Rediscovery

"Grandfather?" Merlin asked quietly as he came to stand at the entrance to the cave. It had been cruel of him not to visit him after everything his Grandfather had helped him through but he honestly couldn't face another person who would only look at him through eyes of pity. "Hello?"

Taking a step inside, Merlin instinctively reached for his magic to send a light out around him but just like the past couple of months, nothing happened. For him to come back Freya had sacrificed his magic and now he was 'normal', no longer part of the tribe that constantly told him that everything would look better one day. Did they not understand that without magic he couldn't understand the point of living?

"Merlin, you finally decided to come."

Instead of the voice coming from the cave in a deep, booming voice, it came from behind him and Merlin turned to find an old man smiling at him. "Who are you?" Merlin asked and backed into the cave, knowing that he was defenseless without his magic. He had never trained to protect himself without it since he'd always had it. "Where's my Grandfather? What have you done with him?"

"It's me. I'm your Grandfather," the man introduced himself and for some reason kept grinning at him. "Your Father says that I have been punished enough and no longer have to remain a dragon, I can join the tribe once more. Isn't that great?"

Whoever was talking to him didn't sound like his Grandfather. He sounded like a kid who was eagerly awaiting their birthday and couldn't contain their excitement. Where was the Grandfather he knew who talked in riddles? "You're not him," Merlin replied.

"How can I prove that I am?" He asked as he took a seat on a nearby rock.

"When I asked you what I should do concerning Arthur, what did you tell me?"

"I told you to follow your heart and that you'd know what path to follow afterwards," the man replied and Merlin let out a small sigh of relief. It was him. Kind of. "Your Father tells me that you haven't been talking much to your people, don't feel like you belong?" Merlin took a seat on a rock next to him and shook his head. "Why is that?"

"I don't have my magic anymore Grandfather, how can I possibly fit in here when that's all everybody is."

"Then what are you going to do?" He asked.

"There's nothing I can do is there? I can't leave, I can't help out, all I can do is remind everyone how I almost got them killed by falling in love with an invader." Merlin buried his head in his hands and closed his eyes, the image of Arthur slowly beginning to fade from his memories. There would come a time when Merlin wouldn't even be able to remember what he looked like. Only the sound of his voice remained clear.

"If you could go to him, would you?"

"I can't-"

"Lets just say you could do anything you wanted. That nothing would hold you back. Would you leave this place, go to a land you know nothing about just to be with someone who might have already forgotten you?" The words were harsh but it was purposeful. To make Merlin think if it was really what he wanted. He knew that Arthur could likely one day forget him but when he'd been lying on the ground with a bullet in his chest, Arthur had looked at him with such worry and sadness that Merlin didn't doubt how he felt right now.

"I would go to him in a heartbeat. That can only ever be a dream," he replied quietly but his voice carried through the cave.

"What if I told you that I could get you there?" His Grandfather began and Merlin looked up to see him approaching where he sat, "Without the curse I have all my magic back. I have enough power to get you to your … Prince." Merlin could feel his heart begin to beat faster in his chest at the thought of being able to see Arthur again. To rid himself of this place where he no longer felt welcome. "Would you like to go to where he is?"

Merlin gave a small nod.

"Understand that you may never come back if I send you there," he got in return and Merlin glanced sideways. It would mean never seeing his Father, Will or his Grandfather again. "What is your choice boy?"

"Send me to him," Merlin requested and got to his feet. "My place is with him and his people where magic does not exist." He saw a soft expression cross his Grandfathers face as a firm hand came to rest on his shoulder and Merlin covered the hand with his own, "Take care of him for me. He may not have been a great Father but he'll be alone after I'm gone, you're all he'll have left."

"You don't need to worry about us Merlin," his other hand came to cup his cheek. "Look after yourself and don't forget about us. We are your family at the end of the day." Merlin resisted reaching out to grab his Grandfather as he moved away and then he felt something surround him. Magic.

The next time he opened his eyes he found himself inside a room built with stones and a confused looking Prince staring back at him. "How…" Arthur began and Merlin looked down at himself. He was as he had been and there was a scent of magic still in the air.

"Magic," he replied quietly.

Arthur slowly came forward and both seemed to hold their breath as he pressed a hand softly to his cheek, confirming to them that Merlin was actually here. "You're really here," the words came out quickly as Merlin was pulled into Arthur's arms and the Prince clung to him tightly. "I was so scared that you hadn't made it. There was so much blood and when your heart stopped-" he stopped talking when a sob replaced his voice.

Merlin hooked his arms under Arthur's armpits and clutched his shoulders, finding that for the first time in months he didn't feel so alone. "I'm okay, everything is fine." He didn't need his magic right now, not if he had Arthur's arms wrapped around him and letting him know that he was wanted no matter who or what he was.

"How did you survive?" Arthur asked as he pulled away a little to meet his gaze.

"Freya saved me."

"I got that when she told me to piss off otherwise she wouldn't save you," Arthur replied with slight bitterness in his tone. "They all had the impression that no one could save you from that kind of wound."

"Does it matter?" Merlin asked and cupped Arthur's face in his hands. "I'm here, you're here, that's all that matters."

"Are you here to stay?"

"If you'll have me," a nervous smile came to his lips. Then slight shock as he recalled the fact that Arthur had never actually told him how he felt, he'd come here and risked everything when Arthur could have already moved on. "I mean … I'll have to find a place to stay around here anyway and it means-"

"You'll stay here with me," Arthur interrupted. "We have spent far too much time apart."

"And why, may I ask, should I stay?" Merlin asked and inclined his head in question. "I've traveled far and still I have no idea how you feel for me. You know how I feel."

"Isn't it obvious?" Fingers curled on the hem of his top and a cold breeze hit his back where the material was now being pulled up. "I've been so lost these past few months," Arthur said quietly as he pressed a soft kiss to Merlin's lips. "I dreamt of your death every night, praying that you made it and that one day I would see you again. Now that I have, I'm never letting you go."

"I want to hear the words Arthur," Merlin said against his lips.

"Why are such words necessary to you?" He found himself being backed through the room and pressed against a bed so soft that it made his entire body sink. He didn't think it possible for a bed to be this comfortable. "How about I show you how I feel?" Merlins top was ripped from his chest and a surge of desire went through him. That's when the memory surfaced of when they'd been in a similar position, with him on top and his hands traveling across warm skin. However his hand had caused a burn.

It hadn't happened again but the worry had always been there in the back of his mind, however with his magic gone it might mean that Arthur was safe. He wouldn't have to fear being burnt. Apparently he wasn't anyway. "Why don't you want to tell me how you feel?" Merlin questioned. "Don't you feel the same way?"

"Of course-"

"Then say it," Merlin pleaded and pushed against Arthur's chest to prevent him from sealing his request with a kiss. "Just three little words Arthur and I'm all yours. No more fighting, wars, people to stand in our way. Just you and me." He waited for what felt like a life time as Arthur looked down at him through saddened eyes and then slid from the bed silently, not daring to look back. "What did you expect Arthur? That I'd hide away in your room to do with whatever you pleased and whenever you wanted?"

"I can't say what you want me to say because I'm the Prince of this country, I am the heir-"

"Excuses," he spat back. "You hide behind your title when I sacrificed everything to be here. I left my family, my friends, my home."

"Merlin-"

"Sire?" A voice interrupted them and Merlin glanced to the side to see a young man stood at the door. "Your Father, he's waiting for you. It is urgent."

"I'll be there so-"

"I can see you're busy Sire," Merlin said and turned to give a small bow of the head. "Sorry for the intrusion. Have a pleasant day." He left a confused servant and a shocked Prince behind him, trying to hide the fact his heart didn't need a bullet to destroy it into a thousand pieces. One man could do that just as easily with a few words.

"You seem down Arthur, something on your mind?" Uther asked at dinner whilst Arthur pushed the food across his plate. Truth be told he was miserable. He hadn't liked the way things had ended between himself and Merlin, hell he had wanted things to start rather then end. After Merlin had walked out Arthur hadn't heard from him again, yes he'd seen him walking down the streets of London but it had been mere glimpses.

"I'm fine, just got a lot on my mind."

"You've been down for a long time now," Uther pointed out. "Is it a girl?" Arthur winced inwardly but his Father must have noticed since he smirked, "A boy?"

"What? Of course not! I've just-"

"I don't care whether it's about a boy or girl, just sort it out Arthur. I can't afford to have your mind distracted like it has been." The King got to his feet and smiled, "Don't come back until you have a smile on your face." He left Arthur sat there alone and he frowned, his Father couldn't possibly be serious. They had a reputation to uphold, if people got word that Arthur had fallen for another guy their authority would be questioned and an heir wouldn't be possible. Not unless Morgana stepped up to the plate.

"I said go," Arthur jumped at the sound of Uther's voice and turned to see the door shutting behind him.

Mumbling under his breath that this was ridiculous he left the castle grounds and made sure to grab a cloak on the way out, keeping himself anonymous. He made his way to the lower part of town and asked around if anyone had heard of a man named Merlin. A few simply waved him off and others pointed him in a vague direction. Eventually he ended up on the outskirts of London and spotted a small home out in the open. It had to be Merlin's.

"Come on, he's not that scary."

He'd made it so he was a few steps away when the door flung open and Merlin stepped out, a look of shock going across his face when he saw Arthur stood in front of him. "Sire," he quickly said and bowed his head.

"Oh come on, you don't have to do that."

"My apologies Sire," he kept his gaze down and Arthur took a moment to see what Merlin looked like. He actually looked exhausted. His hands were covered in small cuts and the clothes he wore were covered in dirt, like he hadn't had a change in clothing since he arrived. "Is there something I can help you with, Sire?"

"Look, I made a mistake when I didn't tell you how I felt. I was scared of how my Father would react and that he'd disown me. I've grown up with rules and boundaries, my natural instinct is to run from anything that could lead me off course." Arthur took Merlin's hand and pulled him closer, "I can give you all the excuses in the world but I feel there are only three little words that would make you take me back."

"Cause I'm that easy?" Merlin muttered.

"No, because I know that deep down you're feeling exactly like I am and that you'd use any excuse to get us back together. That you've tried to put distance between us but every night you think of me like I think of you."

"You can't just come here and expect me to take you back," Merlin replied and looked him square in the eye. "You can't just-"

Arthur cut him off with a tender kiss that must have stolen his breath away since he suddenly stopped breathing, "Breathe." With the soft order given, Merlin let out a slow breath and Arthur could feel a trace of his fingertips at his waist. "I love you."

"I didn't quite get that," Merlin teased.

"I love you, you idiot."

"So you should," came a quick response before two arms were thrown around his neck and Merlin clung to him tightly. "You're a prat for letting me leave like that. You have a lot of making up to do." Arthur was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and dragged inside the tiny cottage that was probably the size of his bedroom back at the castle. Just as he was about to mention the fact that anybody could walk in, the door shut behind him and he smiled. "Still up to your old tricks I see."

Merlin stared over his shoulder in amazement which was followed by a huge grin, "So it would seem."