A special shout-out to my long-suffering cousin Ashleigh. Who is also called Eddie. And buttface, but now's not really the time for that.
I won't mention how grateful I am that she even pretends to listen to what I say when I force her to walk the dogs. I most certainly can't say how brilliant it is that she has been at the receiving end of many dull and decidedly one-sided conversations. I can't tell how brilliant she is in dealing with sometimes tri-weekly hissy fits over friends and fairy-tales. I won't speak of how thankful I am that she offers help when I'm stuck. Nor will I state how nice it is to just throw out ideas in what can only be called a safe environment for hindered minds.
Which, looking back, means I don't really have much to say. Sorry about that.
Crash, WhoIsTheMadPossumTwinOfEddie.
...
"He did not make it, sire." Alator stood up and pointed at the lifeless body. "The wound was too deep and the knife itself enchanted. He stood no chance against something so strong."
Arthur nodded. "I understand. Will this make Morgana stronger somehow?"
"I believe it will. She has suffered a terrible loss, sire. She cared for Mordred. However, Emrys lives despite his wounds and he had the power to save us all."
"Good, good, well...I must see him."
"Yes, sire. He will be awake, soon."
Arthur inclined his head and walked from the dungeons to Gaius's chambers, not pausing to knock before entering. "How long have you known, Gaius? Please... don't lie. Neither of you have done anything against the law and cannot be reprimanded."
Gaius looked up from his work, startled. He paused before replying. "Since the day he arrived, sire. He saved my life."
Arthur sighed before walking slowly to sit at the small table in Gaius's chambers. Gaius sat opposite and looked at him evenly, face expressionless.
"And why did he never tell me?"
"I advised him not to, given the situation at the time."
Arthur slammed his fist on the table, and Gaius looked at him silently until he spoke.
"Did he not trust me? After everything we've done, after everything we've been through?"
"Perhaps, sire, I may suggest he was frightened."
"Of what? From what I hear, he's fought the Sidhe and the griffon, saved us from Wyverns, monsters and magic. I tried to put him to death by burning him at the stake when I thought he was Dragoon, guards chased him, and he's probably fought Morgana and goodness knows who else."
"Friendship can be a delicate thing, especially when there is a secret of such importance."
"I am not my father."
"He knows that. He was going to tell you after the battle, sire, so you would not be distracted by thoughts such as these when fighting. I need not tell you that hesitation is not an advantage on the battlefield."
Arthur nodded, sighing.
Gaius continued. "Sire, I feel I should tell you that when I met Merlin, he didn't even know that people could use magic for anything but good. When he arrived in Camelot, he believed he was a monster."
"And you told him otherwise?"
"Of course, sire."
Arthur took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, mind made up. "Gaius...can I sit with him? I need to talk to him as soon as he wakes."
Gaius nodded. "Alator's magic is strong, as is that of the Druids, but he will still need rest to recover. I ask you do not wake him and rather wait for him to do so in his own time."
"Yes, Gaius."
"I will remain outside, here. I understand you have important matters to discuss."
"Thank you."
Arthur stood and walked to Merlin's room, and closed the door behind him. He didn't like the idea of Gaius keeping an eye on them, and Gaius still had the ability to make him feel like a little boy who was having a tantrum.
Merlin was paler than usual, shirtless and wrapped in bandages and beneath thin blankets on his bed. Occasionally he'd twitch or mumble something in his sleep. Once, Arthur thought he heard Merlin speak a spell, and all the candles in the room lit themselves. He wasn't sure, though. He wasn't paying enough attention.
For a short while Arthur looked around Merlin's room, nudging aside clothes and blankets that had fallen from the bed or been tossed aside carelessly. Arthur understood why Merlin couldn't keep the king's room tidy – the manservant couldn't even manage his own.
Arthur walked to the other side of the room and looked at the bedside table. On it was a book, which Arthur quickly put down upon realising that it was about or for magic. In one of the drawers in the nightstand was a rabbit's foot. Under the bed were two staffs; one with a blue jewel on the top, and a simpler one with a spiral tip. Arthur wasn't sure if he trusted either of them, so stepped away and leant against the wall, eyes closed, for a moment.
"Arthur?"
He opened his eyes to see an ill-looking but alert Merlin peering up at him from the bed.
"Merlin." He cleared his throat nervously. "How are you?"
He shrugged. "I've been better... You?"
Arthur nodded. "Yeah, I've been better too, because, uh," he rubbed his face, "I just found out my best friend has been hiding something, something very important, from me for years."
Merlin fidgeted, then pushed himself upright in the bed. His blankets slid down to his waist and Arthur could see bloody bandages around his stomach.
"I never wanted to." He said quietly. "I was scared, Arthur. The day I arrived here, I saw was a man being beheaded for using magic, and then there was Uther, and after that every time you seemed close to being fine with magic, something would happen and you'd change your mind again."
Arthur held up a hand and Merlin fell silent. After a pause, Arthur spoke. "I told you about Guinevere, when I had lost faith, when I clashed with my father...I told you everything."
"But nothing you could be put to death for."
"Did you really think I'd do that to you?" he yelled.
"I wasn't sure." Merlin muttered. He pulled his blanket up higher. "I'm not in the mood for this," he whispered. "Let me sleep, please."
"I give the orders in here, Merlin. Tell me everything."
Merlin sighed and pushed himself upright. "Fine, then. You want to talk? Here's a slight warning. I am tired, I am aching, and I am scared. But I'll tell you why I never told anyone that I was a warlock – aside from the fact that it was illegal for me to even be alive here until days ago. Half the people in Camelot will hate me now. The other half are shocked and probably won't talk to me. Friends will look at me as if I have done things worthy of death and your enemies have welcomed me more than you do now. I have saved Camelot more times than I can remember but it is not enough for the people I know and love to trust me. Your father has killed more of my people than anyone will ever remember, yet when I stand by your side with nothing more than a secret I am the one who has done wrong. Uther chased my father away, and rejected my mother when Ealdor needed him most. You mocked me every day as I worked, but my loyalty means nothing to you now. I am sorry, Arthur, that I never told you. Truly. But believe me when I say I that had my reasons."
Arthur blinked, dumbfounded. "You really think that?"
Merlin shrugged again. He regretted his outburst, similar to the one Gaius had received. Arthur had done so much for him. He was about to speak before Arthur was already walking away.
"Fine. I'll see you on the battlefield at dawn, then." Arthur left and turned, closing the door behind him.
