Merlin sat in the grass, darkness had filled the sky, and he now held the dagger in his hands. It was the same dagger Arthur had given Morgana as a birthday present, one that Merlin had foreseen in the Crystal Cave and tried to prevent her getting. He ran his fingers over the red, ruby jewels, absentmindedly.

He glanced over to where Morgana was bound to a tree, he had done that, he had bound her there, and it was his only job to do; sit there and watch her, and make sure she didn't escape.

Arthur had gone to get firewood, or something, he muttered so quickly before running off, Merlin couldn't quite catch what he had said. And now, Merlin couldn't help but feel completely useless and hopeless. He was confused, so confused, so completely and utterly confused that his brain felt like mud.

Arthur knew? Or had he just been lying? Still, Merlin didn't know. He wished he did though, because if Arthur did know then maybe there was still a chance for them, but if he really hadn't…what chance was there for them getting back to where things had been? Even if Arthur forgave him for lying and betraying him, he still couldn't trust Merlin anymore.

Merlin sighed and ran a worried hand through his hair. He would have to show Arthur he could trust him again, because if not Merlin, who could Arthur trust? After all, all Merlin wanted was for Arthur to be alive and happy, even if that meant he couldn't be happy with Merlin anymore, even if that meant their romance stopped and he married Gwen. Even then, Arthur could trust him….he would make sure he knew that, if he had to prove it a thousand times, he would.

Arthur returned, finally and threw the few strips of wood on the ground, before coming and sitting down next to Merlin. He might have been thinking positive before, but now, he felt fear welling up inside him.

Arthur glanced over at him and he all but burst, "You knew?" he asked, his voice sounding twitterpated, there was no better word for it. "Or…did you just tell her that?"

"No," Arthur shrugged. "I knew."

Arthur was being short with him and Merlin just couldn't take it, he needed answers, how did he know? When did he find out?

"When did you find out?"

"Years ago…" Arthur answered and Merlin frowned, so many questions running through his mind. "And there you were, thinking I was stupid, hm?"

"'I never thought that…"

"Sure," Arthur commented and then laughed at Merlin's forlorn face. But it wasn't an annoyed laugh, it was a normal, everyday Arthur laugh and Merlin was confused, even more so, when Arthur slide closer to him and smiled. "It wasn't all at once that I found out, it started with your father. When he told me he stayed in Eldor with a woman named Hunith it struck me, you had been acting so strange before we met him, I knew it wasn't just Camelot you were worried for, and when he died…I saw you, you know I saw you."

Merlin nodded, bagging him to go on, because that really didn't explain anything . So he knew Balinor was his father, alright, that was one thing.

"When I told you no man was worth your tears, I was never talking about him," Arthur continued. "I was sure I would be killed by the dragon and I didn't want you to cry for me." Arthur smiled at him, sadly now. "I thought it was foolish for you to come with me, there was no sense in both of us dying, but then you sent the dragon away...and yes, I know you sent him away, I've seen you talking to him enough times by now. I knew then, that you were a Dragonlord. Either you had been hiding it that whole time and plotting with the dragon, I didn't know, but why would you go all that way and see your father get killed just to hide your secret? So I talked to Gaius, he told me the Dragonlord power is given to the son once the father dies, so you hadn't been lying to me...or so I thought."

Arthur reached out then, pulling Merlin closer, gently running fingers along his spine. Merlin looked up at him, waiting to hear more. "Go on."

"It was in that year," Arthur went on, just as asked, looking a bit more subdued now. "The year we were looking for Morgana that I figured out you were a sorcerer, Gaius had said just because someone was a Dragonlord doesn't mean you also are gifted with magic, that it is like magic but different. I had just been injured by a bandit and was blacking out, I thought I was dead, the man was just about to carry out the final blow and then he was pushed back by some invisible force and you were there, muttering words I didn't understand, I started to feel the injury heal but I blacked out anyway. "Arthur let out a pained sigh at this point and pulled Merlin even closer. "I was angry with you, Merlin, so angry, for a long time; there were many times I nearly told my father. I was being foolish, it took time but I started to see reason, I started to think about all the strange things that happened to me since knowing you, all the times I could have died…"

"I will always protect you," Merlin told him, in a whisper, laying his head on the king's shoulder, not caring that the armor was there. Arthur made a humming noise and Merlin felt warm lips on his forehead. "Why didn't you ever tell me you knew?"

"I wanted you to tell me, I thought that after I became king you would," Arthur explained. "But you didn't. And when we became romantic with each other, I was sure you would tell me, not wanting any secrets between us…"

"I wanted to, I just…I didn't know how."

"I figured as much, I was hurt by it though," he admitted. "I thought perhaps you didn't feel as strongly as I did, it felt like you did, but then I thought perhaps that was my own hopes clouding my judgment, that's why I said we should keep our relationship secret, I didn't want made a fool of in front of all of Camelot."

"I thought you said it was because we weren't sure where this was going?" Merlin asked, sitting up some, to look at Arthur properly.

"I didn't know if you were sure, I have been very sure about what I feel for you, I would have been yelling it from the rooftops, if you had just told me your damned secret," Arthur smirked at him and pulled him back down. "But I suppose it's all out in the open now, isn't it?"

Merlin smiled slightly, leaning back into him. "I guess it is…finally."

"And how does it feel...?" he asked, smirking still, fingers slipping under the hem of Merlin's shirt. Merlin gasped at the cold fingers on his skin. "To have no secrets between us?"

Merlin's smile grew. "It feels…nice."

"Just nice?"

Arthur's lips were on his before he could answer, warm and gentle and Merlin melted into it, just like he always did when Arthur kissed him like that. It hadn't really dawned on him yet, it didn't really sink in, that Arthur knew, had so for a long time and he wasn't angry, he wasn't giving up this. But now it was dawning on Merlin, sort of like a sudden rush of water over your head and he was laughing against Arthur's mouth and then pushing him over, on to his back and straddling his waist.

He changed the pace of their kiss to something needy and dirty, licking and biting at Arthur's bottom lip so it would open. And it did so, with a moan that Merlin had to stop for a second to enjoy, before continuing on. Arthur, one hand still placed on Merlin's spine, the other came up to rest on Merlin's neck, as he kissed Merlin back with the same dirty need Merlin felt.

But it was Arthur, the damn prat, who pulled away, laughing a little. "Merlin..." he said, slowly, catching his breath. "My sister is right over there..."

"Oh," Merlin blushed, pulling away from Arthur, and sliding off and away from him. "I forgot."

This promoted Arthur to laugh again, and pull him close once more. "We will finish this tomorrow, when we get back to Camelot, you can be sure of that."

Merlin tucked into Arthur's side and laid his head on his shoulder again, ignoring the armor and whatever was poking him in the back of the head, it was worth it. The smile that now tugged at his lips was permanent; he knew it was, it wasn't going to go away any time soon.

"Go to sleep," Arthur told him, running warm hands, up and down Merlin's arm and side. "I'll keep watch over her."

"No," Merlin sighed. "I want to stay awake with you."

They just sat there for awhile, not talking, because there was no need to, watching as the fire that Merlin had lit early, all but fizzle out. There was almost no light now and Merlin didn't want to get up or let Arthur go long enough for one of them to fix the fire, so he blatantly ignored it. Choosing instead, to run his nose along Arthur's neck.

"Do magic for me," he heard Arthur say, and that damn smile returned tenfold. "I want to watch you do it, instead of turning away and pretending I didn't see."

Without a word against the idea, Merlin raised his hand and the flames grew back, larger than they had been even earlier when Merlin had started it. Arthur made a noise, that sounded kind of like a humph and then he was kissing Merlin's forehead again, with ghost lips and really, honestly, Merlin had never been more happy in his entire life.

Forgetting about Morgana there at all, and the fact that she had probably just seen and heard all of this, Merlin would happily sit right here, wrapped in the king of Camelot's arms forever.


(A/N: I feel like I've made you guys wait forever for this, and it's so sappy and gross. Oh my god, I'm just having such a hard time feeling muse for this story, I think I am just burnt out from it honestly, I have other ideas I'm working on and I think (Well, it has happened,) that this one is going to have to be on the back burner for awhile. There is only like 2 or 3 more chapters after this one tho, so if I can just find the muse, I will finish it in the next few days and post it within the next two weeks. That's what I'm hoping for. And Plight One's Troth will have to wait awhile, until I feel like writing another canon. I'm really into modern AU's right now, but I think that's pretty obvious, all I'm posting right now are modern au's.)