By the time Merlin stopped speaking it was already first light. Arthur sat back on the chair trying to process everything his brother had just shared with him. He, himself seemed to age overnight, as the full implications of his twin's words were understood. If he was in awe of his brother before… He looked at the man sitting up on the bed across him, his other half had experienced and endured so much more than he could have ever dreamt and now he sat before him telling him that most of it had been for him.
No, not for me but Camelot and Albion's Future. He never believed he could live up to his own father's expectations of him so he is humbled at the faith that destiny and his brother have now placed in him. He did not feel worthy to carry the mantle of High King of Albion. It is our duty together to bring peace to these lands Arthur, not because we are worthy of this responsibility thrust upon us, but simply because we have the ability to do so. Destiny or not I feel this is a cause worth fighting for... his brother had said when he had questioned why he believed they were the ones who needed to undertake this arduous task.
Arthur sighed "You couldn't have picked a simpler problem to solve could you Merlin," he said to his brother with a smirk on his face.
"Now where would the fun be in that" came the humorous reply.
"There is still a lot you aren't telling me isn't there"?
"Some things are best known at the appropriate time Arthur" his brother nodded to him.
"Alright then, I already promised you that I would be a King worthy of Camelot, now I request you help my quest to do what is required to ensure lasting peace to these lands and justice to all its people". Merlin let the magic within him come to the surface and to Arthur's surprise he got off the bed, knelt on one leg, left forearm resting on his bent knee.
Looking up at Arthur with golden eyes he addressed his King "Sire, I Emrys pledge my magic and my life to your service and promise you that I will help you rebuild these lands to a glory that will last generations to come. You are and forever shall be the only king I ever bow too".
Arthur, in turn, got off his chair and to the warlock's surprise emulated Merlin's position before beginning a vow of his own; "And I as the Once and Future King, accept your felty Emrys and promise in return that I will always strive to be worthy of the trust and power you have placed into my hands, I shall never betray or exploit either and from here on I deem you my equal in all things and place my trust in your advice and judgement". Arthur smiled at his brother and continued "I don't need a servant Merlin, I have plenty of those, what I need is someone to tell me when and how I am failing my people and only an equal can do that".
Merlin responded to his brother with his own smile and a nod of his head before both rose from their positions and embraced, a seal of their brotherhood and alliance. As they stepped apart there was a knock at the door. Merlin moved forward to unlock it, the door opened. As Morgana entered, she greeted Arthur with a smile. "Arthur I so glad to see you free" she moved towards him for an embrace but Arthur moved back.
"I've just spent a week in a dungeon Morgana I doubt you would want to get too close until I've had a wash. What are you doing here so early anyway"? Morgana didn't answer him she instead turned to Merlin who replied on her behalf. "She has been caring for me during my recovery, she has been up before dawn and been monitoring my meals and rest all week".
"Yes and you are supposed to be in bed"!
"Morgana, I am fine, I feel much better and if I have to stay in bed any longer I might have the inclination to jump out the window just to get away"...
They kept arguing and Arthur just watched them, there was no heat behind the words, only smiles on their faces and light in their eyes. He had known of his brother's infatuation with Morgana since they were children, he had teased him about it until he learned the true depth of Merlin's feelings. They were fourteen summers old, He had caught his brother outside Morgana's rooms and was just about to begin teasing when he heard a part of what his brother was listening too. "The poor boy, I mean Merlin is sweet but he has nothing on Arthur, he's just too much of a book worm for my taste and so gangly, I'm sure he will one day find someone worthy of his attention but it won't be me, I can't see him like that".
Arthur saw Merlin's fists' clench from where he stood behind him, his brother turned in an attempt to leave and inadvertently ran straight into him instead. Merlin looked up to see who it was he had crashed into and Arthur's eyes widened in shock when he was met with his twin's red-rimmed ones, tear tracks trailing his cheeks. Merlin then turned his face and ran down the hall, away from them both as quickly as he could. No one saw him until dinner that evening, during which he seemed composed and calm as if the earlier incident had never occurred. Sometime later Arthur had attempted to speak with Merlin to explain to him that there were other women in the kingdom, to which his brother had simply replied I am not worthy of her or any of them yet he looked at Arthur in the eyes, determination coloring his voice, but I will be someday. Suffice to say Arthur never teased his brother about girls again after that.
Seeing them now, however, it seems things had changed between them and he was happy, for his twin deserved to be loved. "I think I should take my leave" his voice interrupted the couple and they registered that he was still there.
"Of course! Sorry, Arthur, I shall see you soon" Merlin nodded to him. Arthur did not take offense at the underlain dismissal and quietly left the rooms, a look of peace on his face.
"I need to speak with you," Merlin said to her as soon as Arthur left. Morgana knew it was time, he would tell her now. She had been patiently waiting for him to broach the subject and only assumed that his previous hesitance to due to his pending discussion Arthur.
"Does he know"? She asked her bright emerald eyes shining in the morning light. within their depths, he could see curiosity and worry warring with each other. Merlin took her hand and guided her to sit beside him on his bed.
"Yes, I told him everything. You must understand Morgana, he is our future king, he needed to see me as an ally, not an opponent, he required to know first. I couldn't tell you and then have you commit treason on my account. We are already committing treason under the existing law, all three of us".
"Merlin, from what I have understood you were born with this power, you have no control over that and"... She raised her palm to cup the right side of his face, a steadfast look in her eyes as she brushed her thumb over his cheek, "I know you, you don't have an evil bone in your body. So, in my opinion, the law is wrong"!
He then shared with her the knowledge he had previously shared with his brother. This time keeping it briefer, he also included his conversation with Arthur so that now the three of them were all in the know. He could see the emotions play in Morgana's eyes as he spoke and when he stopped the first thing she did was reach over and kiss him.
Author's Note: Thank You all for notifying me if the previous presentation glitch. Please find here, as requested the updated Chapter 11.