Hey Guys! Look! An early update! hahaha!

Thanks for everyone who commented on the last chapter! FireChildSlytherin5, nycorrall, chocolatecake1, Guest, BurnedSpies, SpangleyPony, Guest, Person, Potato Fairy

What do you guys think of the new images for these stories? I made them myself :D With a little help of course...

This is by far the less action chapter I have written yet, so bare with me because this is IMPORTANT!
(Me) Anything to say Merlin?
(Merlin) If you keep writing like this, my secret is going to be out to everyone and I'm going to be the only one that doesn't know!
(Me) That's the idea! Now shush!

Have I said I don't own Merlin yet? I must have put it off :D

Chapter Ten~

Merlin returned to his room and yanked out his satchel, and began to dig around inside it. He was looking for the gift that the druid leader had given him. It would be nice to know exactly where the keys were so he could acquire them when the time came. He was so frantic on his searching that he slammed his head on the bedside.

Groaning, he lifted his hand to his forehead and sighed at his movement, then returned to searching at a slower pace. He was so absorbed into his shifting of piles that he did not hear the footsteps approaching from behind him. Nor did he hear the sword being drawn from its scabbard…

Alright, of course he heard that.

Merlin snapped up, turning towards his door in confusion, looking startled at the sight of Leon standing in his room with a rather amused look.

"Looking for something Merlin?" The knight questioned upon the sight of the manservant sitting on the floor with his possessions scattered about him. The other merely smiled sheepishly at the knight before responding cheerily,

"Oh, just a few personal things I have from Ealdor,"

Leon leaned against the frame studying him for a few seconds, watching as he squirmed against his gaze. He was growing uncomfortable with the attention he was getting. Understandable, he never had much attention from the knights or the King. If they had, would they had seen more than they bargained for?

"So, just recovered from your concussion then?"

"Oh," Merlin exclaimed, honestly looking relieved and pleased with the change of topic. "Yes, it turns out I was farther along in healing then before believed," Leon nodded slowly, and pressed further.

"So, no dizziness? Nauseas feelings? More trouble walking around more than usual?" Merlin quirked an eyebrow in response to the questions before slowly shaking his head in disagreement to all of them. "It's strange; because as a knight I suffered with concussions more than I would care to admit and you didn't show any of those signs throughout dinner,"

Merlin gulped, was this 'make Merlin uncomfortable day?' Because Elyan had acted exactly like this earlier this morning in Arthur's chambers.

"Well, I'm not a physician," He shrugged, hoping to veer off topic. It failed, quite miserably.

"Yes, yes I know that Merlin. It's just passing out like this isn't a concussion symptom without… oh I don't know…other symptoms such as your pupils," Leon approached the servant, cornering him up against the wall like a beast ready to attack its prey. Not a good sign for the poor warlock trapped on the floor beneath him.

"My pupils?" Merlin forced out.

"Of course, it's common knowledge isn't it Merlin? The normal eye reacts to light change easily, and the pupils gets smaller once more light is introduced. However, last night when the torches met your eyes Merlin, they did not remain dilated. So that would mean you did not have a concussion, and you're hiding something,"

Merlin felt like a fish out of water, stuck on the dry sand with no refreshing water to soothe his aching throat. He was trapped and he had no good explanation for Leon's accusations. Oh, where was Gaius when he was needed?

"So, that led me to wonder about what else you might be hiding Merlin…and I must say I did not expect what I found," Leon casually continued, but did not fail to notice the steadily paling warlock at his feet.

"Wh-what did you find?" He stuttered. Leon knew that look; fear.

He stepped forward and grasped Merlin's arm and yanked it away from his body, not harshly, but enough to make sure he couldn't pull back unwillingly. Merlin exchanged his pure panic for a look of wild desperation. The knight pushed up his purple fabric, and let it gather at his elbow to reveal his pale skin underneath.

And the blue tattoo that had been painted on delicately with steady hands, sat clear as day in front of Leon.

"Leon I can-"

"A druid, why didn't you tell us?" He asked, not caring for Merlin's stumbled explanations; it was his turn to ask the questions and get the answers. Finally, with a sigh of defeat, Merlin succumbed to the question and replied steadily.

"It is not exactly a secret about how the druids are treated Leon, you of all people should know that," He responded, standing from the floor. Refusing to run his hand through his hair to help him think. He needed to explain this well, because one wrong step could lead to disaster.

"The druids are treated as equals Merlin, we would have accepted you," Leon argued in his defense, but he knew exactly what Merlin would bring up as his counter-argument.

"Yes, but to what cost? You would not have trusted me anymore; I would be that weird freak that joined the outcasts. Arthur would have sacked me for being a liar, my friends angry that I didn't tell them. So what would I do then? Jobless, lonely and stuck in Camelot with a bunch of people giving me sideway glances. What kind of life is that Leon? Not I for one could survive at least; I would be too devastated for being not trusted by the ones I loved."

Leon went to intervene, but Merlin shook his head and plowed on.

"I know what you're going to say. Gwaine would have gotten over it; Gwen would have pushed it under the rug, and more. But there would always be that shadow of a doubt wouldn't there? Arthur would never trust me again; he's not ready to know, in fact he might even go as far as to tell me to get out of his sight forever. My life in Camelot, over, done,"

"Merlin, how long have you been a druid?" Leon asked quietly, following him out into Gaius' chambers and sitting down at the table with him. Placing his sword away, a sign that he was willing to listen, and not jump to conclusions. He was insistent; he wanted to know everything before he continued on any further action on the topic.

"To long to remember, but maybe a year or two after I arrived in Camelot,"

"You went against the law to join the druids back then? What were you thinking?" Leon exclaimed, horrified at the news. Not exactly what he was hoping to hear from the warlock.

"I was doing what I knew to be right Leon; they are my people just as much as Camelot is my brother. I can't be just one or the other, I need both. They are as much a part of me as my magic is,"

Silence.

Leon stared open mouthed at Merlin in shock at his last words. Magic? Where had that come from? Certainly not from the blue druid tattoo on his arm. The King's servant watched him, equally silently, waiting for some type of reaction.

"Magic, then? You have magic and you have not told the King? That's treason, Merlin," Leon's voice started to rise, he liked Merlin, hell, he was a friend. But his loyalties fell to Arthur first, always. No matter what Merlin said, if he claimed to his words that he was a sorcerer, then he was forced by duty to march him down to the throne room and place him at the mercy of his King.

"It's also treason to be sitting here talking to me, and to have gone so long without telling the king or raising the alarm. Yet I don't see you raising your voice at that…is it because you are a knight of Camelot and I'm a druid of the forest? My treason worse because I have another title I claim to?" Merlin asked, he didn't raise his voice. He was willing to accept whatever fate awaited him.

"Merlin, you're a sorcerer,"

"I'm a warlock, there's a difference. But that doesn't make me any less a Camelot citizen then Gaius,"

Leon's head swirled. Was Gaius in on this too? It was all so much to take in. What the hell was a warlock, and why did he have a strange sense of déjà vu? It almost felt like he had already known this and accepted it. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his head, deeming them unimportant for the time being.

"What's a warlock?" He asked, confused, realizing there was more to Merlin than originally thought.

"It means my magic wasn't a choice Leon, it was a part of me through force. I was born with these powers, and I was able to do it before I could walk and talk. It is a rare gift, to be able to manipulate magic so easily without trying or studying for years. Some people have magic within them, but they can only awaken them by acknowledging them, for example Arthur's half sister," Merlin avoided saying Morgana's name, to help his case in any way he can. The lighter he made it, the better.

"So, you are not in league with Morgana?" Leon had to admit that was a stupid question from that start, they were talking about Merlin here. He watched as a flash of hurt crossed the warlock's features as he listened to the question.

"No, I am not, nor will I ever be on Morgana's side. She fights for a lost cause, driven by grief and revenge. She is no longer the loving ward we all knew. She will stop at nothing to achieve her wishes. Yet she will always fail," Merlin coolly explained, confidence radiating from his expression.

"How can you be so certain that she will never win?"

"Leon, I have beaten her every time. It was me that spilled the blood out of the cup of life destroying her men, it was me that collapsed the ceiling for your Queen so that she could live and Morgana wounded. Plus, my loyalties to Arthur are not by choice alone, but choice is a great deal of it. You see, my life has been written down since the dawn of time,"

"What?" The knight looked startled, so Merlin continued.

"It's my destiny, as much as I didn't want to believe it at first. But I am to serve Arthur till the day I die; I meant every word of what I said. I know Arthur will be the best King Camelot will ever see, just don't tell him I said that, his head is big enough as it is," Leon surprised himself as he let out a chuckle.

"How do you know this?"

"It is a druid prophecy, one I know is true, because Arthur is the Once and Future King. He is going to unite the lands of Albion, and rule the golden age. A time where…magic will be free once more," Merlin softened, and whispered the last bit. Leon ignored it, he was curious now.

"Where do you play into all this?"

"Me? Oh…well, I'm the warlock destined to be at Arthur's side to advise him in the ways of magic and the people. Supposedly, I'm the most powerful warlock in the world, but please don't ask me to prove it. I hate using magic in that way, it is a tool, to be handled properly." Leon gaped at the lanky young man sitting beside him. That was a little hard to believe.

"Then how do I know what you say is true? You've never used magic in front of me, or my men," Leon replied.

"Would you like me to show you quickly and quietly?" Leon considered the idea, to actually see his friend perform an illegal act right in front of him. To prove that the laws of Camelot were misguided, that magic could be used for good and was not always evil. He toyed with the idea inwardly, before finally deciding duty over pleasure.

"No, Merlin. If I don't see it, then I have no right to get involved later. Do you know what I mean?" Leon decided, and saw the warlock nod. But he was not done, he wanted insurance.

"Do you trust me Leon?" He asked, leaning forward, anticipating the answer.

The knight paused again, considering his opinions and options. No matter what Merlin claimed or did, there was no way that he could be evil. For heaven's sake he had saved Arthur's life more than once, and was loyal to the bone. If there was ever a person with magic that could be trusted other than Gaius…well that would be Merlin.

"Yes Merlin, I trust you. But why do you still hide it? Why does Arthur not know? Who does know? When will it be time?" He poured his next batch of questions out to the warlock, who accepted them with ease.

"You see, it's a very long and slightly complicated story Leon, but the truth is Arthur already knows. Technically, you all know of my magic, but you all forgot," Merlin explained, leaning forward as he answered, lower his voice. Leon rested his hands on the table and stared at him for a long moment.

"How? When?"

"The week I 'disappeared', what do you remember of it?" The warlock asked, to be honest he had been wondering how much they had remembered, how much had been tampered with by Morgana's spell.

"It's all blank except for a few useless things here and there. We were told that we had been out on a scouting trip and been attacked by bandits the week after. Arthur wondered where you were, and it was explained that you had been kidnapped sometime at night while we were away. Arthur has been beating himself up for not letting you come on the patrol that he oddly doesn't remember either. He said he had a distant memory of you asking to come along, but he had repeatedly told you no. Now however, I have a haunch that this is all not true,"

Merlin nodded, frowning at how much had changed in the knight's minds. If they had no recollection of anything that had happened, then there was going to be much more issues later.

"Your right, that week was probably the busiest of all of Camelot's history. That fact that you remember nothing is troublesome, have you had no weird dreams? Visions? Recent déjà vu with anything I have been telling you?" Merlin pressed looking at Leon urgently.

"Well, I sensed that you told me about that prophecy before, but I don't recall it exactly…"

"How about anything with dragons? An army? Agravaine? Bounty Hunter's by chance?" Merlin rapidly asked his energy increasing, watching Leon's reaction like a hawk. The knight sat and pondered these factors, wondering what exactly could have happened that week that involved all of those. But something had rung a bell…Bounty hunters…they had been growing less lately. And, wasn't there a city where they sold slaves?

Where did that come from?

"Was there a city that sold slaves involved?" Leon pondered aloud and watched as Merlin brightened considerably.

"Yes! Do you recall anything else?" The knight shook his head, and Merlin's enthusiasm sizzled out. "I guess I'll have to tell you everything from the beginning, it would be nice to have someone other than Gaius who remembers,"

So Merlin broke into his long tale of what happened, explaining first all the times that he saved Camelot briefly to help with some of the background and to give Leon a basis of what had happened. Then, he taught Leon the prophecy and legacy that Arthur was, and how Merlin was destined to help. (Though he considerably kept his part to a minimum) Lastly, explaining Morgana's fight and her year long term that she had placed and what she happened to be up to now.

So to say, Leon was speechless at the end.

"Well, that sums it all up I'd say. Are you okay Leon? You've been awfully quiet…" Merlin asked the knight who was leaning back in his chair absorbing everything that he had said over the past four hours. Merlin was surprised Gaius hadn't returned yet, or that Arthur had called for his assistance.

"Next time Merlin…you should give warning…" he finally spoke up, and Merlin looked at him wildly.

"Why?"

"That was just…a lot to take in…"

"Oh, sorry." Merlin said, offering him some water to help the stunned knight. Leon graciously accepted it, and continued to study the warlock across the table from him. He had never known it till now, but he owed this man his life multiple times over.

"So what are you going to do about the army Morgana is in charge of? And Mordred's plan with the magical net?"

"I'm still working on it, and I have to hurry. If my magic goes out of hand in the wrong time…I could be doomed. Thankfully, it hasn't been much of a problem as of yet," Merlin admitted, glancing about the room to make sure he wasn't subconsciously levitating something stupid like a broom or Gaius' clothes. Gratefully, everything was in order.

"Well, if that ever happens, and I can see a way to get you out of trouble Merlin, I offer you my word that I will do everything in my power to help. Only if you promise to tell Arthur everything you told me soon before Morgana attacks, and I don't have to go too far behind his back. He is where my loyalties lay Merlin, even before you," Leon stated, making sure his point was clear, and the warlock nodded.

"Thank you, it's a relief to know I'm not alone anymore among the knights. The burden just becomes so much lighter, and I agree to your terms. I would never ask you to go against Arthur's word, for I would never do so either. In the mean time, I want to research away to fix the magical net, and possibly along the way restore your memories. That would be nice…" He trailed off, wondering the room over to where the book case sat.

"Restoring memories would be nice," Leon agreed laughing.

"Oh! And Leon, I have something for you…I meant to give them all out at the same time but…well you kind of figured it out on your own so there is no point keeping it from you," Merlin added, running back up to his room only to remember he wasn't sure where he had put Iseldir's gift.

Leon accidently walked in from behind and stepped on the loose board beside his bed, and the board flipped up. Leon stumbled back in surprise, and Merlin gave a bark of laughter as he realized he had been so caught up with searching he had forgotten his prime location for placing magical things.

"Sorry about that Leon, that's the best hiding place I got. You should have seen Arthur's face when the board got him in the shin, it was classic…" he continued to chuckle as he pulled out the wooden box and opened it. Pulling out the bronze key with the silver stripe on the bottom and the engraving Leon, he handed it to the knight.

"This is a protection charm; it will save you from most damaging spells. I've never tested how strong it can last, but I think it will go pretty far with the amount of strength it has on it. Also, if the key ever lights up a different color, it means someone else who wears a key is in danger. So if it turns blue, I'm in a position that could get me hurt." Merlin explained, as Leon looked at the charm.

"Who else has these?"

"Well, now that you have one, I have a reason to start wearing mine and Gaius will start to,"

"What color is Gaius?"

"Orange, I also have charms for Elyan, Percival, Gwaine, Gwen, and Arthur. But I can't give them the keys till they know, or they would suspect the first time it lights up a different color," Merlin explained, showing the box to Leon as the knight inspected Gwen's key in interest. Nodding, he placed it back.

"Magic is quite useful," He found himself saying in surprise. Merlin grinned, and pulled the leather cord over his neck, as Leon placed his on the key ring that hung on his belt.

"Please don't leave me in the dark Merlin, I want to be aware. For Camelot's sake, and so you know that you will always have as much help as I can give," The knight begged, and the warlock nodded, his face going grim.

"I fear I may need it now more than ever,"

0o0

Meanwhile, a young decently aged boy almost man was riding his way up to the gates of Camelot. His eyes flashed gold only once as he smirked in pleasure when he found that his little friend had indeed traveled this way. The traitor had ridden all night in seek of sanctuary in the heavily guarded walls of Camelot and Emrys.

But he had forgotten one tiny detail.

Camelot didn't view him as an enemy anymore and there was nothing Emrys could do while he played the King's favorite pet.

And nothing stopping him from getting his revenge on the kingdom that had brought so much grief.

Oh the joys of being seen as a young innocent boy.

I gave you a little teaser at the bottom to keep it intresting!

Review, and I may consider updating early again! But you have to review to find out what happens to Elyan, Arthur, Gwen and PERCIVAL!
And Merlin...and Leon...and Mordred...and GWAINE!

Because they are all going to have several big events happening to them in the next chapter!

MWAHAHAHA!