Thank you so much once again - especially those I cannot respond directly too. Only one more chapter after this one, so I really hope you enjoy it.
They walked for the rest of the morning. Arthur's nerves slowly disappeared as he chatted with Leon and Merlin. Despite having his hands tied and being led to a man who would have him executed given the chance, Merlin seemed in a good mood. Arthur knew he was faking it though; the small frown on the bridge of Merlin's nose was betraying him to Arthur. Merlin was behaving because if he didn't, the only person it could be taken out on was his mother. If he was honest, that was the reason why Arthur kept putting one foot in front of the other as well. Nimueh might not have been a parent to him, but Ealdor was his home. He had to make sure nothing happened to the people living there.
But as the sound of a camp reached them from up ahead, Arthur faltered. He cast a nervous glance at Merlin. Merlin returned it, but there wasn't anything either of them could say to reassure the other. Arthur had no idea what they were walking in on and he stepped closer to Merlin. Feeling the pressure of the boy's arm against his helped Arthur pull himself together. He swallowed hard. The knights had come after them because he was the prince. He was going to have to start acting like one if they were going to survive this.
Although Arthur thought of himself as a man, he felt like a small boy as they entered the camp. Knights were everywhere. Some seemed on patrol, some standing in groups talking. Others were seeing to the horses while more sparred together. Merlin gulped but Arthur's eyes were drawn by their weapons and the expert way they handled them. If Galahad had never discovered Arthur's identity, Arthur himself might be able to perform some of these tricks by now.
Their escort dispersed. A few took the horses and walked off without another glance. One turned to face Arthur.
"I shall inform the king of your arrival, Sire."
"Why can't we do that?"
The knight chuckled and Arthur stared in confusion. He didn't understand what he had said that was so amusing. But then the man walked off and Arthur made to take a step after him.
"It's better if you wait," Leon said quietly. He kept hold of Merlin's arm and led them into the tent behind them. Leon followed them and Arthur realise they hadn't just stopped at a random point in the camp: they had been led to this tent. As soon as Leon stepped away from Merlin, Arthur walked forward and pulled away the restraints from his wrists. Merlin shot him a grateful smile as he eased his shoulders and rubbed his wrists.
"You can't…" Leon trailed off, looking uncertain as he glanced between the two of them.
"I'll tell them it was me," Arthur said. "You won't get in trouble. But if you want to tie him up, you'll have to bind me too or I'm just going to free him every time."
Leon opened his mouth, but no words escaped him. He sighed, throwing up his hands in defeat. "I'll stand guard outside then."
He stalked out and Merlin gave a small laugh. "Something tells me you shouldn't have done that."
"I don't care," Arthur retorted angrily. "They can't leave you tied up like some sort of criminal. You haven't done anything wrong."
"I have magic, Arthur." Merlin put a hand on his arm, but Arthur shrugged him off and began pacing the tent.
"That shouldn't be a good enough reason to treat someone like that," he muttered under his breath. Merlin either didn't hear him or ignored him as he sat down on the ground with a sigh. After a moment, Arthur followed suit. He couldn't ignore how much his feet were aching. Arthur gently nudged his arm against Merlin's.
"I'm sorry for getting you into this," he said.
"It's hardly your fault," Merlin retorted. There was such conviction in his voice that Arthur almost believed him. Then he shook his head.
"It is. If I hadn't challenged her…if I hadn't been out there watching the knights that morning, they would have never come across us."
"Arthur…" Merlin turned to face him and Arthur realised he looked older than fifteen. "If it wasn't now, it would have happened another time. We had already regained your memories after Nimueh's magic. You can't pretend to be someone you're not forever, you know."
"I know." Arthur looked at his feet as he spoke, avoiding Merlin's gaze. "But is this the type of person I want to be? What if he is as bad as they say?"
"Then you'll still have me." Arthur looked at his friend, holding Merlin's gaze for a moment and smiling until Merlin knew how much he appreciated his words. Then he rolled his eyes.
"Oh lucky me."
"Shut up. You'd be dead without me."
"You'd be safe without me."
"Maybe. But I doubt it. Without you, I would have had to stay with Will. Imagine how much trouble I would have been in then?"
Arthur knew Merlin was trying to make him feel better. Rather than undermine his attempts, Arthur laughed at Merlin's words but didn't say anything. The silence stretched on between them and Arthur knew, despite his attempts to sound brave, Merlin was terrified. But Arthur felt like a terrible friend because he had no idea what he could say in order to make him feel better.
Merlin eventually opened his mouth to say something. But a noise from outside the tent caught Arthur's attention first and he hissed for Merlin to be quiet as he climbed to his feet. Merlin followed suit. By the time the drapes of the tent were pulled back, both young men were standing. Arthur lifted his chin as the same knight from before walked in. Then he dropped it again as someone followed him in. Arthur stumbled back a step and narrowly avoided standing on Merlin's toe. Merlin had clearly stepped directly behind him.
The king was a formidable man. It wasn't his physical appearance that made Arthur tremble. It was the aura surrounding him. He moved with authority, a man used to getting his own way with no questions asked.
But his eyes were cold. No emotion lingered there, even as his gaze fell on Arthur. They were eyes that had seen too much, a man who had been through too much during his time as king. Arthur knew that wasn't true though, even as the thought flickered through his mind. It wasn't his entire reign that had weighed down on the king. Just the last seventeen years. Ever since Arthur had gone missing. He knew Camelot had no queen, it never had. He assumed she must have died when he was a baby.
"I…" Arthur had absolutely no idea what to say. The king strode forward, not pausing until he had taken Arthur's chin in his hand. Arthur's hands scrunched into fists as Uther tilted his head first one way, then the other. Arthur felt like his very soul was being examined and it took all of his courage not to shift. Hearing Merlin's fast breathing behind him helped. He was the only one who could stop the king from killing Merlin. He had to stay strong.
"You have her eyes," the king breathed. Arthur blinked in surprise. His voice had been soft, heavy with emotion. Arthur forced himself to look the king – his father – in the eye. As soon as he did so though, it was as if the shields came back down over the man's expression and he dropped his hand from Arthur's face.
"Gentlemen." He turned to face his knights. This time, his hand fell on Arthur's shoulder. The grip was biting and strong, his nails digging in as he forced Arthur to step forward. "We have done it. The missing heir has been returned. Camelot has a prince once more."
Arthur shifted uncomfortably as every knight suddenly dropped to their knees in front of him. He stared at the floor rather than meet their gaze. He had dreamed for years – ever since Merlin had removed the block around his mind – what it would be like to be a prince. He expected it to feel wonderful. He was one of the few men who had enough power to change the things that were unjust. But now it had come to it, he felt like a small child and found himself wishing Hunith was there. It wasn't Nimueh he wanted, but the woman who knew how to make him feel better in any situation.
His head twisted around until he could meet Merlin's frightened gaze. His hands were twisting in the bottom of his shirt and Arthur knew he was just waiting for the king to notice him. But when Arthur caught his eye, he could see respect shining there and Merlin gave a small smile. He dipped his head in acknowledgement to Arthur and for the first time, Arthur smiled in response. He turned back to find Uther was watching him. The king's gaze slid past Arthur and onto Merlin. His expression hardened further.
"Seize him! Secure him in the iron shackles again until I can deal with him properly."
"No." Arthur wrenched himself free of his father's grip. He stood directly in front of Merlin. All his fear disappeared. If he couldn't protect his friends, then he didn't want to be a prince at all. "He's my friend."
"He has magic. He is an enemy."
"He's a friend. He's saved my life more times than I can count. If you want to arrest him, you'll have to arrest me too."
"Done. Secure the prince."
"No!"
There was nothing Arthur could do. Knights swarmed to them and Arthur felt his arms being seized. He heard Merlin cry out.
"Don't hurt him!" Arthur yelled, struggling for all he was worth. There was the sound of scuffle before Merlin cried out and Arthur knew he too was fighting to get away. Arthur had never seen Merlin so terrified than when he had arrived back at the cottage after being freed from those restraints. Arthur refused to stand by and let Merlin be treated like this. Nimueh had made it quite clear that he wouldn't be able to become king without Merlin by his side. Arthur believed her. Without Merlin, he didn't know what he was doing here, what he was fighting for.
He went limp in the knights hold. They loosened their grip accordingly and Arthur acted. He dropped to the floor, his hand wrapping around the hilt of one of their swords. It slid free from its scabbard as he dropped and Arthur carefully held it out of the way as he dropped into a roll. He came to his feet directly in front of Merlin, driving back the knights with the point of the sword. They had expected two village teenagers. The look on their faces at the expert way Arthur was handling the sword made him grin. He forced them back and then twirled the weapon around his hand, holding it out in front of him as he sheltered Merlin with his body.
"If you so much as touch him, you'll find yourself without an heir again. And this time, no amount of searching will bring me back."
"You're bluffing."
"Am I?" Arthur said coldly. He forced himself not to look away as he stared the king down. "Then maybe you forget who raised me."
It was a long-shot. But he had heard the way Nimueh had spoken about the king. She hated him with a passion. She had taken him from his father when he had been a baby. The fact Uther hadn't been able to find him until now meant Arthur was sure more magic had been at work than he had been aware of. Uther must hate Nimueh as she hated him. He also feared her.
Arthur knew his challenge had worked. The king nodded sharply before turning on his heel.
"The prince is to be guarded," he called. He disappeared out of the tent without another backwards glance. One of the knights pulled the sword free from Arthur's hand and they all left. But Arthur could hear armour chinking and knew they were taking up position all around the tent. There was no way out.
"Could you make them look the other way?" He asked Merlin. His friend was trembling but Merlin forced himself to take a deep breath.
"I could. But what would be the point, Arthur? Where would we go that he wouldn't follow even if we did make it out of the camp? You said it yourself; you can't always pretend to be someone you're not."
"But I can't let him hurt you!" Arthur cried, running his hand through his hair in frustration. Merlin's hand resting gently on his arm made him jump, but Merlin smiled softly."
"It's my destiny to protect you, not the other way around. He won't hurt me."
"How can you be sure?"
"He wants you, Arthur. He wants a willing and eager heir. If he hurts me, he would have to have you guarded for the rest of your life for you not to make good on that promise and disappear. He doesn't want that. It's not good for a kingdom."
"When did you get so smart?" Arthur asked, giving a shaky laugh. Merlin was right – as usual. Uther wanted him willing and obedient. He wouldn't risk losing his heir all over again over one sorcerer.
"You forget who my teacher was," Merlin said. His voice was just as soft, but his words hit Arthur like a blow. He had used Nimueh to make Uther listen to him. But Merlin potentially knew her better than Arthur did. She had only raised Arthur. She had taught Merlin everything he knew about magic.
"What do you think she will do once she escapes?" Arthur asked softly, sitting down. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on top. He didn't care how young it made him look. It was how he felt. Merlin shrugged, sitting down next to him and curling up into a ball.
"If she wants you to kill the king, then she has to want you to be here. Maybe she'll leave us alone."
"Do you really believe that?"
"I'd like to," Merlin said. Arthur didn't answer; he didn't have anything to say to that. But the silence that stretched between them wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, Arthur felt so reassured to have Merlin by his side it didn't take long until his eyes started flickering. He had missed a lot of sleep lately and the strain of what was going on was beginning to take its toll. When he next glanced at Merlin, his friend's eyes were shut and he was breathing softly. That was enough for Arthur to also give in to the pull of sleep.
It was dark when he awoke. For a moment, he wasn't sure what had drawn him from his slumber. His hand wrapped over the stiff muscles in his neck as he sat up. Then he recognised the sound reaching his ears. People were fighting outside of the tent, voices letting out an occasional shout. Arthur nudged Merlin with his toe.
"Wake up," he hissed. He crawled to the entrance, drawing back the flap in order to see what was going on. Knights were battling barely a few paces from him and Arthur drew back sharply.
"She's here."
"Did you see her?" Merlin sat up, yawning as he did so. Arthur shook his head.
"I didn't need to. I've fought against her magical creations since Galahad left. It's what she used to train me. She's here."
"What do we do?" Merlin asked. His voice sounded young and frightened. Arthur felt a stab of guilt over dragging him into this. He stopped his thoughts there. It wasn't his fault. It was Nimueh's.
"She'll probably go for the king," Arthur mused. "She wants him dead. We could slip away."
"You're going nowhere," a cold voice said. Arthur turned to see the king entering the tent. More knights and guards took up position outside. Arthur swallowed hard.
"I don't belong here," Arthur said. "Please… Just let us go."
He thought meeting his father would have been a wonderful thing. He could finally discover his true heritage and know who he was. But now he wished he had never known. There was no warmth in Uther's face. He wasn't seeing Arthur as his son, but just his heir. A piece his kingdom needed, nothing more and nothing less.
"And where would you run back to, Arthur?"
Arthur whirled around. Nimeuh had materialised the other side of the tent. Magic was sparking from her fingertips and her face was aglow with power.
"You," Uther snarled. He moved forward. But he only made it a pace before Nimueh flung out her hand and he was thrown to one side. He hit the ground hard. Arthur made to go to his side, to make sure she hadn't killed the king with one blow. But magic wrapped around him and he couldn't move.
"It has to be you, Arthur," Nimueh said softly. "If you're to become king, you must kill him yourself."
"Never," Arthur spat. "I'm not a killer."
"If you will not do it willingly, I will force you."
To Arthur's horror, he could feel his body move forward a step. But that was all. Merlin had drawn himself up to his full lanky height, stepping in front of Arthur and shielding him from Nimueh's magic. Arthur glanced once more at the king to see his eyes already fluttering. Knowing the man would be fine, he drew his attention back to the scene in front of him.
"Enough." Merlin said quietly, but his voice was filled with authority in a way Arthur had never heard. "You've failed, Nimueh. No matter what you have tried to do to him, Arthur is not a killer."
"And how would you know, little warlock? Your friendship blinds you. You've hero-worshipped him since you first met."
Arthur started in surprise, glancing at Merlin. There was a blush working up his neck – indicating Nimueh was right – but he didn't look around at Arthur.
"I don't care. You still won't force him to kill anyone."
"Oh? And who will stop me? You?" A fireball appeared in Nimueh's hand and Arthur instinctively took a step back. He had been at the mercy of Nimueh's magic for his whole life. That was what scared him. It had always made him do as he was told as a child. Would it really be any different now?
"Yes." Merlin spoke with confidence. A movement behind Arthur made him glance around to see the king trying to sit up. His gaze was locked on the two sorcerers and Arthur turned back. Nimueh sneered, her lip curling as her palm shot out and the fireball hurtled towards Merlin. Arthur gave a warning cry, but it wasn't needed. Merlin's own hand lifted and the fire disappeared before it hit anything. Although Arthur was impressed, the colour drained from Nimueh's face.
"That's not possible. I never taught you that. You need incantations."
"I don't."
Another fireball left Nimueh and Merlin brushed it aside like it was a troublesome fly.
"I've always wondered why you insist it was my destiny to be with Arthur. Not yours. You are strong enough to get him to do what you want. But you've always insisted it was me. I helped Arthur remove the block you put on his mind. That was when I realised."
"Merlin?" Arthur edged forward, not being sure what his friend was talking about. Merlin glanced over his shoulder at Arthur and Uther gasped. Merlin's eyes were flooded with gold but he looked in complete control.
"I'm stronger than you, Nimueh. You will not harm Arthur because you would have to go through me first. And we both know you can't do that."
"Really?" Malice was dancing over Nimeuh's features. "I teach you everything you know. I give you a chance at life rather than the bastard son of a peasant woman-,"
Merlin flinched and Arthur instinctively put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He moved to stand by Merlin's side.
"You made me believe I was the same," Arthur said. He knew he couldn't let Merlin fight this alone.
"I would have given you the world, Arthur. Merlin would have helped you. You are both destined for so much more than this."
"You wouldn't have given me the world. You wanted me to kill for it!" Arthur cried. He knew he owed Nimueh everything – even the fact that he was alive. She could have killed him as a baby rather than raised him. And that thought scared him. He had no idea how he felt about the woman standing in front of him. She was the closest thing to a mother he had known, apart from Hunith. But when a small dagger appeared in her hand, Arthur swallowed.
"We shall see," Nimueh replied silky. She threw the dagger with precision and Arthur immediately dove in its path. He didn't know what he thought about the king – his true father – yet. But he did know it would only mean war for Camelot if the man died and Arthur wasn't about to let that happen.
"No!" But nor was Merlin about to let him die. The knife grazed his side before falling with a clatter to the ground. Arthur also crashed down to the ground, right in front of the king. He heard the man's sharp intake of breath but Arthur was already scrambling upright.
"Merlin!" His cry was too late though. It had been a trick. Nimueh had known how they would both react and in order to save him, Merlin had moved his gaze from the witch. She hooked a foot around his ankles. Merlin was clumsy on the best of days. He stood no chance as she jerked her foot. He crashed down to the ground, hard. Arthur knew by the soft groan that filled the air as Merlin arched before lying back he was stunned at the very least. Unable to defend himself from the fireball that was once again forming in her hand.
Arthur ran forward, planting himself firmly between his friend and his guardian.
"If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me." He had never felt so certain about anything in his life. Nimueh looked at him, her expression full of disappointment.
"You're destined for so much more."
"Not at the cost of my friend," Arthur said. His voice was quiet but full of confidence.
"I taught you how to hold your ground," she murmured. Regret was in her tone and Arthur only had time to gasp before a ball of air hit him in the chest and sent him stumbling backwards. He hit the ground next to Merlin. Winded, there was nothing he could do as Nimueh came to stand over them. Merlin was barely conscious from his fall; Arthur knew there would be no one to save them this time.
"If you refuse to take your place as the rightful king, if you refuse to do what I tell you too…" Once again, magic sparked from Nimueh's fingers. "Then I have no further use for you. For either of you. I should have done this years ago."
Arthur stared up at her. "All these years… I was nothing more than a tool to you? You never cared about me?"
"Care about you? The son of Uther Pendragon? I think not. I should have drowned you at birth and saved myself the trouble."
The magic grew brighter and Arthur was hypnotised by it. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the death that was about to come racing towards him.