Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.

AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.)

Thank you, all those that left a review. I am still glad many people like this story and where it is heading. I know it has been a while since my last update, but here is the next chapter and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I really just wanted to give a clear insight into the thinking of Merlin and I hope I succeeded!

Here it goes...

Blindsided

Chapter 10

Many things needed to be done. It seemed that the more Merlin wanted to be free, wanted to be himself, the more responsibilitieshe received. Of course, he had brought it on himself. He had suggested the plan of returning to Camelot, not Morgana or her sister. Perhaps he should have just remained silent. The idea of being caught, of being discovered as a traitor, it send chills down Merlin's spine. There was not a chance, however, that he would back down. He would show Arthur once and for all how truly powerfull he could be.

Merlin sighed deeply. It was difficult being confronted with your own ideas. Always he had told himself that he was here because of Gaius, that he only wanted revenge. That had been a lie. It seemed that Gaius' death did release something inside of Merlin, but it surely wasn't revenge. It was a hunger he had never noticed before. He wanted recognition, just like Morgana had told him. Why was it she knew more about him than he did? One look into his eyes, and she could read him so easily. That thought wasn't a very pleasant one as he knew he could never keep a secret from her now and he still had those. Secrets... His whole life was one secret.

There was a knock on his door then, but Merlin knew who it would be.

"Enter," he called out.

Morgana instantly opened the door, stepping inside and making sure there was no one around. Merlin knew she was coming from her sister and she did not look amused. Her eyes spoke danger, as if even standing in this room with Merlin alone was something Morgause did not approve of.

"It's a good plan," Morgana said, immediately coming to point. She walked towards Merlin's window and gazed outside, seeing nothing but a thick fog covering every inch of the ground beneath them.

"Morgause doesn't like it," Merlin said. It was more a statement than a fact. Of course Morgause would approve. She did not trust the young sorcerer at all and she certainly wouldn't want their fate resting in his hands.

"She doesn't," Morgana agreed, "but it is still our only chance." She turned away from the window to look at Merlin who sat on the edge of his bed. His hands were folded in his lap and his gaze pierced Morgana's. "You have to do it," she said, not moving, "we don't have another choice."

Merlin only nodded. "I have one more thing to do before leave, though."

"And what's that?" Morgana asked. Her voice was high with curiosity.

"See Arthur," Merlin answered.

-o-o-

Merlin's hand lay on the doorknob. It was laying there for almost a minute now, but it seemed he couldn't get himself to turn it. Part of his mind wanted to, another part of him was screaming to turn around and walk away. Behind that door, after all, was Arthur. The Prince knew, he finally knew, but Merlin was afraid to see his reaction.

At least he would be alone. He had ordered two guards to bring the Prince to this abandoned chamber on the third floor of this old castle. The only reason why he wanted to be this high up was because he knew Arthur couldn't escape through the window. And perhaps because he knew Morgause barely came up here.
Merlin sighed deeply. He should just do it, get over with it! He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. He wouldn't like what he was about to see. Arthur would never look at him anymore as his clumsy servant. There might be anger, hate and fury. Perhaps even shouting of horrible words and curses.

He turned the knob and the door slowly creeped open. Merlin stepped inside, witnissing for the first time the magnificent chamber that lay hidden here. The high ceiling made it appear as if the room was as big as one's house. Long windows made it possible for the sunlight to enter, casting the entire floor in an orange and red shadow.

The entire chamber was empty, except for one man who already stood inside.

Arthur.

He turned on his heels to see who had just entered, and immediately, he stepped back when his eye fell upon his old servant.

Merlin said nothing. He let the door click back into place and all that he could think of was the silence that seemed to be consuming everything. He had dreaded the prospect of having to listen to Arthur's first words, but they did not come. Why was Arthur just standing there? Why didn't he say something?

An uneasy feeling slowly filled Merlin's mind and body. His fingers tingled and his head felt light. Merlin took a step forward and Arthur immediately stepped back again.

Was that...fear? Merlin swallowed heavily. He had expected many things, but fear? It couldn't be. Arthur was a Knight, he was the Crown Prince and even in the most deadly and dangerous situation would he not show fear. He had been trained not to after all. Merlin just couldn't read him properly anymore. It seemed he didn't even know the Prince at all now.

Merlin's opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a sound escaped his lips.

"You're a traitor," Arthur spoke. His voice echoed through the chamber. Finally, there was something in his voice that Merlin recognised. Anger. It seemed Arthur wasn't a total stranger to him yet. All that he could think of was if Arthur could still read him that easily? And if he could, what did he see?

Merlin didn't know what he felt now that he was looking into Arthur's bright blue eyes. DId he feel anger? Perhaps, but it wasn't as present anymore as it had been all those days before. Hate? There was no hate. DId he feel sad? Merlin sighed. He did feel sad. Sad because of everything that he had lost, because of everything that he was still about to lose.

"I am," Merlin only said, "I'm not afraid of it anymore. It's the truth and the truth hurts."

Arthur shook his head. "You're blind to the truth," he said, "I told you the truth and you did not believe me."

And there it was again. Anger. Why was Arthur still believing that he could manipulate Merlin into doing his bidding? Did he honestly believe he would just trust in the Prince's words? Gaius would never kill himself, Merlin knew that much.

"He was afraid," Arthur spoke. His body language changed. It seemed he no longer felt threatened by Merlin and so he grew more confident again. "Gaius was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Merlin might not believe one word Arthur was telling him, he did have a curiosity towards it.

"Of hurting you," Arthur explained. There was a hardness in his voice and his eyes were almost cold. He took in a deep breath then, and everything about him softened. "He was dying, Merlin, and you were suffering with him."

Merlin pressed his lips together. Memories came flooding back to him, but he refused to have them influence his emotions. He refused to feel the sadness because of them, the pain and the hurt. Gaius was gone, there was no use to think about it any further.

"Gaius couldn't stand it," Arthur continued to speak. He pauzed for a moment, casting his gaze down. It seemed he needed a moment to control his emotions as well, but he quickly looked at Merlin again. "He didn't want to hurt you," he said, his voice softer now, "all that he wanted was to protect you and he asked me to look after you."

Merlin could only listen to Arthur's words, but it seemed it took forever before Merlin's truly understood them. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought they were in a language he barely understood.

"Now that I think about it," Arthur said, "I suppose Gaius knew. He knew you might do something stupid and he asked me to help you. I should have been there for you, Merlin, I should have-"

"Shut up," Merlin said. It became more and more difficult to breathe and he needed a moment to recollect himself. It felt as if he was being torn into pieces and it hurt. Why couldn't things ever be easy? Why wouldn't he just make one decision and stick with it? Why did he always have to deal with the bloddy consequences.

"I've thought many things of you," Arthur said after a moment of silence, "from the first day that I met you, I knew you were different. As time went on, I never really thought about it anymore. You became my servant and somehow I thought I was imagining it all." He exhaled sharply. "But you are a sorcerer. You have magic."

"And is that bad?" Merlin heard himself ask. He hadn't truly meant to say it out loud.

Arthur's gaze widened. He hesitated before he answered. "I don't know," he admitted, "you've had magic for a while, I guess, but I never thought you would..."

"Evil?"

"Magic corrupts," Arthur said, agnoring Merlin's statement, "that is what my father always said. Magic seeks to destroy. I have seen it happen to Morgana and it broke my heart. I loved her like she was my own sister."

"She is your sister."

"But you?" Arthur didn't seem to be able to breath properly as well. He took another step backwards, away from Merlin. His hand reached up to touch his hair as if he didn't know how to behave himself.

Only then did Merlin notice the tears in the Prince's eyes. It was lucky he could see them at all. They were standing at the oposite sides of the chamber after all, and the distance between them was soothing somehow. It made them feel like they could say what was on their mind without having to worry about their safety. Merlin knew that was only their imagination. If he wanted to, he could use magic again. Distance wasn't a problem at all.

"You..." Arthur continued to speak once he regained control over his voice, "your betrayel hurt me more than Morgana's. I thought you were my friend, someone I could always count on."

"I thought so as well," Merlin only said. He was surprised to hear his voice this soft.

"So what happens now?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged. "I have no idea." He turned around, wanting to leave to room, but as his hand touched the doorknob, he turned his head again, looking at Arthur who still stood perfectly still.

"Are you telling the truth?" he asked, "do you swear on Gwen's life?"

Arthur immediately nodded. "I didn't murder Gaius, Merlin," he sighed, "he was my friend as well. And I would never have hurt him either."

Merlin didn't respond. He only pushed open the door and walked outside. Leaving Arthur alone in that room, Merlin suddenly felt as if he could breath properly again. What if Arthur truly was telling him the truth? What if Gaius really did kill himself? Then why was he even here? What was his excuse then?

He didn't have any and the Dragon's words suddenly echoed through his mind. 'Choose your next moves wisely, young warlock,' the Dragon had said, 'for the destiny of Camelot rests upon your shoulders.'

But which options did he truly have? What could he possible do now that all was revealed. One thing was certain, though, one thing that Merlin did not regret. Arthur knew and Merlin had never before felt this...peace.

AN: And another chapter is done. I hope you liked the first meeting between Merlin and Arthur. I didn't just want an angry Arthur or Merlin, I wanted them both to be torn. I wanted them to have a difficult time dealing with everything and I hope I succeeded in that. The next chapter will arrive soon! In the mean time, I hope you let me know your thoughts on this chapter!