As always, reviews are much appreciated, so thanks to all who have! This story is finally getting to where I'd like it to be, and, apparently my readers are enjoying just as much—if not more—than I am, which is fantastic!

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Magic was what brought them together, and that was the irony of it all. The very thing Merlin strove to protect and keep hidden from the rest of the obviously oblivious world he lived in was the strongest thing he shared with the girl he could learn to love. Perhaps magic, in all its infinite wisdom, could bring them closer…but how?

That was the million gold-coin question for him right there: magic could bring them closer, but how? He knew that Aria struggled with her magic where his was controlled and kept that way. Perhaps he could teach her how to control it. Self-control was the one thing Aria lacked for all her better traits. He knew he could assist her in making herself right, the way she wished she was. He only knew of this wish because of a heartfelt talk between the two of them while she was still a prisoner. Now that she was a free woman, he could begin to teach her the old ways, the ways of keeping magic under self-restraint. So that's exactly what he did.

The next two weeks were the most arduous days of Merlin's life. During the daytime, he would complete each and every one of his typical day-to-day chores and his evenings were spent with Aria. He would assist her in her magic with performing simple tasks under its usage. If she mucked up a spell, he would revise it for her and show her how to properly perform it. While he was working during the day, Aria spent the majority of her time practicing for the evening's session. Each window and cranny in her home was plugged up with thick, black fabric in a blackout so that no one outside could see or hear a single occurrence of magical practices within her homestead. At night, Merlin was there to assist her with her magic, teaching her everything he knew about the Old Religion and about the properties of their fantastical trick. And after two weeks, Merlin was there for one final session, the last huzzah in his proctoring of her skill.

Aria outstretched her hand, muttering a spell in Gaelic, the language of the Old Religion, as her eyes gleamed gold and she raised a bit of cloth off of the table in front of her. She stood across the room and attempted to bring the cloth to her by no means of physical touch, and then things went awry. The cloth burst into the shape of a flaming dragon, flapping its reptilian wings and coming towards her. With one swipe of his fingers, Merlin extinguished the flame, dissipating the cloth in the process.

Aria's eyes widened as she slummed to the bench at her table, back hunched in defeat. "Two weeks, Merlin," she said, resting her forehead in her hands. "Two weeks and I still can't do anything better than it was before. Nothing has improved. Nothing."

"That's not entirely true," he said, coming to sit down beside her. "Your spells of…well, your practice of, um…" His voice trailed off as he attempted to think of a spell she'd perfected. Nothing came to mind. Merlin sighed. "So you can't practice magic because you endanger people—that's no big deal."

Aria looked up at him, mouth agape. "Seriously, you're the worst consoler I've ever met."

Merlin stood from his bench. "What do you want me to do? I've done all I can."

"And nothing's helped me, so what does that tell you?" She stood, her stature nowhere measuring up to his.

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "Are you blaming this on me? This isn't my fault—I was just trying help you!"

Their once dulcet tones were now rising in decibels as they grew angrier with each other.

"Not necessarily, but what am I supposed to think, Merlin? You're my only help and nothing's helping!"

"So if you're not saying I'm a bad teacher, than what are you saying, Aria?"

Aria threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm saying that I can't do this," she blurted, suddenly silencing the fight. "I can't do this. If practiced, my magic would only seek to harm people. I'm not you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Aria's brow slanted as feelings of empathy washed over her. "A week ago, you told me all about your destiny and why you had your magic. You told me of its power and its power over you." She paused. "I'm not like that. I knew from the start that my magic was clumsy and no good even at its best, but still you helped me in any way you could." A sense of peace was now between them as Merlin's features softened at her words. "I don't do anything to earn one ounce of the help you've given me, and yet you gave it anyway." She folded her arms across her chest, staring straight at him. "Your magic has a purpose, a drive, and a reason to exist. Mine was an accident, so let it be just that."

"You're saying you're not going to practice magic anymore?" His face scrunched into an expression of confusion. "Why did we just waste two weeks practicing it then?"

Aria shook her head. "It wasn't wasted. It helped me see that my magic is just that. You're a warlock, and your magic is a mere sliver of your great destiny. Mine was a complete accident, so I will forevermore treat it like that." She smiled. "After all, I wouldn't want to miss one second of the power you'll grow into. I want to watch your destiny unfold unhindered by my own tendencies." She sighed, taking a seat on the bench once more. "I think I've figured out what we are."

"Oh, really?" he said, sitting down beside her once more as he gave her his undivided attention. "And what would that be?"

Her gaze bore into his. "We're like fire and rain." Merlin was clearly confused, so she continued. "My magic is unpredictable, uncontrollable like fire. Your magic is clear, controlled like rain. Whenever my fires are lit at a danger to others, you rain down and push it back under control."

Merlin had never thought about it that way, but now that it had been brought to his attention, it was all he could think about. She truly meant every word she'd said, and he could almost feel the passion as it continued to grow between them.

Aria bit her lip, looking away. "I have something for you," she said, rising from her seat and disappearing for a moment behind the curtain dividers she had placed there. She returned after a moment, her arms bustling with clothes. "I finished the clothes I promised." She sat back down, placing the pile of them into his lap. "There are two new pairs of trousers—one is a black pair for special occasions—and several shirts in different colors than blue and red." Merlin grabbed hold of a nice white shirt that had been embroidered with gold embellishments along the neckline where there was a leather tie, a typical trait for a Merlin-esque shirt. "Try it on—go ahead."

Merlin promptly removed his current shirt, throwing on the white one. It was baggy at the sleeves and fitted at the shoulders, a very up-to-date shirt. Aria stood from the table, grabbing her mother's old mirror so he could see himself in it. "Oh, wow," he said as the brightest smile Aria had ever seen on him flashed across his face, "Aria, this is spectacular."

"You like it then?" she asked. She knew full-well that he did, in fact, like the shirt, but she wanted to hear it straight from the source anyway.

Merlin nodded emphatically. "It's really, really beautiful," he said, "I cannot thank you enough!" Impulsively, he threw his arms around her waist, lifting her from the floor for a moment before realizing what had just happened. Aria's eyes remained wide as he placed her back onto the floor and released her. Merlin was about to say something apologetic when Aria cut him off, entirely changing the subject.

"I wanted to add the leather tie because your other shirts have one, and it adds class to the shirt," she said, stepping forward and loosening the tie ever so slightly, revealing a bit of the wisps of black hair she'd caught sight of two weeks ago. "Oh my…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes remained locked on his chest.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her, feeling the hotness of her breath as it graced his chest and gave him goosebumps. They had never yet been this physically close before, so neither really knew the sane way of dealing with it.

Aria reached up, her fingertips tenderly touching the small, thin patch of hair. "You have hair on your chest…" Again she trailed off as her fingers stopped touching the hair—which really was a barrier between her fingertips and his skin—and placed her fingertips on his skin.

Merlin smiled faintly. "Never quite got that reaction before," he said softly, noticing that her fingertips hadn't left his skin. He then did something completely unlike him: he reacted romantically. His hand found her free hand, grasping it tightly and bringing it up to fill the space between them as he tipped her chin up, each meeting the other's gaze and keeping it steadfast as their foreheads met. Each of them closed their eyes to soak in this moment, this touch, this feeling. Merlin's free hand found her cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

Aria grinned a bit under the touch of his hand, saying softly, "I think this is where we—"

Merlin's memory flashed to Freya as his skin flushed and he backed away, eyes wide. "No!" he said with distinct determination. "No, I can't. Not now." He sighed. "I'm not ready." Aria nodded firmly, understanding that he couldn't pursue that before, to which her eyes fell to the floor. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." He took the pile of clothes, sending her a sympathetic smile before leaving her home without so much as a second glance. Aria didn't question his motives. She'd wait for him as long as it took, no matter how long that would be.

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Merlin's entire body shook with the shock of what had just happened in Aria's home. He had had his own personal reasons for leaving in a rush: she had touched him. Not only that, but that touch had made him feel something, something he hadn't felt since…well, since Freya. That fact alone scared him to pieces. He truly cared for Aria and she made him feel passionate about who she was and what she would become. He wanted nothing more than to be by her side, but, just for now, he needed time alone to think about what had just happened, analyze it to all oblivion, and digest it for the next time he would see her. Next time, he wouldn't freak out and leave. Next time, he would be prepared and know exactly the right thing to say. Next time.

On his way back into the castle, he nearly ran into someone head-on before muttering "Sorry" and continuing. The voice of the other person he'd nearly collided with spoke up, startling him.

"Merlin," Gwen's concerned voice said, turning around to meet him halfway. She was carrying a load of laundry, but was genuinely concerned that something might be terribly wrong. "What is it? You look as though you've just seen a ghost."

Merlin sighed with a simple shake of his head. "I haven't seen a ghost…" he began, his dark tone revealing his mood. "…though it might be better for me if I had."

"What's happened to frighten you so badly? I haven't seen you like this since…well, since…actually, I've never seen you like this." Once she met his gaze, her brown eyes conveyed the utmost sympathy. "Talk to me, Merlin."

Merlin folded his arms across his chest. "Something happened between me and…" He knew full-well that Gwen did not know about his involvement with Aria, so he glazed over her name. "…well, between me and that girl I told you about."

Gwen smiled. "That girl? The one you keep avoiding telling me about?"

Merlin nodded. "Something happened tonight, between me and her…" Here he paused as Gwen's facial expression turned to one of a sickly surprise. "No, nothing like that. What happened was sweet and tender."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I'm not sure I should feel that way. I've known her just a few weeks and yet I feel like…I'm afraid that I'm…"

Gwen's hands covered her mouth. "You're falling in love with her." Merlin's face remained stoic, so she continued. "I've seen that look a thousand times—mostly from myself—but it's the look of romance. Your relationship is building, but so is the tension. Is that what's scaring you?" Merlin said nothing, so Gwen sighed, placing her hand firmly on his forearm. "If you're feeling this way about this girl, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Sure, discovering feelings of love for someone can be terrifying, but in the end it's what you've got to go on. Being afraid isn't going to get you anywhere, so you have to learn to embrace what you're feeling and define it." She sighed pleasantly. "Love is the greatest thing this world has to offer. Keep your thoughts about it optimistic and you'll pull through." With that, she walked away, basket in hand, leaving Merlin to his jammed thoughts.

Merlin paced his chamber that night, thoughts racing a mile per second as he struggled inwardly to embrace his feelings for Aria and define them in the simplest of terms and the most convenient definitions. Gwen's right. Let's be honest: Aria is amazing. She's brilliant, humble, simple, and yet so elegant and so refined that she's nearing the likeness of a princess. She's stunning. She's wise beyond her years. She's all I want. That part scared him terribly, but he smiled to himself. She's all I want.

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A/N: This chapter is full of fluffiness and adorably passionate moments, right? Reviews would be nice. More updates to come later this week!