Broken Faith Chapter 7, a merlin fanfic

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Now for some Q&A!

Ebonypol: Yes, Merlin does have the scar. But with Merlin avoiding direct eye contact for long periods of time and the fact that they were in the forest at night hid such scar from the others.

To my lovely Guest... ElleinadElocin: Merlin's been away for over four months. In the previous chapter I made the mistake of writing year, so I'm terribly sorry for the confusion! And the twins are not his children by blood. They are indeed around 7 or 8 but how they actually met will be explained in the future.

To saroura92: Just bear with me! The druids do think of him as Emrys but just think about this for a second... This is Merlin we're talking. The man cringes on screen every time someone addresses him with such grand titles. And Merlin being his adorably sheepish self would ask of people not to call him that. Merlin understands better than anyone what that title means to his people (the fact that he knows they're his people isn't helping any) They see him as this mighty being that will save them from anything and that's a lot of responsibility for a guy to bear. So that's why he insist of being called Merlin, not only because its a reminder of his responsibilities but it's also to remind himself who he is and where he came from. Hope that answers your doubt! :D

For all those who are curious if this will become a reveal!fic... I think my previous stories can provide a clue? I always do reveal fics! With the occasional one shot of course... So YES Merlin will final reveal himself. Just, not in the way you think...

For those who think this is getting too angsty for their taste and there is not enough comedy of the show in it I urge you to just wait until Chapter 10. What happened between Merlin and Arthur is supposed to be dramatic and angst filled. It was something that brought Merlin to his limit and as such it will be treated. Arthur has finally begun to understand how much Merlin means to him and eventually, he will have to fix things between the two... Now this is not to say there won't be any more comedy in the story! They're them for Gods sakes!

And for those who are worried about Gwaine and why I haven't mentioned him... yes, I killed him...

...

OR DID I? MUHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! You'll just have to keep reading to find out!

And to the lovely servant123: Well, what can I say? I was floored by your review! I can't thank you enough for all that you said. I live for reviews such as yours and it brings this weary heart joy to have read such clear enjoyment! Not to mention that your story also brought me joy as well! I read it a while back but before I could review it I lost it in the sea of stories... Shame really, and it was exactly what I was planning to write! I mean, really! Arthur has to be completely idiotic and supercilious to not remember that he was not, in fact, under an enchantment! So thank you dear! You beat me to it! And as your first story is not bad! I mean, just look at mine... *shutters* But that's something that I would never change or edit now in my page! I mean, one can only get better!

Now enough jibber jabber! Enjoy!

Once the children had managed to get them moving again, the group was shown quarters in which to rest for the night. Arthur and Guinevere were surprised to see their room; it was almost an exact replica of their quarters back in Camelot, down to the placement of the pillows on the bed bringing a small pang of fondness towards their friend.

As the two settled down to sleep, Arthur simply hugged her slight frame closer to him as he let himself get lost in his thoughts. They had found him. At long last, he had finally found his brother back but he had barely looked at him for more than two seconds. Shivering slightly, Arthur let his eyes fall close as he sought the warmth of his wife. That void, that vast emptiness he felt for over four months had finally begun to lessen as his eyes fell upon those of his brother but only by just a small amount, not even close to the type of warmth and comfort the two shared before. But he had to rely on faith. He had faith that his brother would forgive him and the two will finally stand together, side by side, as they were supposed to be.

As the morning light filtered through their window at dawn, the two royals found themselves awake and energized to take on the days ahead. Guinevere joined her husband's side at the window perch, linking their arms together. Seeing the same pain in his heart but new found resolution she simply squeezed his hand in comfort and support. Arthur simply gave her a gentle smile before nodding in reply. He was fine, not now but he would be fine. He would bring her moon back. However, the two were startled out of their intimate bubble when they heard someone knocking at the door.

"Enter." Arthur said after a few seconds and immediately the door opened, revealing an armor-less Drem. His impressive frame, barely fitting through the door wore a simple white tunic with a belt holding his sword, tan slacks and comfortable riding boots. But they found it curious that the man was holding some sort of package in his hands.

"Good morning sire, my lady." Drem bowed cordially to the two royals. "I hope you found your accommodations to your liking?" Gwen gave the man a polite smile.

"It was more than we could have hoped, Drem was it?" At the question, Drem simply nodded in response. "Yes, we had a wonderful sleep."

At this, he allowed himself a pleased smile at this. "That is good, Lord Merlin will be happy to hear that." Drem stated as he placed the package on the table. "For you." The two royals shared a look of confusion before walking forward and unwrapping the cloth. Their eyes widened a fraction as their hands met the clothes inside. Freshly laundered and they could see they were their size. On one end, there was a red tunic, a belt and brown slacks; Arthur noticed that it was one of his favorite to wear. On the other end, there was a white tunic, a light brown vest, and some tan slacks; Gwen noticed that they were supposed to resemble her favorite riding outfit. Seeing the hesitant and light touches of the clothes before them, Drem sought to explain.

"My lord sent for new clothes to be brought to you and the rest of your party." At his explanation, the two raised their heads in sync. "He wished for you all to be as comfortable as possible." A few seconds passed before they both broke into tired but gentle smiles.

"Send him our thanks." Drem heard the queen state and he was quick to give a small nod in acknowledgment.

"Someone will be here with fresh water for you to bathe in. After that, we will join the others and we'll begin showing you around Dinas Emrys."

"Thank you Drem." With one last nod, the guard simply turned around and stepped out of the room. Not even a few minutes later, two guards came in carrying a gigantic tub half filled with water and three more people following those carrying two buckets each. Once the tub was set and ready to be used, the group bowed politely and left, leaving them with some much needed privacy.

Gwen could see her husband's eyes take a turn for a more pensive but calm demeanor as one of his hands stroke the edge of the tub gently. Seeing him close his eyes and take a deep breath, it was as if she could feel the way that Arthur's soul was slowly healing itself.

"Incredible isn't it?" At this statement, Gwen joins him at his side.

"What is?"

"How well that title suits him..." Gwen simply smiles as his eyes open once more, and she was delighted to see the same spark of fire that was missing all those months ago.

"Let's get ready." She said as she stroked his cheek lovingly. "The sooner we are, the sooner we can meet the others and explore the fortress. It is quite unbelievable don't you think?" Gwen quickly gave him a peck on his cheek and turned towards the changing screen, leaving Arthur's eyes to swirl with thoughts and ideas for the future.

"Indeed it is."

"Are you ready sire?" They heard Leon shout through the door as the royal pair finally finished dressing. The bath and new clothes had done wonders, their sore muscles and tired minds were almost none existent.

"We're coming!" Arthur shouted as they both opened the door to find all of the knights, the two guards from last night and the twins waiting for them. The two royals saw that like them, the rest of the nights seemed to have gained a new breath of life into their bodies from the previous night's rest and were extremely glad.

"Morning sire!" Arthur blinked at the cheerful retort of the raven headed girl. "Did you have pleasant dreams?"

At her question, Arthur couldn't help the brief amused smile that graced his face as he arched his back slightly to pat her head lightly. "Not last night little one, my sleep was blank. But hopefully I'll have new dreams when this is all over."

"That's good!" She replied with a smile that reminded him a lot of his brother's. "Then can you tell me what king's dream about? It must be about something exiting! So many stories you could tell us!" At the mention of stories, they could all see the slight glint of excitement in her face as well as in Frysil's somewhat calm but stoic face.

"We'd be glad to tell you about all our past adventures Tarian, but now how about you show us the fortress?" Having been reminded of her task, her eyes widened slightly before nodding.

"Oh right! But first..." As she said this, she made an overly dramatic gesture towards her brother. "Frysil!"

The boy in question simply sighed at his sister's antics and stepped forward with two small bowls in in his hands. "I hope you like Lychee fruit paste..." The boy says with a shy smile as the two royals take the bowls. "Almost everyone here eats it as breakfast. It's very nutritious and filling. Very useful when you have to do so much stuff in one day..." By the end, his voice seemed to disappear as his eyes began to avoid everyone's when he saw the doubt in both royal's eyes at the white paste in front to f them. Seeing the boy become more and more reclusive, Percival stepped forward and placed a hand upon the child's shoulder, startling him from his stupor.

"It really is quite good sire." The giant knight exclaimed, shooting the kid an impressed look before slapping his back; which in turn, shot the kid forward almost making him fall over. "The boy has a knack for cooking!" The married couple, not wanting to hurt the kid's feelings took on the spoons on their bowls, and each took a big bite of it. As the paste reached their taste buds, both their eyes widened as the taste hit them both.

"Sweet!" Gwen exclaimed ecstatically, as the taste reminded her the few times when her mother would bake some sweets. Meanwhile for Arthur, he immediately began to shovel bite after bite as the first taste reminded him of how hungry he truly was. But as he heard a slight giggling in the background, he realized what he was doing and gathered whatever was left of his dignity.

"Thank you, Frysil." Arthur said as he continued to eat at a much slower pace, but nevertheless seeing the royal enjoying his food so much gave the young boy his confidence back.

"Alright you can eat while we move!" Was the command of young Tarian as she placed her hands on her petite hips. "We have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time!" At this, she zoomed in front of the group and began walking, not really seeing if they were following or not before she started to spout random facts about the fortress. Arthur merely raised an eyebrow at her brother and asked,

"Quite the ball of energy, isn't she?" Arthur then heard a weary sigh coming from the boy.

"You have no idea..."

As the group was led throughout the fortress, the twins took over as their official guides, leaving Drem to answer any strategically or otherwise questions from the king. They spent the rest of the morning exploring around the city, from the marketplace to the small bout of forest life that was all over the place and the many houses inhabited by the villagers.

Throughout the entire trip, Arthur was amazed at how the fortress seemed to work. The people in the city where bustling about, happy and carefree as they continued on with their daily lives. The way that everyone seemed to help each other, from the kids helping an elderly walk to the adults aiding each other in anything from building or carrying things.

"Amazing." Arthur stated half in awe. "It's completely self-sustaining. Its own little society."

"Father made it pretty clear to make this fortress fully functioning and capable of standing on its own." They heard Frysil explaining. "He didn't want to rely on something and then have that compromised allowing the purpose for this to crumble."

"Every merchant in the city contributes what they can, which in turn helps keep this place up and running." Frysil continued, gaining a couple of surprised looks. "Father never asked them for it, it just simply happened. One day father and us where in the meeting hall playing chess and the next we see a whole congregation of merchants walking in and asking father to take their offering."

"Frankly, I found it hilarious!" At this, Frysil rolled his eyes.

"Everything's hilarious to you."

"Not everything. Just the funny things."

"Of course."

"Oh, but you should have seen it sire!" Tarian exclaimed as she let herself laugh out loud. "Father's face was priceless!" The fact that she continued to laugh left Drem to further explain.

"He rarely uses the money they give him." He said, making the group smile gently at the notion of Merlin generosity. "Only when the people are in need of materials or food will he do so and he tries to be as sneaky as possible when doing that as well..."

"How so?" Arthur asked, curious that Drem and Bevan's face became a mix of stoic and childish glee.

"Well," Drem began with his most serious face. "one of my favorites was when he told them that some mysterious stranger left a shipment of fruits and meats right outside the fortress walls and never came back for them." The group almost tripped in their step as they hear the story.

"You're kidding..." Elyan asked the guard, but Arthur was the one to answer.

"No, actually that sounds exactly like Merlin." At this, everyone started laughing at the truth of that statement.

"Everyone here just simply turns a blind eye to his efforts and simply walks home to have a good laugh." This instigated another bout of laughter from the group as they continued walking through the city. Arthur then sobered up as he once again saw how the people in the city stopped briefly to bow at the twins.

This reminded him of the brief instance in the morning when they were leaving the castle halls towards the city. For just one brief moment, he managed to get a glimpse of his brother talking with two individuals outside a chamber. As they were leaving, Arthur saw that the two mysterious figures bowed to his brother before walking away, leaving Merlin to sigh and shake his head in defeat. His brother had gained so much respect, allies and friends who respected him for whom he is and acknowledge the wisdom he possesses...

"Everyone here gives him so much respect and shows him such loyalty..." At this, everyone stopped in their step hearing the morose tone in the king's voice.

"And why would we not?" Drem asked him. "He has taken us in, protected us from harm, given us a home and a new purpose without asking anything from us in return. How could we not?" At the stunned silence when faced with such loyalty in Drem's words, Tarian jumped forward with stars shining in her eyes.

"Father is a great swordsman!" The group became stunned when hearing this, not to mention Arthur, knowing personally how good Merlin was with a sword. "He said he was trained by one of the greatest warriors in the land! I want to be a great warrior some day and protect the innocents as a knight of the realm!" At the mention of the great warrior, Arthur felt the all too familiar pang in his chest knowing full well that his brother had meant him. To know that he still spoke of him, even if not by name, brought both pain and hope that he would be able to regain his trust once more.

"That's a wonderful dream Tarian." Gwen said to the young girl, only to see her get more and more fired up.

"But father is so overprotective!" Tarian continued as she crossed her arms. "He says I need to wait until I'm older! I want to start learning now! I can take care of myself! I can!" Arthur's heart ached once again but this time, it was an older more familiar pain. One that was brought by his father and his outrageous demands and zealous protection of him. Kneeling before the raven haired child, the king placed a gentle hand on her petite shoulders bringing her head up to meet his.

"I have no doubt about that, little one." Arthur said in a gentle and understanding voice that gained the complete attention of both Tarian and Frysil. "But tell me, why do you think your father is so adamant to withhold the training you wish for?" At this, Tarian lowered her head as years of insecurities reared its ugly head.

"Because he thinks I'm weak..."

Arthur felt his heart break at the meek words and he could see the others felt the same. "No," As he said this, Arthur raised her chin with a callused hand and stared at his brother's child. "because you are dear to him." At his words, Arthur saw a definite burst of pride in both the twins.

"If there is one thing I know about your father," He continued. "is that he will do whatever it takes to protect those who are dear to him, even to the point of becoming supremely overprotective of them."

At this point he gave both of them a sincere and gentle smile. "But know that you two are his light. And he would never risk such a thing. He's had so little of it in the past..." The twins in turn both saw how shrouded his eyes were becoming before he shook it off. It was so strange, the king acted so much like their father sometimes; the same sadness in his eyes.

"I see that you have a true heart of a warrior, Tarian." The twins broke from their thoughts as they herd the king continue to speak. "And if your father allows it of me, I would be happy to oversee your training." The group and the king could only observe with amusement as Tarian's eyes got unbelievably big as she stood there complete stunned. Gwen quickly took over as she saw her husband become slightly embarrassed at the display of emotions. She placed her hand around Frysil's shoulders and brought him closer, sending him a look of appreciation and curiosity.

"And what of you Frysil?" She asked gently. "What is it that you wish to be when you grow up?" At the question, Frysil's eyes became downcast as his shy nature reared its ugly head again.

"I..." He began very quietly but soon raised his volume. "I wish to be like father. I want to protect everyone that is precious to me." The group saw the clear determination and admiration the shy young boy held inside of him. It brought a smile to her face.

"Then you have no better role model than him." She stated proudly at the boy. "You will be amazing."

Both twins simply stood there, stunned into silence as they stared into the faces of their king and queen. Three months ago, they had been lucky that their father took them in. Ever since then, their father had been their gods send; he had taken them in, cared for them, and nurtured them and their gifts. They had been abandoned for so long, neglected and injured in the forest with no one to turn to but themselves. But their lives had taken a turn when they met their father. However, whatever happiness and peace of mind he had brought them, they knew that their father was not well. Even if he tried to hide it from them, they could clearly recognize the aching emptiness that was inside of him. They could see how his eyes darkened slightly whenever he spoke about his past; what little he did.

They had long wondered if they were not enough to fill that void inside of him and keep him happy. That somehow, they were unworthy of their father's love. So they always had that nagging question hanging over their heads, bringing down their self-esteem. But having their king and queen see so much in them; and with it been so obvious that their father knew them in his past, brought out a wave of familial affection that they've only experience with their father.

"Ewythr!"

"Modryb!"

Both royals were stunned when two pairs of arms wrapped around their torsos and shouted two distinct words that had to be of foreign language. "Huh?" Arthur uttered, not knowing what was going on, but from the stunned looks of the guards and the few citizens around them it had to be very significant. There were even some who've stopped to bow in respect to them.

Suddenly and without warning, an owls screetch could be heard from above as said own was diving towards them. Battles senses at the ready, Arthur placed the children and his wife behind him only to falter when the kids squealed in delight at the owl now perched on Bevan's gloved hand. The owl seemed to be white with black markings, and on its leg was a parchment attached to it. Drem quickly took the parchment and read it before give the owl a nod in affirmation, making it fly off into the sky.

"The first refugees have just arrived sire." Drem statement immediately made everyone sobered up and gaze at the king. "They carry wounded and the knights will be waiting for you in the meeting hall." With this, Arthur nodded as his face became like stone once again.

"Please, take us to them."

Me: *sheepish* I think the next posting will be every Saturday…. I work on my projects on the week while ironing all the dialoge and Saturday I fill in the rest!

Me: Now, what did you think of it? I know I'm provably starting to bore some people with all the fillers and talkity talk talk but this story is mainly to show growth and the type of bond these two idiots posses.

Arthur&Merlin: *together* Hey!

Me: Oh sush! You know you are!

Me: And what the twins said where "Uncle!" "Aunt!" in welsh... I just keep imagining them as irish for some reason...

SPOILER SPEAK FOR SEASON 5!

…

Me: *laughing hysterically* Oh! OH HE IS PRECIOUS! Merlin, sweety... no... not bunnies... *laughs some more* pay attention to your prat sweety... no... don't fall into the trap...

*rolls on the floor from laughter* OHHHHH! I can't believe I was right! Do you guys remember my very first Merlin story? Awakening of Destiny? Remember when Arthur said this to Merlin?

"I doubt it. One of these days you'll see a butterfly passing right in front of you and you'll forget you're engaged in battle!"

OHHHH! I CAN"T BREATHE! I WAS RIGHT! ….. OK, so they were bunnies but they are both adorable and Merlin got distracted!

It could not have worked out better than it did!

*ahem*

On the other hand…. Could someone PLEASE explain WHAT THE HECK do they mean by BANE? It's been 15 years since I've been stumped by an English word in a sentence! I mean, I get the dictionary meaning but NOT IN THIS CONTEXT GORRAM IT! PLEASE HELP!

…

…That is all….