Season 1 Episode 9.
Story 9: Unexpected
Chapter 11: Goodbye
"Merlin?" Uther asked, his jaw practically fell to the floor. "What does Merlin have to do with this?"
Merlin was frozen. If he had the ability to, he would probably have rolled his eyes at Uther's obliviousness. At least he knew where Arthur got it from. As it was, Merlin couldn't do anything. He couldn't have twitched a finger, even if he wanted to. His heart was pounding in his ears and he was paralyzed with mind-numbing terror. It was different than when Arthur had found out. Merlin had had the slim ray of hope that Arthur would accept him despite his powers. There was no such hope with Uther. He was ruthless and cruel in his persecution of magic.
Merlin couldn't believe what Arthur was doing. He wished he could argue, explain that Arthur was just tired and was still under Nimueh's influence. But Merlin couldn't find his voice. He could only stand there helplessly as Arthur revealed his secret.
"Merlin is a sorcerer, and a powerful one," Arthur said. He knew his father wasn't going to take this well and he was going to protect Merlin, no matter what the cost. Arthur took a step so he was standing in front of Merlin. "He has saved my life countless times. He uses his magic for good. You will not harm him."
"Why do you care? He is just a servant," Uther spat angrily.
"He's not just a servant," Arthur said quietly. "Not to me."
"What is the meaning of this?" Uther asked, his eyes narrowing so they were no more than slits. "Do you mean to tell me that you have befriended a common peasant?"
"No," Arthur said simply. "There is nothing common about Merlin. You are blinded by hatred that you cannot see just how special he is, just how much he means to me. I cannot help who I love."
"Love?" Uther asked incredulously. "You do not love him! It is dishonorable! A man cannot love another man. This is a trick. He has enchanted you so he can get close to you and kill you. He would see Camelot fall."
"No father, he would not. I trust Merlin with my life," Arthur said strongly. His voice showed his absolute faith in Merlin. "I tried to deny it at first, but I can't anymore. I can't change how I feel about him. And I wouldn't want to."
"I will not allow him to live in my kingdom," Uther said stubbornly. "He is a sorcerer. I will not change the laws I spent twenty years enforcing. I will not have a son that consorts with a sorcerer."
"Well then father, you'll get your wish," Arthur said slowly. He could hear the quiver in his voice that betrayed him. The next words were impossibly difficult to get out. Uther was his father, but Arthur would not risk Merlin's life like that. The first traitorous tear fell down his cheek. Arthur didn't know how to describe the emotions coursing through him. It was like he was voluntarily ripping off a piece of his body to feed to the wolves.
Merlin's eyes widened as he realized the sacrifice Arthur was prepared to make. He couldn't let him do this. Arthur would never forgive himself. "Arthur, you can't!" Merlin told him seriously. "You'll never forgive yourself if you walk away from the life you have here. I'll turn myself it. It's not worth it."
"No Merlin," Arthur said quietly. "I will forgive myself eventually. But I will never, ever forgive myself if I stand aside and allow him to kill you. I would never get over that and I've seen what grief can do to someone with power. This is the only way." Arthur turned back to his father. "You said once that if you had known of the repercussions of your actions, you would never have made the choice to have a son. I'm granting you your wish. From this day forth, you do not have a son."
"Arthur!" Uther shouted outraged. He couldn't believe Arthur was sacrificing everything for a sorcerer. This only hardened his resolve that Arthur was enchanted.
"Good day my lord," Arthur said, bowing to Uther. He motioned for Merlin to exit before him. It was a show of how shocked Uther was that Merlin and Arthur managed to leave before he recovered from the shock Arthur had put him in. Merlin magically closed the doors and locked them from the outside. They ran past Henry's shocked face. They didn't know how long it would take him to recover and let Uther out, but they needed to take advantage of his distraction.
Merlin felt a pang of sadness as they exited the castle. He wouldn't have a chance to say goodbye to Gaius. He couldn't believe they were actually doing this. They were really leaving.
Merlin used his magic to saddle two horses. They needed to make a hasty escape. They could already hear the warning bells. Arthur and Merlin knew that within minutes the courtyard would be swarming with knights. Arthur knew what their orders would be. Kill Merlin, bring back Arthur unharmed. They needed to leave before it got to the point of a fight. While Arthur had no doubt that Merlin could protect himself, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Merlin would sacrifice himself in an instant if it meant Arthur would be safe.
Luck was in their favor. As Merlin packed the last bag onto the horses, the first knight appeared in the courtyard. Ironically, it was Henry. He looked conflicted when he saw them. Not that there was anything he could do. Arthur and Merlin had already mounted their horses. They would easily outrun the knights.
Arthur glanced at Merlin to make sure that he was ready and was surprised to see that Merlin was staring, mouth agape at something behind them. Arthur turned and was sure a similar expression found its way to his face.
Henry was not chasing them, not at all. Technically the knights were not under Arthur's jurisdiction, but Arthur had been training with them since he was just a boy. He had been in charge of training for years. Some of the knights had come to have higher regards for Arthur than for his father. But still, he had not been expecting this.
When Arthur turned around, he saw Henry down on one knee in a sign of fealty, looking right at Arthur. It was flattering. Arthur had thought nothing could break their loyalty to the king, but he knew Henry must have heard their argument. They had been shouting and the wooden doors did nothing to alleviate sound. Perhaps this was Henry's way of showing Arthur that he was on his side. It gave Arthur hope for the future. Arthur nodded at Henry in gratitude. He looked at Merlin, who was looking right back at him.
"Ready?" Merlin asked him uncertainly.
"I'm ready," Arthur said, shooting him an anxious smile.
They took off at a gallop and didn't slow down until Camelot was nothing more than a dot on the horizon.
"Arthur, are you sure about this?" Merlin asked him when they stopped for supper.
"I am. I have to keep you safe. Besides, we won't be gone forever. I don't expect my people to stay silent once they learn of the truth behind my mother's death," Arthur told him quietly. "I don't know what will become of my father, but when his time as king is up, I will be there to take his place."
"Aren't you scared they might kill him in the process?" Merlin asked him worriedly.
"Honestly, no," Arthur told him. "I know my people. They would never kill my father. If they discover the truth, they will show their dissent, but then they will wait for me to take my rightful place, as their king."
Merlin smiled at him. "And I will be in my place, by your side, helping you as I always am," Merlin promised him.
"I know you will," Arthur told him with a smile. "I know you will."