Both boys slept through the night. In Arthur's case, it was because Gaius' potion simply didn't wear off in time for him to wake up any earlier, not considering his own exhaustion. But Merlin was partly feeling those emotions through Arthur, and partly was just beginning to accept that he could sleep safely without fear of what was going to happen to him while his guard was down. It had all but broken Hunith's heart to see the fear in his eyes as he had finally given in to his exhaustion. Nightmares had jolted him awake more than once, but with his mother's calming voice and touch there, Merlin had swiftly gone back to sleep.
Gaius had claimed that part of the reason why Merlin simply shut his eyes again rather than getting worked up was because he would be able to sense that Arthur was safe and resting nearby. If the prince too had been agitated, then Merlin wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep. Shivers ran down Hunith's spine at the idea of her son now being bonded with the future king of Camelot, despite Arthur's previous promise that he was going to keep Merlin safe from his father. He was still just a child, and she remembered all too well the relationship that Arthur had previously had with his father. Respect had morphed into fear and she didn't want to know what would happen if Uther started pushing for answers.
Gaius had other concerns however. He had heard of a spell like this, although had never heard of it being performed on one so young nor being able to keep it going for six months. It had been Merlin's magic that was fuelling the spell, normally both the caster and the victim died after the original task had been completed. It might have been a sign of just how strong Merlin was going to become, but it meant that there was no way of freeing the two boys from the magic without at least one of them dying in the process. Especially not considering the magic seemed to like being under Arthur's control. Gaius had heard of the prophecy just in the way Jarta had, and he wondered whether the magic was accepting that this was the man it had been created to serve, even if neither of them knew it.
But with the spell being so strong, the fact that it wouldn't fade was proving to be an issue. Arthur had showed how he didn't even need to think about what he was doing in order to pull upon the magic, it just happened without him realising it. Gaius knew that would only strengthen the longer they were bound together, unless Merlin learnt fast how to resist the call. But that in itself caused problems – what if resisting hurt them? Or worse, what if it killed them because the bond was so strong? While the boys had slept, the adults had sat up talking late into the night about what they were going to do to protect the future king and his warlock.
Destiny was beginning, whether they were ready for it or not.
The only solution they could think of was for Arthur to go back to Camelot alone again. Distance should make it harder for Merlin's magic to respond to Arthur's problems, it should weaken the pull between them. If Arthur ordered the magic to listen to Merlin in that time, it was possible the younger boy would be able to just use it of his own free will again and they would never be any the wiser that the link between them now existed.
Yet while it may have made sense, they knew that telling them was going to be just the beginning of their problems. More importantly than destiny, a friendship had formed between the boys. It had begun all those years ago, and only been reinforced through their ordeal because there were now no secrets between them. Considering Arthur spent all his time training to be either a knight or a king and had been told that many only got close to him because of his title, for him to have a friend was a big deal. One who didn't care who he was, but just saw him for the person that he was inside. Likewise for Merlin, he had spent years hiding from the other children in the village, it had been because of their behaviour that he had left in the first place. Although Arthur had begun to grow out of running off to find Merlin, and the younger was beginning to accept that they lived in different places and that was how it had to be, putting them back together would undermine all of that.
They wouldn't want to be split up, of that the adults were sure.
They were right.
Leon had taken Arthur outside, handing him a crude makeshift sword whittled from a branch and began putting him through the normal exercises that the prince was expected to undertake each day. Gaius had been worried that Arthur would still be too tired, but had accepted Leon's point that Arthur was much more likely to accept the news and understand it if he was being physically challenged at the same time. If he just had to concentrate on the problem, then most likely the whole village would be hearing precisely what the prince thought of their solution.
Hunith, however, hadn't been able to distract Merlin in the same way. It unnerved her how jumpy her boy still was and as soon as she had got the words out that Arthur was going to have to go back to Camelot and Merlin stay here, he had fled from the house. Hunith had gone after him, but when Merlin didn't want to be found, he had learnt enough from his time with the bandits how to make himself almost invisible. To begin with, Hunith had freaked, believing that Merlin had run again. Gaius, however, was quick to reassure her that was not the case. If Merlin was distressed enough to run, Arthur would have felt it, and the prince was still happily training with Leon. Merlin was around here somewhere, and Hunith knew that she just had to give her boy some space and let him come back when he was ready.
She was right in thinking that Merlin hadn't gone far. He was just past the house, further into the village but out of sight from his home. He didn't know why he had run, he knew that would most likely worry her again. But being in a house again felt so restricted, he had grown used to being outside the whole time. He felt trapped here, knowing that everyone was watching his reactions closely as if he was about to break every time they said something. If he was honest, Merlin knew that running like that wouldn't have helped matters, but he simply didn't want Arthur to go. The prince didn't look at him like he was weak, he instead had a lingering respect spiralling deep within his eyes. Arthur had seen what Merlin had survived for six months and he didn't judge him for it.
He also knew that because of their new bond, Arthur knew how he was feeling to a certain extent. To have the prince move away again meant that he would have to go back to hiding, having to pretend everything was alright even when his magic was acting up. He knew that he couldn't go to Camelot, it was still forbidden for someone like him to even be alive. But somewhere deep down, when he realised that Arthur had control of his magic, he had hoped that it meant the prince would have to stay here in order for them to both be safe.
He should have known better. He should have known that was just a childish hope, something he thought he had grown out. Jarta hadn't exactly given him the confidence to hold onto the hope that something would get better just because he wanted it to.
"Merlin?" A small, young voice caught his attention and Merlin started. For a moment, he looked around wildly before forcing himself to relax.
"Hello, Will."
"You're back? Where have you been?! Half the village were out looking for you!" The slightly older boy took a step closer and Merlin instantly found himself tensing. Telling himself that this was the boy who he had been closest to before leaving, Merlin tried to keep calm. Will was not Jarta, he was not going to hurt him.
"Your mother has been crying almost every day, never staying here for more than a few hours as she was out looking for you. Do you have any idea what it has been like since you ran away? Nothing like that has ever happened before, she refused to give up on you. Were you really that selfish?!"
Will's voice had risen to a shout and Merlin was aware that people were pausing in their everyday chores in order to glance over at the commotion. Merlin felt a flush working up his face, making him want the ground to just open up and swallow him whole. He hated being in the centre of attention, especially as it normally meant he had done something wrong and Jarta was making sure that he was reminded of his place. Merlin dropped his eyes, studying the ground and trying to remind himself that Will was only a year older, he had no right to make Merlin feel like a child.
"You are, aren't you? You only thought about yourself when you ran…."
"Maybe. But maybe I'm not who I was."
"As if. No one can change just like that. I thought you were my friend, Merlin, then you ran away and left me."
"And I thought you were my friend. So why did I feel like I was the only one that didn't fit in?" Will backed up a step, guilt flickering in his eyes as he seemed to remember what Merlin was getting at. He had claimed to be friends, but then ben so worried about not being picked on himself that he was joining in.
"What would you know about fitting in?"
"A lot more than you." Merlin turned to try and walk off. He was no longer feeling upset; he was feeling angry. He knew that if he stayed here, he would lash out. He had spent too long fighting against Jarta to now take anything without making sure that he had the last word, he knew it was what had kept him alive for the last six months. He dashed a hand across his face in order to get rid of the treacherous tears, but Will caught his arm and spun him back.
"Merlin, I…"
"Go away, Will." There was bitterness in Merlin's voice now, despite being sure that Will had been about to apologise. He didn't want to hear it, didn't want to think that he had accepted it and then be the one that they were throwing mud at again. Especially not because he had the power to protect himself from it all and had to just pretend. He had learnt the hard way not to let anyone know about his power, he now knew and accepted everything his mother had told him about what would happen as being true.
"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?"
"He might not be able to, but I can." Merlin whirled around, his jaw dropping to see Arthur standing there. Leon and Gaius were a few paces behind but letting events unfold however without interfering.
"You again… I remember you."
"I would say that I remember you to, only I don't. Wish I did though, if this is how you treat your friends." As Arthur spoke, Merlin felt a wave of calmness wash through him. Somehow, he knew that it was Arthur doing it. The prince was completely in control of the situation, and the magic was reacting to that feeling. It was settled and content because it knew that it wouldn't be needed. Jarta always had Merlin on edge, not knowing how his own men were about to react. But Arthur knew what he was doing, he didn't need the magic in order to win. Merlin, therefore, no longer felt the need to try and protect himself, and he could feel his body relaxing.
"You can't talk to me like that."
"I can, I don't know you. But you can't talk to Merlin like that, not if you are claiming to be his friend."
"What would you know?"
"William!" Hunith had arrived on the scene, a scolding tone in her voice and her hands resting on her hips. She might also be letting the prince handle the situation, but she had never heard Will be like this. The boy had been devastated when Merlin had disappeared. She could only assume that he too could see the difference in Merlin; the warlock had grown up. Arthur, however, simply blinked coolly.
"I know friends don't turn on each other without warning. I know that they would risk everything for each other, and would protect them with everything that they had. I know that if I were in your situation, I would be so grateful to have a friend like Merlin back again I would forget the fact that you hated he got to have an adventure and you didn't, and just be thankful he has returned." Will flushed, indicating without words that Arthur was correct in more than one point.
"I'm sorry, Merlin." Merlin managed a weak smile, knowing that his eyes were still stinging. He should have known he wouldn't be able to just come back and expect things to carry on as if nothing had happened.
"Me too, Will." But rather than staying with Will, Merlin turned and walked over to Arthur. The look the prince shot him was enough for Merlin to nod, indicating that he was fine and he was grateful for Arthur taking control of the situation before he did something that he was going to regret.
"Did you mean what you said about friends?" It was only when they had begun to walk back towards the house and the rest of the villagers had gone back to what they were doing that Merlin had the nerve to pluck up the courage in order to ask Arthur. The prince looked astonished that Merlin even needed to ask before he nodded.
"You were my friend years ago, Merlin. But now… How could you be anything but? You risked everything, knowing what Jarta would do to you if you helped me, yet you still did."
"You did the same. You came back for me."
"Yeah well… don't tell my father that." Merlin huffed a laugh as Arthur blushed slightly. He would keep the prince's secret, but only because Arthur was keeping his. He felt like he had truly just learnt something about being friends – it meant being equals.
MMM
"Arthur, stop moving and just sit there." Merlin let out a giggle that he hastily tried to stifle as he felt Gaius moving behind him. The physician had already cuffed him over the head twice for laughing. Merlin didn't see how it was his fault that the prince was completely incapable of sitting still. Arthur's foot nudged against his, a clear sign that Arthur could feel the way his shoulders were shaking as he tried not to laugh out loud. Not knowing where Gaius was, Merlin didn't dare kick him back.
It was the following day from the incident with Will. The pair had stayed hidden in the house for the rest of the day, and used the time to simply allow themselves to recover. Merlin had spent the vast majority of the day napping and by the time dawn had arrived again, he felt a lot stronger. It was like he now knew that he was properly home rather than it just being a temporary thing, no doubt helped by a few steady meals and enough fluid. As he regained some of his physical strength, his mind had begun to settle a little and accept that it was over and he was safe. Gaius seemed to notice the difference in him straight away when he had awoken that morning, for he had quickly called Arthur in, thrown everyone else out and stated that he needed to talk to them.
The two boys were sitting cross legged next to each other with their eyes shut in the middle of the house. Gaius was adamant that he was going to help them gain control of what was happening between them. He wanted them to explore with their feelings and their senses. Arthur was to know what the magic felt like and Merlin was to know when Arthur was brushing against his consciousness through the link.
The look of disbelief on both of their faces when Gaius had explained the exercise had caused Leon to swiftly duck from the room, laughter evident in his eyes and causing Arthur to scowl. The prince had tried to follow his knight, yet Gaius had simply reached over and snagged the back of Arthur's collar, not only stopping him from moving but pulling him back into the room as well. It only took a flick of his wrist until Arthur was on the floor, his scowl deeper than ever. Merlin hadn't known whether to laugh or not when Gaius had raised an eyebrow at the prince. When Arthur had finally heaved a long suffering sigh and done as he was told, Merlin had let his giggles escape him.
Naturally, Arthur hadn't been able to let that go and it had been a while until Gaius had finally made himself heard and forced them both to sit on the floor and stop moving. At least, he had managed to get them down there, Arthur seemed incapable of being able to sit still. Merlin would have thought that as a prince and liking things like hunting, he would know how to stay perfectly still when he had to. It was clear that Arthur didn't feel like this was a good enough reason however, fidgeting non-stop. Merlin didn't mind – hopefully it would mean Gaius would end up so annoyed that he just let them go back to messing around in the river as they had been doing beforehand.
"Let down your barriers, let your minds go on a journey…"
This time, Merlin knew it wasn't just him biting his lip. He could feel Arthur shaking next to him and knew that it was because this was sounding as ludicrous to the prince as it was to him.
"Feel each other, know what you are feeling."
Merlin couldn't help himself. He simply burst out laughing, opening his eyes as he did so. Looking up, he saw Gaius watching him with a stern look on his face. It was obvious the physician was about to reprimand him and tell them to try again, but Arthur suddenly let out a long laugh himself.
"I was doing so well until you did that." He spluttered, trying to gain control of himself again.
"Me? You were the one who couldn't sit still."
"But I didn't laugh out loud!" Merlin simply opted for poking his tongue out at the older boy, causing Arthur to grin back even as he rolled his eyes.
"Boys. This won't help you."
"Come on, Gaius, we're never going to feel anything. I don't even know what is going on, and to be honest, that suits me quite well."
"And just what will you do when your father starts asking questions?"
"Tell him the truth. That I simply don't know what is going on. I can't let anything slip if I don't know what is happening."
"Arthur, ignorance is not the way to go."
"Boys, why don't you go outside?" Hunith appeared in the doorway, Petra by her side and causing Merlin's smile to soften as he glanced towards the two women. He nodded and jumped to his feet, racing out of the room with Arthur on his heels. The prince might be almost a man, but he still had the tendencies to let his inner child out when he knew that no one was around to judge what he was doing. As they sped past the adults, Merlin was sure he had heard his mother's last mutter correctly.
"They are boys, Gaius, they aren't going to do something that involves emotions." Merlin laughed again, putting on another burst of speed as he realised that Arthur was directly behind him. It didn't do any good though, Arthur simply lengthened his stride. Echoing Gaius's earlier actions, he grabbed Merlin by the back of the shirt, pulling the younger boy back a few steps and overtaking him with a laugh.
"Hey!" Merlin cried, his hand raising and a shield shimmering into existence in front of Arthur. The prince stumbled straight into it, not being able to move any further. As he turned back to Merlin, the warlock realised that he couldn't go any further either. It was like there was one directly in front of him as well, and looking up, he knew that Arthur's eyes were just as golden as his was.
"I'm not doing that." Arthur quickly muttered, correctly interpreting the look on Merlin's face. The warlock shook his head wildly, pulling the magic in and letting both shields drop. He instantly dropped into a crouch, realising that his hands were shaking.
"Merlin?" Arthur took a step closer, but didn't seem to be sure whether he should approach the child or not. Merlin looked up, blinking as he realised that his eyes were swimming with tears.
"I…"
"I didn't use it, did I? I didn't mean to, Merlin, I swear…" Arthur knelt down next to Merlin, uncertainty etched into his young face as he watched his friend closely.
"I know. I… I did that."
"But I thought..?" Arthur trailed off, clearly not wanting to say the end of his sentence. Merlin knew what he was going to say however, and was just grateful that Arthur had the tact to not just blurt it out loud.
"That it only listened to you, I know. So did I. Arthur… that's the first time I've chosen to use magic and it has responded to me without me feeling it hurt. But I don't understand why there was a shield in front of me as well."
"Because whilst Arthur may channel your magic, the link works both ways. Your magic now acts through Arthur while you are this close together, meaning if you wanted something to happen, the same thing plants itself in his mind. Whatever you want to do with your magic, so does Arthur." Gaius was standing at the end of the corridor, watching them closely. He could tell by their positions that they had both just felt and experienced far more than he was ever going to get them to do sitting in the room. Hunith was right, they were just boys. Letting them discover it by accident was easier than trying to teach them.
"So if Merlin wanted to grow a bush…"
"Two would grow, yes. The magic accepts his want, but takes that to mean it is yours as well. Two minds are telling it to do the same thing, whether you realise it or not."
Both Arthur and Merlin stared at each other, and the warlock didn't know whether he was supposed to laugh or cry.
"But I tried to use my magic with Jarta as well. This never happened then, it was like I couldn't get a hold of it."
"That is because it was imprisoned, under his control. It knows that Arthur wants it to be free, that he doesn't want control over it. So in a way, it is like Arthur has told it to listen to you rather than him. Because of the bond now between you, it is muddled as to who it is supposed to be listening to and therefore listens to you both."
"Woah." Arthur sat back on his haunches, running a hand through his hair and staring at Gaius with eyes as wide as Merlin's. He was amazed that he was even following this conversation at all considering it was about the one thing that he had never been taught about. The only thing Arthur had known about magic only a week ago was that it was something evil that he should strive to eradicate. Now he practically possessed it himself, regardless of what he told Merlin.
"Indeed. Now you see why I'm trying to help you?"
"But I… I use my magic for little things all the time. At least, I did. Gaius, I don't want to stop using it. Jarta showed me what it felt like to have it and not be able to use it, and I can't do that again, I just can't…"
"Hush now, Merlin." Hunith moved forward, crouching down next to the boys and letting her hand rest on her son's shoulder, trying to comfort and ground him. She had no idea what must be going through his mind. In a way, it made it worse that Arthur had never intended for this to happen and didn't want it either. At least when someone had taken control of him on purpose, Merlin had someone to direct his anger and frustration at. Instead, he had a friend who was only trying to save his life have control of the one thing that had been a defining feature of his life so far. Without magic, none of this would have happened. Without magic, Merlin wouldn't be who he was now. Yet Hunith almost wished that he had never been born with magic, that he would just have the chance to be happy and free like any other thirteen year old.
"Gaius? What do we do? There must be some way that I can just give it up again?"
"I'm afraid not, Arthur. Not any way that I know off the top of my head anyway. I'd have to return to Camelot to be able to look into it further, to know whether there is a way this can be undone. And you will have to come with me."
"My father has let me stay here before, why wouldn't he do so now?"
"It's not your father that I'm worried about, Sire. If you come away, the distance might be enough to stop the magic trying to react to your thoughts as well as Merlin's. It will be like the spell never took place, if my understanding is right. If you stay together, however, you will be constantly drawing upon his power without realising it. You have to come away…"
"Wait." Merlin dried his eyes, pushed away his mother's hand and sat up, staring at Gaius. Arthur knew by the expression on his face that he had just come to the same conclusion that Arthur had, and he was no happier about it.
"It will fade with time, right? The magic's need to do as Arthur wishes."
"No, Merlin, it won't." Gaius came closer, hearing the tone in Merlin's voice and understanding the realisation that the pair of them had come to.
"But…"
"You are thinking right. Arthur has to come away, and the pair of you can't be close to each other again."
"No! I'm not letting that happen, Gaius." Arthur stood up, fury in his young eyes. He wasn't going to find his friend just to lose him again.
"Then you are effectively enslaving Merlin."
"No, there has to be another way, I won't let this happen!" Leon appeared in the doorway behind Arthur, drawn by the upset in his prince's voice. Merlin had tears silently running down his face, quietly accepting the fact that this might be the last time he saw the prince he had been determined to find again.
"Gaius, please, there has to be another way."
"Not that I yet know of. Please, Arthur, understand that I will do everything in my power to find a way for this not to be permanent." Gaius met Hunith's eyes over their head and an unspoken message shot between them. The boys were both so young still that if no solution was found, and providing Merlin's magic behaved, it would be as if they had never met. Time would cause them to forget about the destiny that was set in motion too early, and they would never know any different.
"But I don't want to be alone again." Merlin whispered, tears running down his face.
"You won't be." Arthur declared, but Leon moved forward. They knew that stance, knew that it meant Arthur had no desire to back down. Instead, the knight simply took Arthur by the arm and pulled him down the corridor, out of the house and shut the door behind him. They needed some space from each other or they would simply upset each other further.
"You've always trusted Gaius before, Arthur, do so again now."
"But…"
"He won't let you stay apart, not after you running off for years to find Merlin again."
"He's the only friend I've got!"
"I know, Sire. But friends don't have to be with each other the whole time, you could write."
"No." Arthur sighed, looking at the closed door. "It's better if he just forgets that I exist. I'm going back to my father now. Tell him…Nothing. Doesn't matter."
Unable to say goodbye, Arthur leapt at the fence, struggling to untie the reigns of the tethered horse in his haste. Leon simply shook his head, wrapped one arm across Arthur's chest and pulled him away. The prince resisted for a moment, before suddenly sagging against his knight.
"This isn't fair!"
"I know, Sire. Life rarely is, that is a lesson I cannot teach. I'm just sorry you have to discover this now." Not knowing what else to do, Leon simply held the fifteen year old as Arthur struggled to work out how he was supposed to be reacting.
One thing was for sure.
His training had never covered this.
