Morgana's face. He backed away from her slightly.

She sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself, but he could tell she was still seething. "Merlin," she hissed. "That idiotic, meddlesome fool! He is Emrys? All this time, it was him? He has magic?"

Agravaine didn't know if she was actually talking to him, but he replied anyway. "Yes, my lady."

"But of course he does!" Morgana exclaimed, beginning to pace. "How could I have been so blind? All those times he thwarted us! All those times our carefully laid plans failed when no mortal should have been able to stop us. He was always right there no matter what was happening, always in the wrong place at the wrong time, always at Arthur's side even when his job did not require it. I should have known he was not the bumbling, incompetent, simple peasant boy he seemed to be."

"He had us all fooled," Agravaine soothed her. "Including Arthur."

She stopped and looked at him, as if noticing his presence for the first time. "Arthur," she mused. Her expression became calculating. "If he were to somehow find out, he could solve this problem for us."

Morgana was going to be less pleased about this particular piece of news, but he couldn't very well keep it from her. "Arthur already knows," Agravaine informed her reluctantly. "He just found out."

She smirked. "When is the execution? I want to watch Merlin burn."

"There is not going to be one. Arthur knows, and he does not care. In fact, he has changed his entire stance on magic. He intends to make it legal in Camelot once again."

Morgana blanched. "Because of a serving boy?"

"It seems that way," Agravaine said heavily. If he did not already despise Arthur for his role in Igraine's death, Arthur's own actions and choices would serve to eradicate any confidence Agravaine may have had in his ability to rule the kingdom. Courting a maidservant in public, knighting mere commoners and selecting them to be a part of his inner circle, and considering a serving boy to be his closest friend and adviser? The young king was a fool. "I tried to talk him out of it, but apparently Arthur is even more fond of the boy than we realised. He is not angered by the betrayal; he just espouses the boy's virtues and deeds as though he were some sort of hero."

Morgana scowled. "He makes me sick. He condemns me for my magic, yet praises Merlin for his? This is worse hypocrisy than his willingness to use magic to heal Uther. Arthur is despicable!"

"I could not agree more, my lady. What are we going to do?"

After a moment, a sly smile curved her lips. "If Arthur will not kill Merlin, then we shall do it for him," she said. "And once Emrys is dead, there will be no one to stand in our way."

ooOOoo

Gwen strolled down the hallway with a bundle of newly-bought cloth in her arms. She had returned to being a seamstress almost full-time since she was no longer the handmaiden of Lady Morgana, although Arthur had assured her that she did not need to work; he would make sure she did not want for anything. Nevertheless, Gwen was not accustomed to being idle and she did enjoy sewing, so she had decided to fashion dresses and other articles of clothing to sell and pay her own way, at least for now.

Having experienced too many spills in these corridors by not looking where she was going and bumping into people, Gwen was actually paying attention to her surroundings. It was a good thing, too, since Merlin clearly wasn't as he came barrelling around the corner.

"Merlin," Gwen greeted him cheerfully, neatly side-stepping so as to avoid becoming a casualty of his clumsiness.

She had to supress the urge to giggle as Merlin, caught by surprise, skipped a step and stumbled, but managed to regain his balance at the last moment and stopped, turning to look at her. His face was red with embarrassment. "Oh, hi, Gwen. Sorry, I didn't see you."

"That's alright. I haven't seen you around much in the past few days; how are you?"

"I'm fine." He gestured vaguely to his body. "All better."

"Amazing," Gwen exhaled, remembering all too vividly the terrible injuries that had covered her friend only a few days ago. "Arthur told me you were able to heal yourself. That's… incredible."

His head tilted to the side. "It doesn't scare you?"

"It did at first," she admitted. "When I saw you use magic to toss Arthur like a ragdoll, all I could think about was Morgana and how her magic had turned her against us. But you're nothing like her. She chose the path of hatred and bitterness, and she uses her power to hurt people. You, on the other hand, use yours to help and protect people. That makes all the difference in the world."

"So it doesn't bother you?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No. You're still the same old Merlin to me. And to be honest, I'm glad that Arthur has someone like you to look after him. I just… I wish you had trusted me enough to tell me." They had been friends for years and Gwen had thought that she knew him, only to discover that he had been hiding who he really was from her the whole time.

Merlin looked down, scuffing his shoe against the floor. "I'm sorry. It's not that I didn't trust you. If you had known what I am it would have put you in danger. You know what Uther was like; he would have branded you a co-conspirator if he ever found out and I couldn't bear it if something happened to you because of me. Besides, I couldn't expect you to lie to Arthur for me. This was a secret I had to keep on my own."

Gwen nodded. "I understand, Merlin. You did what you had to. At least I know now, right?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah. You wouldn't believe how much of a relief it is not to have to hide anymore."

"I can imagine," Gwen sympathised. She remembered how terrified she had felt when she had been accused of using magic and was sentenced to death, even though she had known she was innocent. She shuddered slightly at the recalling. "You must have lived in fear every day. And it had to have been so lonely to not be able to share this huge part of your life with anyone."

"It was, sometimes," Merlin confessed quietly, his blue eyes shadowed with supressed emotion. But he pulled a bright expression onto his face. "That's all behind me now, though."

"It is," Gwen agreed. She nudged him playfully. "So… can you show me some of what you can do?"

He grinned cheekily and his eyes flashed gold. For a moment Gwen wondered what he had done, then she felt a slight tug on her hair and realised it was sticking straight up and waving around as though there was a breeze.

"Merlin!" she squawked indignantly, trying in vain to pat it back down.

He laughed. "Sorry." His eyes turned gold again and her hair settled neatly around her shoulders. "To make up for it-" he cupped his hands together and a moment later opened them to reveal a beautiful purple flower. He bowed lightly and presented it to her. "My lady."

Amazed that magic could create such beauty, Gwen tucked it carefully into her curls. "Thank you."

Merlin looked around for inspiration and his eyes lighted upon a detailed tapestry on the wall that depicted a great hero in battle. He murmured a few words and Gwen watched in awe as the scene came to life. Horses galloped across the landscape, weapons glinted in the sunlight, capes and standards blew back in the wind, tiny figures crashed and clashed in conflict. Before charging into the melee, the handsome hero thrust his sword into the air and gave a cry; Gwen had witnessed Arthur do the same thing many times, calling out "For the love of Camelot!" to embolden his knights and remind them why they fought. The movements all appeared so life-like it seemed that Gwen was watching the real thing from a distant balcony. It was the most stunning piece of art she had ever seen.

"Merlin," she exhaled, "that's-"

"Magic!" someone shrieked.

They both whirled around, the gold in Merlin's eyes fading to be replaced by panic. He looked ready to bolt.

"Merlin, it's alright," Gwen said quickly. "I'll talk to her. You're not going to get into any trouble."

He nodded but Gwen wasn't sure he had heard her. She left him reluctantly, shooing him back to Gauis before moving to talk to the maid. The woman was new to employ in the castle but Gwen had met her a few times and helped to show her the ropes of her new job.

"Margaret, calm down. It's okay."

She pointed a shaking finger to the tapestry, on the verge of hysteria. "The picture was moving; I saw it! It was magic! There is a sorcerer in the castle! We have to call the guards and inform the king and-"

"I need you to listen to me, Margaret," Gwen said sternly. The woman stopped babbling and blinked in surprise at her authoritative tone (Gwen had adapted it from listening to Arthur). "I am about to let you in on a state secret you must swear that you will not share with anyone, understand?"

Margaret nodded dumbly.

"King Arthur is soon going to change the laws on magic."

The woman gasped but Gwen silenced her with a raised hand and continued, "The man you saw was Merlin, trusted manservant to the King, and the King has given his permission for Merlin to practice magic. You have nothing to fear from him; he has sworn his loyalty to Camelot and his magic will hurt no one. However, you must promise not to tell anyone what you saw until King Arthur makes his announcement to the people. Is that clear?"

The woman curtsied. "Yes, ma'am."

Ma'am? When had she become a woman who deserved to be treated with such respect? The answer was fairly obvious, though; right about the time Arthur started to outwardly display his feelings and intention to court her. How strange it would be if, one day, he asked her to marry him and she became queen of Camelot. It was a far cry from being a mere servant in the royal household, but Gwen swore to herself that she would never forget where she had come from.

"Return to your duties," Gwen advised her. "And don't think too much on this. It will all work out for the good of the kingdom; you must trust in King Arthur."

The woman curtsied again, threw one last suspicious look at the tapestry and turned away to go back to her work.

"Guinevere?" Lord Agravaine's voice came from behind her. "Is there a problem?"

She turned to him with a smile, although for some reason she always had an uneasy feeling when he was around. "No, my lord. It is taken care of."

"Are you sure? You know I am here to help if you need it, Guinevere."

"Thank you, I appreciate that, but it is fine, really."

"Will you at least tell me what happened?"

She hesitated. "Arthur has informed you…?"

"About his plans regarding magic? And about the boy Merlin?" Agravaine filled in for her. "Yes."

That was a relief; it would have been awkward if she had to make up a story to stop him from asking questions. "Well, the woman I was just speaking to accidentally witnessed Merlin performing magic-" She thought she saw Agravaine's eyes light up with a flash of triumph, but decided she must have imagined it, "-but it's okay, I explained the situation and she promised not to speak of this to anyone."

Agravaine smiled at her. "You have done well, Guinevere. You have handled this situation with grace and tact. I understand what Arthur sees in you."

Guinevere hid a frown; it had not escaped her notice that Agravaine disapproved of her relationship with Arthur, and had even counselled him to end it between them on at least one occasion. Still, he was being perfectly civil now, so she merely replied with, "Thank you, my lord. I really must be getting back to my sewing, though, by your leave…?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you Guinevere."

ooOOoo

"Merlin has my permission to use magic," Arthur reminded Agravaine, unsure why his uncle had felt it necessary to bring this matter to him. Making a tapestry seem to come to life was a bit frivolous but Guinevere had already taken the blame for the incident, explaining that Merlin had only done it for her entertainment and at her request.

"Yes, of course, Arthur, I understand that. However, technically, the laws have not yet been changed. The people still believe that the use of magic is punishable by death and that sorcerers are evil. I fear that if Merlin is seen openly using magic it could cause panic. Or, worse, it could undermine your leadership and authority if your own manservant is seen flaunting the rules with no fear of punishment."

Arthur frowned. "I'm not going to punish Merlin for doing what I have said he can."

"I wasn't suggesting that you should, Arthur."

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"I just think that it would be best if Merlin refrained from using magic until the new laws have been passed, to avoid any more unfortunate misunderstandings."

The idea was reasonable and, in fact, Arthur had already discouraged Merlin from using magic in public to avoid this very problem. However, there was a flaw in this plan. Merlin's magic was apparently acting up at the moment and he couldn't always supress it if he was caught by surprise or frightened. The thought of Merlin inadvertently hurting someone else the way he had hurt Arthur deeply concerned him, even though he understood that it was not Merlin's fault.

"Unfortunately, that may not be possible," Arthur sighed. "The trauma Merlin experienced during the Lamia incident has rendered his magic somewhat unstable."

Agravaine's brow drew down in concern. "That sounds dangerous, sire."

It was, Arthur had to admit. So far, Merlin's magic had only pushed people away – if rather forcefully – but what if the next time it did something worse?

"Merlin cannot be blamed for the situation," he said out loud, not sure whether it was for Agravaine's benefit or his own. "He needs time to heal."

Agravaine nodded slowly. "Then perhaps it would be best if Merlin took a vacation. He could return to his hometown, Ealdor, and spend some time with his mother."

It didn't occur to Arthur to think it strange that his uncle knew of Merlin's background, even though he had never mentioned it to the man and was unlikely that Merlin would have either.

"While he is away," Agravaine continued, "we can finalise the new laws and inform the people of the changes, so that when Merlin returns he will not have to hide anymore."

The proposal had merit. Inasmuch as Arthur would like to be the one who helped Merlin through this, he had to admit that he was probably not the right person for the job. His idea of making a person feel better was punching them on the arm, which had already proved unsuccessful with Merlin in the past and would probably be even more disastrous now. Hunith, on the other hand, was gentle and would know exactly what to say to her son.

Arthur was also reluctant to send away his manservant because, to be honest, he enjoyed the younger man's company and loathed it whenever a replacement servant came in. But that was just selfishness on his part.

"Very well, Agravaine, you have convinced me," Arthur said finally. "I will give Merlin two weeks of leave. He can take some time out in Ealdor to get over what has happened and allow his magic to settle. If we work diligently, we should also be able to complete the amendments to the law in that time."

"Yes, sire."

"Thank you for your advice. It has been invaluable, as always."

Agravaine bowed his head slightly and left the room. Only once he was out of eyesight of the king did Agravaine allow the grin of success to spread across his face. Their plan was underway.

Arthur didn't have to wait as long as he usually did for Merlin to make an appearance with his dinner that evening. The door to his chambers swung wide open, seemingly of its own accord, and this odd phenomenon was soon followed by the entrance of Merlin, his arms heavily laden with a platter of gravy-slathered meat, potatoes, vegetables and a chunk of freshly baked bread. As he walked, Merlin watched both the plate and his feet with a look of intense concentration on his face, as though any lesser amount of focus would result in him tripping up and spilling the meal everywhere. In contrast, the quick glance he flicked over his shoulder to close the door was casual and off-hand, as though the magic came to him far more naturally.

Arthur smiled to himself. Who knew? Merlin really is a wonder after all.

"Put that down before you fall over," he said instead.

Merlin set the platter down on the table obediently, then gestured to a goblet and water pitcher in the corner to bring them sailing over.

The use of magic reminded him. "Merlin, I'm sending you back to Ealdor."

The jug dropped out of the air like a stone, clattering loudly as it hit the floor and splashing water everywhere. Merlin gaped at him, not heeding the mess he had just made, his face remarkably pale all of a sudden as though he had just received a death sentence instead of a holiday.

"What's the matter?" Arthur asked, nonplussed by this unexpected reaction. Merlin was always whining for some time off; shouldn't he be happy?

But no, Merlin looked hurt and betrayed. The man was unfathomable. "You-you're exiling me?"

"Where on earth did you get that idea?" Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin frowned, but he no longer appeared devastated, just confused. "You just said you were sending me away," he pointed out.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Don't be such an idiot, Merlin. I'm letting you visit Hunith because the poor woman has not seen her son in ages, but I expect you to be back here catching up on your chores in two weeks. And if you even think about being late, I'll have you in the stocks."

"Wait, let me get this straight – you're seriously letting me have a two week break from serving your royal pratness? But you have never even given me a single day off before!"

Arthur sniffed. "Of course I have you idiot. Did you think I would have hesitated to send guards to drag your sorry butt back from the tavern all those times you shirked your duties if I didn't think you needed the break?"

Merlin blinked at him, surprised, but his expression swiftly changed to annoyance. "Thanks and all that, but I don't go to the tavern unless I'm chaperoning Gwaine or bringing the barkeeper his weekly medicine," he huffed. "Honestly, couldn't Gaius have come up with some other explanation for why I kept disappearing all the time?"

Arthur frowned. "Merlin, drinking is not a crime, but don't lie to me; I have seen you drunk. Remember the time that old sorcerer ran straight past you and you couldn't even string together a sentence coherent enough to tell us which way he went?"

Merlin's cheeks coloured. "Ah. Yes. About that…"

Suspicion grew in his mind. "What?"

"Um, well, Gwen had been accused of enchanting you and she was going to be executed. Anything you said to your father just convinced him of her guilt, especially once the poultice was found…"

"I remember the incident," Arthur said stiffly. He had felt helpless and lost, terrified that the woman he loved would be murdered by his own father and he did not even have the support of his servant to keep him steady because Merlin had gone missing.

"But you know you weren't enchanted," Merlin continued. "Someone just wanted it to look that way to get Gwen into trouble."

"Yes: the sorcerer. What does this have to do with you being drunk?" Unless the thought of Gwen dying was what had driven a grieving Merlin to the tavern in the first place. Arthur couldn't blame him.

Merlin shook his head. "No, not the sorcerer. He deliberately allowed himself to be caught in order to save Gwen's life. The real enemy was Morgana; she set the whole thing up."

Arthur couldn't believe it. "That's not true."

Pity shone in Merlin's eyes. "I'm sorry, Arthur, but Morgana's betrayal began long before you found out. That year she was missing… She was not a captive of bandits as she claimed. She was with Morgause, learning how to use her magic and growing to hate Camelot more with each passing day. When she returned, everything she did was to try to bring about Camelot's downfall from the inside."

"You knew all along," Arthur said dully, and Merlin did not deny it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't have believed me, and Uther would have had my head," Merlin answered, his tone matter-of-fact. And though Arthur hated to admit it, he knew it was the truth. He and his father would never have taken the word of a servant over Morgana. "I knew I could not accuse her of planting the poultices," Merlin continued, "so I invented Dragoon to take the blame instead."

"Hang on – you what? You invented Dragoon?"

Merlin shifted uncomfortably. "In a manner of speaking. I cast an ageing spell on myself and put on some stereotypical robes…"

"That was you?" Arthur shouted. "You hit me with a helmet! And called me a – a – stupid arrogant brat!"

Merlin nodded sheepishly. "With the brains of a donkey and the face of a toad. Sorry, Arthur."

"I knew there was something familiar about him… you… whatever. But…" Arthur's voice trailed off, a horrible thought occurring to him. He backed away from his servant, hoping desperately that he was wrong. "But that old sorcerer was the one… He was the one who killed my father."

Merlin didn't say 'Oh, no, that wasn't me, sire, of course not'. Instead, his eyes widened with fear and shame flooded his features, proclaiming his guilt as clearly as words would have. "Arthur…"

Arthur took another step back, reaching blindly for the sword that should have been at his hip but wasn't because he had taken it off earlier. He felt sick, nausea and fury and grief clawing up his throat.

"Arthur, please listen to me," Merlin begged. "Yes, I am Dragoon, but I did not kill Uther. I tried everything in my power to heal him. I wanted to save him; I wanted to show you that magic could be a force for good. But somehow Morgana got there first. She put a charmed pendant around Uther's neck that reversed any magic that was used to heal him. I swear, I didn't know. Gaius found the pendant later and realised what must have happened. Arthur, I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" Merlin's breath started coming in panicked gasps, tears welling in his eyes.

Arthur sighed, the tension slipping from his muscles. He knew that Merlin was telling the truth. Really, a part of him had known at the time that the sorcerer was not to blame for Uther's death, and there was no way that Merlin would have hurt him deliberately. It pained Arthur to think that Morgana was capable of killing her own father, but it was no longer a surprise. She had changed; become ruthless. So angry and vengeful, so different to Merlin.

"It's not your fault, Merlin," he assured the younger man, aware that Merlin had probably assumed Arthur would have him executed. "Thank you for trying to heal him." The knowledge was difficult to bear, but Arthur had no doubts of Merlin's sincerity. He still remembered how his servant had waited for him during his night of grieving. 'I didn't want you to feel that you were alone.' That had been the moment Arthur realised what a true, loyal friend Merlin was, and he had finally confessed the mutual sentiment out loud, needing to be able to lean on that friendship to get him though those dark days. Merlin's steady support and gentle understanding had given Arthur the strength he needed.

"I'm sorry," Merlin repeated quietly.

"Stop apologising," Arthur said. "And clean up that mess." He gestured to the puddle of water. Merlin continued to look at him, until Arthur muttered "You're forgiven." Then Merlin nodded and used magic to clean the floor far more efficiently than he did with a mop.

Arthur sat down at the table and started in on his dinner, wrinkling his nose when he realised it was cold. Merlin noticed and smiled, fixing the problem with a gleam of golden eyes.

"Is that how my bathwater always seems to be the perfect temperature?" Arthur asked curiously, chewing appreciatively on a slice of beef.

"Secrets of the trade sire," Merlin said with a wink.

"So, about Ealdor." Arthur remembered where this conversation had originally started out; somehow they had managed to get very side-tracked. "You can leave tomorrow morning. I'll send Gwaine with you for protection-"

Merlin winced. "That's alright, Arthur. I will be fine on my own."

Arthur knew why Merlin was reluctant to have a knight along for company, but even in light of what had happened Arthur did not like the idea of Merlin travelling alone. "Merlin-"

"I'm a warlock, remember? I can take care of myself. Besides, Gwaine would be bored out of his wits in Ealdor; there's only one tavern."

Arthur chuckled. "Very well. But you will at least take a horse from the royal stables, and two sacks of grain to help the village during the upcoming winter months. Agreed?"

Merlin smiled at him. "Okay, Arthur. Thanks."

"I'll have a list a mile long of jobs for you to do when you come back," Arthur threatened. Not the least of which, he reflected, would be overseeing the use of magic in Camelot, which might just come with a title to match. But Arthur was saving that news for another time. "So no dawdling."

"Yes, sire."

ooOOoo