Hunts are never a good idea! Part-2

Chapter Text

Merlin glanced at Arthur cautiously and shook his head when he saw that the Prince was already making googly eyes at the female sidhe, rolling his eyes he then chanced a look at Aulfric who had a decidedly hard calculating glint in his eyes when he was looking at Arthur.

Merlin cleared his throat and called the Prince by his disguised name that they used whenever they were out for hunt without proper guards,
"Arion, we should let them be on their way and head back… home. Your father must be getting worried."

Arthur whipped his lips away from Sophia's hand- finally realizing that he had been holding the hand for longer than necessary- he turned his head towards the Witchfinder and nodded once resolutely, letting Sophia's hand go completely.

Arthur didn't move his eyes from Merlin while moving away from the area, looking a bit distracted and only stopped when Sophia literally held onto his sleeve.

"Sire, I beg you to not leave us alone in the forest…our residence was raided and we have been followed since by the people you just saved us from. I fear, your grace, that we will not survive a day without you."

Merlin rolled his eyes and could already feel the sidhe using her siren magic on Arthur… her every touch was meant to ensnare, her every word-a trap.
A trap for Arthur which seemed to work pretty well as the Prince turned and ordered Merlin to bring the horses forward.

After assuring the sidhe disguised as nobels that they would be given refuge at Camelot, Arthur helped Sofia sit on Hengreon while Aulfric sat on Thunder… Arthur looked like he wanted to get up there with Sophia but Merlin reminded him,
"Arthur, it won't sit well with the other lords as well as your father."
Seeing reason, Arthur seemed to shake himself and nod reluctantly and led the way to Camelot on foot.

On the way, Arthur and Sophia kept chatting happily, while Merlin gritted his teeth from irritation just looking at the scene. Why did Arthur have to be so gullible when faced with women?

Once they reached Camelot, their guests were introduced to the King- who like before asked the noble Tir-Mor's to stay in Camelot for as long as they wished. The only people who looked like they didn't like this particular idea were Merlin, Gaius and Morgana.

Once dismissed by the King, Merlin followed Arthur back to his chambers while Morris tailed them too and once inside the doors the Prince turned to the servant,

"I want you to put Lady Sophia in the chambers next door." Morris bowed and started going out when Arthur stopped the servant again,

"No, Morris, in hindsight put her in the chambers at the opposite end of the hall." Arthur still looked hesitant so turned a questioning glance at him,
"Which room do you think would be best for Lady Sophia, Merlin?"
Merlin tamped down the urge to roll his eyes and just replied with a glare to which Arthur just smirked.

Merlin shook his head and turned to Morris,
"Put the Lady's luggage in the room across the hall, they are more comfortable than the one's next door."
Morris hurriedly bowed and left before the Prince changed his mind again.

"Are there no rooms closer to the Royal corridor?" Arthur asked in a hopeful voice and Merlin breathed out in exasperation,
"Arthur, the chambers at the end of the hall are more comfortable and warm… she'll be more at peace there- she has been through a lot and that alone guarantees the best chambers."

All doubt seemed to seep out of the Prince who nodded before swinging his sharp eyes back to Merlin and seemed to scrutinize the blue-eyed warlock.

"You… like her too, don't you?" Merlin drew his head back and blinked in surprise,
"Whatever gave you that idea, sire?"

The Prince smirked, "You are looking after her comfort, caring more for her already than for any other maid at the court" Arthur came closer and continued, "That along with trying to make sure that she stays as far away from me as possible…" The prince raised a single mocking eyebrow.

Merlin scoffed and shook his head, the Prince couldn't be more far off, surely this had to be the height of projection.
He had to tell Arthur the truth now before the spell's influence reached new limits, he took a deep breath and breached the topic of his supposed 'attraction',
"Don't you think it's a bit strange that she knew that you were a Prince without you or me even mentioning it? She called you 'Sire' and 'My Lord' when you wore no identifying accessories? No sigils?"

Arthur huffed and said,
"That's because Princes have an air of regality around them, Merlin. You won't understand- nobles are trained to recognize royalty." Merlin had to bite his tongue at this explanation, an image of Ambrosia and the weight of a phantom crown seemed to rest on his head for a second.
'Right, recognize royalty my arse.'

He followed Arthur as he moved across the room, stripping his shirt, and continued
"Alright, don't you think it's strange that her father slit the throat of the bandit even when he was starting to back down?"

Arthur pulled a newer shirt over his head and came closer to Merlin, who started to work on the laces without prompting while the Prince looked at him with a straight face, amusement glinting in his sky-blue eyes.

"The bandits threatened his daughter, Merlin… my father would probably do the same for Morgana." Merlin tried to ignore how true that statement was and tried for the last time,

"Arthur… there is something strange about them- didn't you see the ethereal staffs that both of them carry? If anything could scream magic- those staffs would."

Arthur paused on his way to the screen and turned to look at Merlin again, this time a sympathetic look on his face,
"Merlin… those are just family heirlooms, not magical." The Prince took a deep breath and continued, "
Look, I promise to be careful but I do think she is pretty...and I want to spend some time with her. Is that so wrong?"

Merlin gritted his teeth and said,
"And what about Guinevere? Are you so callous so as to hurt her just for a-"
"Guinevere and I have an… agreement. She understands that even though we both like each other a lot, I will inevitably have to marry a noble. And maybe… Sophia is that noble."
Looking at my incredulous expression, Arthur backpedalled,
"Or maybe not, who knows? I don't, not until I spend some time with her."

The Prince came close enough to Merlin that the witchfinder could see specks of yellow-gold in his eyes and spoke,
"She has asked me to take her on a picnic-,"
"Arthur! -," Merlin tried to interrupt with gritted teeth but Arthur continued without letting him speak.
"-And I will take her but I will also promise to be careful. For your sake since… you won't be there." The Prince finished hesitantly but pointedly.

"What do you me- No! Absolutely not." Merlin finally understood what Arthur meant, the Prince wanted to go on a picnic with this- this creature who could kill him with a single stack from that blasted staff without a single problem. Alone.

Nope. Not happening.

The Prince went on a picnic with Sophia. Alone. Without Merlin.

On being asked by the King where the Prince was, Merlin didn't lie. Call him a tattletale but he had to stop this before it got out of hand, if Arthur won't listen to him then he would surely listen to his own father, the King.

But Merlin was met with disappointment when the king just laughed and nodded while saying,
"Well, can't say it's not good to see that Arthur is not too attached with that maid of his, she is pretty but still a peasant."

The men around the court laughed while Morgana's face seemed to reflect sheer disgust as the King continued,
"Maybe a bit of noble blood will encourage Arthur to keep company with people of his own status."

Uther then patted Merlin on the back, making the warlock stiffen with the casual physical contact and asked after Merlin's health after the snake incident, to which Merlin replied satisfactorily and left the council chambers as soon as possible.

He needed to talk to Gaius.

The next morning the Witchfinder made his sullen way out of the Prince's chambers after having angry words with Arthur, who was once again going out with Sophia.

He sighed remembering what had happened as soon as he has entered the Prince's chambers this morning.

Flashback:

Arthur had been standing all dressed, looking out of his favourite window and had turned when he realized that Merlin was standing just behind him.

The Prince had just stared at Merlin for a whole minute before saying anything- that had been the first give away. Arthur always wished Merlin a 'good morning' in his own way- shouting, ranting, throwing things… today he just stared at him.

"Merlin, you sold me out to my father yesterday…after I requested you to lie to him for my sake."

Merlin dropped his eyes to the floor, he knew it had been wrong to tell Uther the real reason of Arthur's absence from the council meeting but he had hoped that the King would disapprove of Arthur's actions. But it had had the opposite effect.

In turn he had just ended up betraying Arthur's tentative trust.

Arthur didn't stop there though, he continued,
"Is this the kind of working relationship you are aiming for? The one in which you hold no loyalty to me but only to the person that employed you, in this case, my father."
Merlin raised his eyes from his feet at the statement and tried to say,
"Arthur-,"
"It's 'my lord' to you, Merlin… since you have made it clear that this is what you wanted, then this is what you shall get."
That had hurt but Merlin continued nonetheless.

"My lord, that is not the kind of relationship I am aiming for, at all… I, in fact, want us to be friends-,"
Arthur scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping him, hurt seeping into his eyes,

"Is this the way you treat your friends? By throwing them to the wolves? You knew my father hates the fact that I dally with women, at all. He hates that I have Guinevere in my life- He has always stressed the dangers of me having bastards and yet you went to him when I decided to go out with Sophia yesterday, knowing full well that he won't let this opportunity go."
This confused Merlin, Uther had been fine- approving even when Merlin had told him about Sophia… then why did Arthur talk like Uther had banished him?

"My lord…what exactly did the King say?"
"Oh no, you don't get to ask me any questions Merlin." This angered Merlin a bit- he didn't know why but it did.
"Really? Because if I remember right, you promised to answer my questions too yesterday. Or have you forgotten about that already?"

Arthur was furious.
How dare Merlin! How dare he sully that game- a way for him to get to know the witchfinder better- and use it to force Arthur into answering?
He didn't know why the use of the game in this situation made him feel betrayed but it did.

Perhaps, this hurt had been what his father had tried to save him from… the reason why the King had never allowed his son to make friends.

"Fine." Arthur finally decided, "I will answer your questions but know that this-," He motioned to himself and Merlin, signifying whatever relationship they had, "ends here."
"What-," Merlin's brows furrowed in confusion as he was cut off by the Prince again,
"I need someone who I can trust, Merlin. Cleary, you are not that person."

Merlin blinked at the suddenness of the situation, the sharp sting in his heart at Arthur's words made him feel confused and at a loss… what had happened?! What had the King said to Arthur that had made him react in such a way? This was like him being sacked for the Valiant incident (in his past life) all over again.

"The King did not say anything to me," Arthur answered as if he had not just delivered a blow to Merlin's psyche,
"But he did say something to the Tir-Mors. The King has asked Sophia and her father to leave in two days as 'they are a cause of some serious distraction' for his player son. He threatened Sophia with hanging if she even so much as thinks to put a tow out of line."

Arthur paused and walked towards Merlin,
"I was lucky to find Sophia when I did, she was sobbing out in the corridor, telling her father what the King had said to her. It is the only testament of the affection she feels for me that she is willing to put her life on the line just to spend some time with me."

By the end of Arthur's answer, Merlin's mouth was hanging open. This was…. yes it was bad but he was still confused.
Uther had seemed encouraging yesterday, yet these words… sounded more threatening rather than accepting. And didn't Uther say yesterday in front of the whole court that the Tir-Mor's were welcome to stay for as long as they liked- then why would he go back on his word and ask them to leave in two days, it didn't make any sense.

This smelled of conspiracy.

"You've got your answer." Arthur said in the strained silence of the room, "Now leave."
"You can't sack me, Ar-my lord. Only the King can."
"That's true, but I am not dismissing you from being Camelot's Witchfinder, I am however capable enough of relieving you from your duties regarding me."

Merlin's face didn't change, he couldn't let it. He was feeling too many emotions together to actually stick to a single one and thus he opted on remaining blank, as always.
"You can't be without some sort of protection, my lord, it's dangerous."

"I won't be without protection, just without you." Just then a knock sounded on the door and in came Sir Leon.

"Ah, Leon, you're here. I was just telling Merlin here that I won't be needing him anymore as I have you. Right, Merlin?" The witchfinder moved his gaze from an apologetic looking Leon and back to Arthur who looked at him with the same blankness that Merlin knew he mirrored, with only a hint of vindication in his eyes.

The warlock gritted his teeth and ground out,
"Right, sire. It seems you have thought about this quite…thoroughly." Merlin questioned Arthur with his eyes but there was no answer in return, only coldness.

It was this 'Arthur' that Merlin had always feared, the one he got nightmares about in his previous life, this look had been aimed at him very rarely but it had been what had stopped Merlin from confessing about his magic, lest Arthur looks at him with such frigid coldness.

He found that he was still scared of this 'Arthur'. He could move heavens and command dragons… yet he was scared of losing Arthur's favour.

Leon, hoping to put an end to the tension that had permeated the room tried to distract Merlin by passing on a message,
"Merlin, I remember hearing that the King was asking for you, perhaps you shouldn't keep him waiting?"

But obviously, that had been the wrong this to say as Leon noticed Arthur's eyes become even harder as he looked at Merlin, with just as tight voice the Prince said, "Yes Merlin, you shouldn't keep your real master waiting."

Merlin just gritted his teeth, bowed his head and left the room as quickly as he could. A millennium and a half and still only Arthur could rile him so tightly, bring out the worst in him, make him feel angry and exasperated and so, so very frustrated.
So human.

Merlin knew he was far from a normal mortal person- not just because of his inability to die but also because over the years he had muted his emotions- things like anger, frustration… hurt were something Merlin had not felt all that strongly after three or so centuries when he realized that while the world moves on, he remains stuck and that instilled a sense of aloofness in him that was unparalleled.

In Camelot, especially around Arthur, he was… overwhelmed with the emotions he felt.

Merlin walked out of the Prince's chambers, slowly at first and then broke into a run soon thereafter.
He climbed the stairs that led to one of the highest balconies in Camelot, hoping that some air would help keep his magic- who had already sensed it's master's emotional turmoil- at bay.

The wind whipped past him as he walked further on the balcony and looked down, making sure to maintain his balance as there was nothing stopping him from teetering over the edge, no railing, no boundary.

This specific balcony reminded him so much of Ambrosia that it made a sudden bout of homesickness go through him, it felt like forever since he had seen Ambrosia even though it had just been a few months.

And though he kept on top of all his duties and matters related to his Kingdom with a charmed mirror- which helped him communicate with his father and his advisors during council meetings… it just wasn't the same.
Dawn peaked past some clouds, some people went about putting up stalls and knights had already started with their daily routine of warming up and the fresh air helped clear up Merlin's mind too.

Today Arthur questioned his loyalty, he was accused of being Uther's pet and that too all because somehow Arthur had concluded through Merlin's actions that the witchfinder didn't respect him somehow, didn't find him capable- Arthur hadn't said it in so many words but Merlin had always read in between the lines with the Prince.

Although, that was only half of the reason why he had come here…. He knew something fishy was going on. When he had informed Uther of Arthur's sudden attraction to Sophia, the King had been approving… only now from Arthur's words, Uther sounded anything but.

And even so, if he did ask the Tir-Mors to leave then why in two days' time, why not now? It didn't make any sense.
Merlin just shook his head, maybe he was just reading too much into this- he knew that there was danger so how did it even matter who said what in the bigger picture of things? Then there was the constant feeling of being watched…

Merlin bit his lip and shook his head again and after a few deep breaths, decided to go back into the castle and talk to Gaius only to bump into someone at the bottom of the stairs,

"I apologize, I wasn't watching- Morgana?"

The lady looked up at him with worried eyes and clammily held onto his hands,
"Merlin, I need to see Arthur but he isn't in his chambers, would you know?" Morgana's voice shook and though on the outside she looked perfect as always there was something almost…frantic in her actions.
He had known this was inevitable… he knew what was happening to her already which was why he hated the answer he was going to have to give to her.

"He went out with Lady Sophia, my lady" At this Morgana started shaking harder and started saying, whispering,
"He can't be alone with her, Merlin… she will- I know this might sound crazy but she is dangerous!"
Merlin released her hands and shook her shoulders gently; the lady was starting to attract attention.

"Morgana." The lady didn't stop her rambling, so Merlin gently shook her shoulder, "Morgana! Let's get you to Gaius's first, alright? I'll make you some chamomile tea."
Morgana swallowed and looked around before nodding jerkily and following Merlin to the Physician's chambers.

As soon as they entered, Gaius saw Morgana's state and rushed to prepare some tea while he and Morgana sat down, she was still holding his hand and had her face pressed in the crook of his neck. He rubbed her back in soothing circles, helping the sobs subside, he hadn't even noticed when she had come closer or even started crying.
His mind already on the consequences of Morgana's vision.

Gaius comes back with a kettle and pours three cups of tea before sitting down himself and saying,
"Morgana, my dear, what happened?" The said lady turned towards Gaius and breathed out as if scared of her own words,
"It was horrible, Gaius. Another dream… I know I sound delirious but… it all just looked so real."

"What did you see?" Merlin whispered as well and Morgana looked at him, finally realizing how incriminating their positions were if someone were to see them and she took her hand out of Merlin's, put some distance between them and composed herself.
"I saw… the red-haired girl- Sophia- I am sure it was her, sacrificing someone. I don't know who but I know that they are important to me because I felt deep-seated worry."

Merlin nodded and looked at Gaius who was already frowning.
"Anything else my dear?" the old man asked, Morgana looked unsure for a minute before she said,
"I… Gaius, I am afraid that it was Arthur she was drowning because I remember her mentioning something about a 'worthy royal sacrifice' and it can't be Uther as only Arthur has any reason to spend unsupervised time with her."

Gaius nodded and all of them seemed deep in thought for a minute, sipping on their tea. Merlin had already known that Arthur's life was in danger, Morgana just confirmed this. He already knew he had to keep an eye on Arthur's movements but unfortunately he couldn't do anything unless the Sidhe did something major, they were nobility after all.

Once all of them had finished their teas and Morgana had calmed down, Gaius noticed the looks Morgana was sending Merlin and conveniently excused himself.

Merlin knew that it was high time that they had a… talk but he didn't know where to start… many words had been exchanged that night-the night when he had been declared a Witchfinder- but also… enough time had passed for them to not resolve this anymore, which Merlin knew was the right thing to do.

"Morgana-,"
"Merlin-,"
Both of them started at the same time but came to a halt for the other one, Morgana huffed and started again,
"I'll go first," making Merlin crack a smile, of course, Morgana would like to go first.

"I shouldn't have said those vile words, Merlin. I'm sorry." Morgana paused looking intensely in Merlin's eyes and continued before he could say anything,

"Look, the announcement took me completely by surprise, you are so… so kind and so loving and in my mind, you are nothing like Uther or even Arthur… and then the knowledge that you were the Witchfinder- it shook me, Merlin. I've always believed in justice and I know that killing innocent sorcerers is not the right way- it was why I couldn't control myself from lashing out."

Morgana took a deep breath and lowered her eyes and voice before asking,
"But I know that no matter your occupation, you are the good man I think you to be." The oath Morgana had made stops her from clarifying more, but she hopes that Merlin won't ask her 'how she knew him to be a good man' and goes on to ask him,
"Will you forgive me?"

Merlin smiled slowly but fully. He had expected a simple and formal apology but this was even better. Morgana had hurt him with the words she had said but he was ready to forget them all just so they could move forward from this.

"Apology accepted, Morgana. Always." Morgana smiled brightly but she still looked like she had something to say.
"Come on, what is it? Speak your mind, I want us to be comfortable around each other once again?" Merlin bends down a bit to catch Morgana's eyes.
Morgana nodded and boldly came closer,
"You remember your first feast in Camelot when we…" Merlin was not liking where this conversation was going. At all.

"I like you, Merlin. You are nothing like those misogynists that come asking for my hand and I wanted to know if you like me at all- I can convince Uther. Now that you hold a high enough position, I am sure Uther won't-,"

Merlin interrupted Morgana right there,
"Morgana, of course, I like you but I am not the right man for you, trust me. You are so-so beautiful, both inside-out and you deserve someone who can love you with all his heart, who is devoted to you and you alone… I could never give you what you want or most importantly deserve."

"You mean you can't give me your whole heart? That's fine with me… just give me a corner, Merlin, and I will be forever happy." Merlin didn't break his eye contact with Morgana when he shook his head and swallowed.
What did someone even say in these kinds of situations?! If he had been capable… he would have jumped at this opportunity but he couldn't give her what she wanted. Ever.

Merlin had tried a few times in his long life to create life shortly before coming to the realization that he was sterile.
He lived forever but could not help create life.
And if he knew something about Morgana, he knew that she had a motherly nature, not having an offspring of her own would eventually make her resent him.

Merlin leant forward and cupped Morgana's cheeks in his hands tenderly before saying,
"Morgana, I would give you the moon if you only asked… compared to it, my heart is cheap. What I can't give you is stability, a family and all the happiness that comes with it. I can't give you a girl who has your beauty but my clumsiness. I can't give you a boy with my blue eyes and your cunning."

Morgana's eyes widened with part sadness in understanding and part dreaminess at the imagery my words painted.
"But- but I can give you my unconditional friendship," Merlin paused, unsure, "if you'll have it."
For a second Merlin thought he had ruined it, again when he saw hurt flash across her eyes but then a second later a smile -defeated one- but a smile nonetheless bloomed on Morgana's face and she nodded.

"Not many have ever turned me down, you are perhaps the first and only one- I am glad that you were so direct and honest with me, it means a lot that you don't try to coddle me like the rest in this castle. Whoever you love would be very lucky, Merlin…. As for me, I will accept your friendship, if that is all I can get."

Merlin beamed until Morgana continued,
"For now."
With that she held onto Merlin's wrists and quickly pecked him on the mouth, leaving him stunned.

They jumped apart when they heard a cough.
Merlin turned to find Gwen at the doorway smiling at them, when they both focused her attention on her she said with a knowing smile,
"The King requests both of your presences in the Great hall."
Merlin nodded and hurried out of the room as if he was being chased by bulls and he was sure he could hear the girls giggling on the way.

When they entered the Hall, all eyes turned towards them.
Merlin swept his eyes across the room and saw Arthur standing in front of the King with Sophia beside him. Aulfric, Gaius, Leon and some other trusted knights if the realm were also in attendance. It seemed that Arthur had finally come back from his picnic.

The King turned his eyes directly at him and asked,
"What is the meaning of this, Merlin? What has gotten into my son?"
Merlin came forward and stood beside Arthur, peering at the Prince whilst also saying, "Pardon me, my lord. I am not aware of the situation."

The King looked at Arthur angrily for a second before stating,
"My son has decided to marry Sophia Tir-mor after only a day of deliberation. Apparently, they are in… love." Uther spat the word 'love' much like he spat the word 'magic'.
Merlin heard Gwen gasp from somewhere in the room but he was focused solely on Arthur and a smug looking Sophia.

Merlin looked at the King and said in an assured tone,
"Sire, give them another day. Arthur will come to his senses and if he doesn't I will take care of it."
Uther looked unsure but looking at Merlin's confidence, he nodded and dismissed a spluttering Arthur while Sophia kept glaring daggers at him.

That night Merlin decided to pay a visit to the Tir-Mor's. Coincidentally, it was the exact moment that Sophia had brought Arthur to her chambers to probably elope into the night and sacrifice him.
They raised their staffs but Merlin raised his hands in mock surrender and said,
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You both are in Camelot, kidnapping her Prince and threatening her Witchfinder. You won't be able to utter a spell before an army of guards come to arrest you."

Sophia looked at her father, still unsure, but Aulfric didn't lower his staff.
"Let us go in peace and we will not kill you."

Merlin stamped down the urge to snort and stepped forward, then in a monotone voice he said,
"Let Prince Arthur go and I will not kill you. We are both aware of how weak your soul is in mortal bodies, don't we? And even if you do sacrifice Arthur, the Sidhe will never accept the both of you."

Aulfric looked shocked,
"Who are you? And how do you know of the Sidhe? No mortal has ever seen them, leave alone know their ways."
Merlin shook his head, "Who I am doesn't matter, only that you leave Camelot in peace and never return. Live your mortal lives to the full, together with your daughter and with some modicum of happiness."

Sophia looked like she was about to budge but just as it looked like Merlin was able to talk some sense into her, the castle bell started to toll, indicating that the Prince was missing.

Malevolence entered her eyes again, an ugly expression on her face whilst Arthur just stood in the corner, eyes the colour of blood red. Sophia turned to her father and nodded,

Aulfric smiled wickedly and sent a blast at Merlin through his staff which the warlock deflected easily- there wasn't much room to dodge in the chambers hence he had to use his magic. Both of them looked shocked at what Merlin had done, which led to him rolling his eyes.
"Last chance. I won't ask-,"
"You are the Prince of Enchanters." Merlin's eyebrows rose up to his forehead. The Prince of what now?
This was certainly a new one.

"Your name among the Sidhe- Emrys, Prince of Enchanters, among many others. Even amongst our species, you are respected but more importantly… you are feared."
For a second no one moved… Merlin's eyes had widened at his druidic name, hence confirming the exiled sidhe's words.

Over the years he had held close relations with the Sidhe, even visited their Kingdom once or twice, in fact as the only magical ecosystem that survives the tests of time, Avalon was strictly under Merlin's own protection in the future.

It was then with the confirmation of his identity that the pandemonium started- jets of light flashed from the staffs that the Tir-Mor's held, aimed at Merlin- which he deflected well enough only to have them coming at him incessantly.
He wanted to go on offence but couldn't attack without harming Arthur who was standing just beside Sophia.

He multitasked by trying to push Arthur to safety with his magic while defending himself from powerful attacks and then when he was sure his Prince won't get hurt he formed a shield around himself that bounced the attacks off of it and back at the attackers- it was a neat trick, it saved his energy and the opponents usually didn't expect it.

And when the magic went back bouncing towards the Sidhe, the expected happened at least with one of them- the beam that had gone straight for Aulfric met its target whereas something completely unexpected happened when Sophia was going to get hit.

Arthur, like the noble git he is, jumped in front of her and took the brunt of his magic- Merlin winced, fully expecting Arthur to fly off his feet as Aulfric had….but that didn't happen…that didn't happen at all. Merlin's mouth dropped open with its own accord as for the first time in his millennium-long life-he was stumped beyond words and action.

Merlin's magic didn't effect Arthur at all- not even a scratch or even a hair out of place, in fact, his magic seemed to… almost recognize Arthur, what with curling around him protectively and all.

Arthur now looked angry in his daze, with eyes burning red he stormed towards Merlin like an avenging angel and the warlock saw something inexplicable… more inexplicable than his magic having no effect on Arthur.
His eyes were wider than saucers as he saw his own magic betray him in lieu of Arthur- his impenetrable shield parted as seamlessly as water to let Arthur in and Merlin stood frozen as his shield flickered and died leaving the warlock vulnerable to Sophia's next attack.

A red beam shot from the staff and hit Merlin straight in the chest as he stood staring at Arthur with disbelief and some parts awe. Maybe a bit betrayal too.

The blue-gold orbs closed as the warlock's body crumpled to the ground but he still had the minute strength to mentally shout for Gaius, all the while thinking-
'Fuck, He was going to get drowned, wasn't he?'
For what better way to regain immortality than exchanging one immortal who was equally feared, powerful and with royal blood to boot.

Arthur woke up feeling excessive groggy, confused and winced at the headache that was forming as he felt someone tapping on his cheek continuously.
He batted the hands away from his face and opened his eyes to see Gaius peering at him with a concerned look. He swallowed and asked,
"Gaius? What happened?"

Relief spread across the physician's features while Arthur propped himself on the cot.
"What- am I doing here?" Gaius answered.
He explained how the Prince had been enchanted and owed his continued existence to the witchfinder who had been right about the Tir-Mor's. Again.

After hearing the gist of the whole story Arthur shot up from the bed and hurried to get his sword with Gaius following him,
"Arthur, these are magical people, dangerous… especially with Merlin incapacitated- I don't think it's wise to go-
"And leave Merlin to his fate, Gaius? No. I am going. If what you say is true, then he saved my life while unknowingly offering his own- I have to at least try to get him back."

The physician looked unsure but also the worry for his ward shone through his features and won in the end.
A minute later Gaius nodded and said supportively,
"I will cover for you in front of your father."

Arthur nodded and thanked the old physician before quickly mounting Thunder and racing towards the lake of Avalon.

Arthur pushed Thunder to his limits and as jealous as he was to admit it, the Witchfinder's horse was probably the fastest in all of Camelot, perhaps even in all of land. No matter how much load the horse carried, it always seemed to be the fastest.
Although, he still loved Hengreon best but in this situation, needs must.

He stopped as soon as he reached the lake that was supposed to house Avalon and looked for the father-daughter duo of kidnapped and came to a grinding halt when he spotted them.

Aulfric was repeatedly chanting something whereas Sophia was holding Merlin down into the water.

Arthur hastily took out one of his daggers and threw it with blinding precision, lodging it in Aulfric's skull, finally stopping the incantation.
He took out another dagger and this time aimed it at Sophia, she screamed as it lodged itself in an arm that was trying to keep Merlin down.

She quickly got hold of her staff and aimed a jet of white fire towards him which Arthur quickly dodged, not waiting to see the blasted tree at his right he let 3 more daggers fly consecutively- one of them she blasted away from herself, but couldn't prevent the next two aimed for her chest and sternum.

For being powerful magical creatures they were surprisingly easy to kill. The thought left Arthur cold as he rushed into the water to pull Merlin out.

The Prince pumped the witchfinders chest in efforts of saving his life and kept at it until Merlin finally coughed up a bucketload of water. He waited whilst running soothing circles on the witchfinder's back until finally all that water was out of Merlin's system and he laid down on the grassy ground, panting.

Merlin seemed to calm down after a few minutes when Arthur decided to ask,
"What happened exactly?"

Merlin stared at the Prince for a moment before asking sardonically,
"Are you going to believe me this time or are you still under the misconception that I am trying to cockblock you?"

Arthur's lips pursed as his cheeks dusted with pink, both at embarrassment for not being able to identify magic himself and because of the witchfinder's crass words.

"I… apologize for not seeing it sooner but also you betrayed my trust by going to my father instead of just keeping it in like you were supposed to. Now Gwen hates me, Morgana hates me for hurting Gwen, Father thinks I am too easily swayed and Gaius probably thinks me irresponsible for putting his beloved nephew's life on line."

Merlin snorted, "I did come to you but you just kept on ignoring all my warnings. At the end of the day Arthur, I can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. You brushed off everything I said about them being magic- forgetting that I and not you are the expert on all things magical."

He sighed and continued,

"You spoke about trust… well, Arthur, you didn't trust my word when I said something I knew to be true then why should I trust you? Did it ever occur to you that perhaps Sophia made up all those threats she said your father issued the Tir-Mor's? Because I am sure Uther was all for you 'dallying with someone of your own class' for a change."

Arthur opened his mouth to answer that but didn't have anything to say to that so he shrugged guiltily, kept silent and let Merlin speak his part.
"That wasn't even the worst- the first opportunity you got, you replaced me with Leon while also accusing me of being a mindless dog for your father when all I have done until now is protect your ungrateful arse. Where was your favourite guard when you were following Sophia to sacrifice yourself? Speaking of it now… where is he now?"

Arthur tried to defend his friend, "Leon is-,"
"-incompetent when it comes to your skill in evasion and you know it. He probably doesn't even know you are missing right now."
Arthur nodded grudgingly at that while trying to crush the sense of pride that rose at the backhanded compliment from Merlin.

They remained silent for a good minute before Merlin shivered, the chill from wet clothes settling in.
"Come on, let's head back. I brought Thunder and I know you keep an extra tunic in that side bag."
Merlin nodded and followed the Prince back to his horse and laughed when Thunder neighed happily at seeing him.

He petted his horse for a second before taking out the extra shirt from his saddlebag and ducking behind a tree.
He whipped off his shirt and wrenched it free of water- he thought he heard a gasp from behind him but that could have just been Thunder- and then quickly changed into his dry tunic, his trousers will have to wait.

He turned and headed towards his horse and Arthur- who was looking at the ground with untold concentration.

"Shall we?" Arthur looked up startled at the question and stuttered out a,
"Uh, yes."
Quickly they mounted the horse- Arthur taking the reins with Merlin's hand on his waist for balance and headed back towards Camelot, a little wet but not too much worse for wear overall.