WE REACHED 130 REVIEWS! After reading them, I spent about half an hour singing at the top of my voice on the toilet, and then sat down to write this. I am definitely not giving up.

Right, I think Arthur got off WAY too lightly in the series finale, and should have been made to feel far more guilty about everything he put Merlin through, so this is basically one HUMONGOUS Arthur guilt fest. It is 10 pages of all round destroying Arthur's self-esteem, which is important for more than just my own sense of justice. I'm not even joking about the 10 pages. Ask Stormaggedon, she had to Beta them, the poor wee mite.

Although, I should warn you, Stormageddon's head IS made of poop right now, so she may have trouble answering your questions

Anyway, THIS, the previous chapter, and one that comes a bit later, were the original inspiration for this story, so I am SERIOUSLY happy. They are also going to be MASSIVE!

OMG excitement!

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Chapter 12: Blind Trust

"You're lying." Arthur was surprised by the strength of his own voice. "You must be. Merlin can't, he just can't, have magic."

"Arthur," the sympathy in Lancelot's voice was sickening, "believe me, it's the truth. But he's still your friend!"

Arthur chose to ignore him entirely.

"I assure you, Arthur, I am not lying."

"Then you're wrong. You've made a mistake, because there is no way that Merlin is a sorcerer!" In Arthur's desperate convictions, he forgot how he had spoken those words little more than a month after he and Merlin had first met.

Mordred's eyebrow rose quizzically. "Really? Then perhaps you'd be interested to know that the magic used to cast the silencing spell was drawn from Merlin."

Arthur almost laughed. The idea of drawing magic from Merlin was insane.

The corner of Morgana's lips twitched. "But I'm sure you'd like to hear it from his own mouth, wouldn't you, Arthur?" She waved a hand at the soldiers, some of whom started to move towards Merlin, who was still curled on the floor.

Gaius became suddenly very still. "Morgana…" he said, in a low, warning voice. "What are you doing?"

"Don't touch him!" Gwaine shouted, struggling forwards only to be grabbed by a Saxon before he could move more than a couple of paces. Frantic, his gaze switched to Arthur "Arthur, do something!"

But Arthur didn't move. He didn't even look at Gwaine, just kept his gaze fixed stolidly on Merlin, Merlin the sorcerer's drooping form. There was no way he could equate that description of him with the boy he knew. Sorcerers were evil. Merlin wasn't. It was as simple as that. Yet somehow, Arthur didn't think he could have moved even if he'd tried.

Gwaine's face was no longer desperate – it was bursting with anger. "Why does it matter that he has magic?!" He twisted to look at the knights, who stood there, indecisive and shocked. "He's still the same person, and one hell of a better man than any of you! His kind has been hunted by the likes of us, and he still stood by you! And now you're going to stand there and watch him get tortured for it!"

At those last words, Gwaine's energy failed, and the Saxons finally succeeded in dragging him to the ground, until he was little more than a slumped heap on the floor.

Over by Merlin, the guards were lifting his unconscious form off the ground and fastening his arms behind his back.

Lancelot gave a slight intake of breath as the Saxons gripped Merlin's shoulders. His eyes were, if anything, filled with even more emotion than Gwaine's, but his face was one of carefully constructed composure. His feet, which were shoulder-width apart for stability, with his right foot slightly more forward than the left, were the only other sign of his uneasiness.

"Morgana, hurting Merlin is a bad idea and you know it!" Only at the end of the sentence did Lancelot's voice betray the anxiety he was concealing.

Morgana tossed an exaggerated look of confusion at Lancelot. "Oh! I'm not going to hurt him!"

Even Arthur blinked in surprise at her statement.

Reaching down, Morgana pulled a strip of cloth from her belt, and passed it to Mordred.

"Restrain them." she ordered the soldiers. A pause. "And take off their armour – it might clank. Besides, they won't be needing it now."

Arthur heard the same voice as earlier, oddly familiar when he thought about it, his sharply into his ear. "Kneel."

Movements careful so as not to provoke the men holding him, he lowered himself to the ground. Fingers tugged at the straps fixing his breast and shoulder plates to him, and their hands momentarily shifted from his shoulders as they lifted the metal over his head, before starting work on his vambraces and gauntlets. His chainmail was the only piece they didn't remove – it would have meant untying his hands, something they weren't quite prepared to do. Arthur allowed himself a feeling of satisfaction that his reputation was enough to make them worried he could overpower three men whilst unarmed.

When the guards had finished, Morgana nodded to someone out of sight.

Arthur felt a handful of his hair being gripped in a large fist, jerking his head back and leaving his neck exposed for a knife to be pressed against it.

Morgana's eyes glittered as she bent down so that her face was on his level. "You will no doubt want to hear this, but if you make so much as a sound, my friend here will slit your throat most readily. I believe you met him yesterday, in the forest?"

The hand jolted his head back painfully in acknowledgment of her words, and Arthur's face drained of what little colour had been remaining. The Saxon man, who had been prepared to kill a child to save his own skin.

Then Merlin was dragged forward, blindfolded and still unconscious, and all thought of his captor vanished from Arthur's mind.

-0-

Had she not been tied up and kneeling on the floor of her own castle with a sword being pointed at her, Gwen would have been pacing up and down madly and wringing her hands as she processed everything she had just found out. There was a small part of her telling her to be worried about how clumsy the guard threatening her seemed to be, but she was far too busy thinking over every conversation she and Merlin had ever had, everything she had ever seen him do, to be concerned that she might get accidentally impaled at any moment.

"Believe me, Gwen, I'm not ordinary."

But, Gwen reminded herself, that's not important right now. She knew full well that it was Arthur that this was really about. What she knew of Merlin's secret was nothing, not when Arthur had discovered that his best friend had been lying to him for the past ten years.

Gwen studied Arthur's expression carefully. The predominant emotion on his face seemed to be…nothing. He was in shock, clearly. But behind that, there was something more, she knew; he, like her, wanted to know what Morgana had meant when she talked of what Merlin had suffered for him. And though she knew Arthur would not be ready to admit it for a long time yet, he wanted to know because Merlin was his friend, and the thought of his friend suffering because of him was unbearable to think of. Merlin's betrayal, if he really did have magic, was nothing in comparison.

Merlin's head lolled forward on his neck. He had been manoeuvred so that he was, like them, on his knees, but he had to be propped up by one of Morgana's men. The piece of cloth around his eyes was black, like his raven hair.

Morgana gave a nod to the various sorcerers around the room, who braced themselves as if for an attack, some even flexing their fingers. They're scared of him, Gwen realised with astonishment.

Morgana's eyes flashed. "Merlin. Merlin, wake up."

The boy stirred, and juddered suddenly as he awoke, groaning quietly. His arms shifted as he realised they were tied, and Gwen watched his forehead crinkle slightly with confusion. He shook his head once, twice, before slurring, "Morgana, have you blindfolded me?"

Gwen couldn't help but smile at the confidence in his voice.

Morgana threw an excited glance at Arthur. No doubt there would be a few more of those before the end of the evening. "Yes, I have."

"Why?" scoffed Merlin

"Well, my friends here are a little scared of you. They know how dangerous you are."

The sorcerers shuffled a little and cast uneasy glances at one another.

To their complete and utter surprise, Merlin smiled and blew air out of his nose in a silent laugh. "What makes you think a blindfold will help with that?"

Gwen watched as Arthur's breathing got faster.

Merlin's head tilted to the side, and he frowned again. "…Camelot. We were in Camelot." What could be seen of his face filled with sudden urgency and he lurched forward. "Where's Arthur? What have you done to him?" The guard dragged Merlin back by the chain that was still fastened behind his neck, and the boy growled slightly in anger.

"I haven't done anything to Arthur."

Merlin shook his head. "If you're lying to me, Morgana…"

"I'm not." Morgana said calmly.

There was a prolonged silence. "Have you…" Merlin's voice sounded husky. "…said anything?"

For the first time that evening, Gwen saw a little doubt start to creep into his eyes.

"Not yet. I thought he should hear it from you."

Whatever signs of relief Merlin had shown at her first words were immediately cancelled out as his hackles rose. "Morgana, where is Arthur?"

"In the cells."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"So why am I blindfolded?"

Another smile slipped onto Gwen's face as she recalled all the times Arthur had called Merlin an idiot. Wrongfully, it seemed.

Morgana scowled at him. "What right have you to ask me questions? You are a traitor, guilty of murdering your own kind in defence of Uther and his son. You turned your back on those who needed you most, even going so far as to betray your fellow magic-users to Arthur!" Here Mordred clenched his fists. She leaned in close to him. "What right have you to say anything?"

Arthur's eyes were wide, but Merlin remained silent. Not an acceptance of her words, but not a denial, either.

Perhaps she was imagining it, perhaps not, but all the same, it seemed there was a slight droop to Merlin's shoulders, his chin maybe a little bit closer to his chest.

Still leaning in close to Merlin, Morgana smiled once more. "Now I'm going to be asking the questions." She straightened. "First – why are you so loyal to Arthur?"

He raised his head, as if to look at her. "You sound a lot like Morgause. She asked me the same thing when she tried to kill me, you know."

Morgana stiffened, her eyes hardening at the mention of her sister. "As did I when I had you imprisoned in my hut."

"I never answered either of you. But you know the truth, now." Merlin shook his head. "So why ask me again?"

Morgana started to pace slowly in front of Merlin. "Because I'm not talking about your magic. I'm not talking about the fact that you are Emrys, the foretold protector of the Once and Future King, who you seem to believe is Arthur." Morgana paused, and fixed her gaze on the face of the young King. "How about we start with your father, Merlin?"

Gwen saw Arthur frown in concern and look at his servant. They all knew that Merlin's father was a difficult subject for the boy.

Merlin was frozen. "What about him?"

"He died, didn't he?"

The warlock hesitated. "Yes."

"You only got to meet him once. He knew you were his son for just a few hours, before he sacrificed his life to save you. You held him in your arms as his last breath left him–"

"–How do you know all this?!–"

"–And then you had to bury him, your father, as you might have done some day if he had lived his life with you and your mother." An artificial frown of pity creased her features. "But not so soon. Never that soon. And you would have known him, too; truly known him, for what he could have been to you – a guide, through all that you went through with your magic. Instead, he lies dead, somewhere many miles from anyone who has ever loved him, his grave unmarked because of the magic he possessed. You weren't even able to mourn him, were you?"

Merlin shook his head again; his voice was restrained, though a slight tremor could still be heard. "I don't see what this has to do with anything."

"Uther hunted your father down in the Great Purge. If not for Arthur's birth, you could have grown up with your father. He could have taught you the customs of your people, you wouldn't be the very last of your kind. You could have lived in peace, free from persecution!"

Gwen could see Arthur's inner turmoil raging across his face as he watched his servant, his lips pressed tightly together to prevent himself from speaking.

But despite it all, a rueful smile gathered at the corner of Merlin's mouth. "I'm afraid, Morgana, you can't use that against me. My father met my mother whilst on the run from Uther." He shrugged. "Without Arthur's birth, I'd never have been born. Besides, what do you want me to do? Blame him for existing? Blame him for Uther's mistakes? It's not Arthur's fault."

Morgana gave a frustrated sigh, and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them, turning back towards Merlin with a satisfied smirk. "Perhaps you are right. It isn't Arthur's fault you were separated from your father." Morgana knelt down in front of the warlock and whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear, "But what about Freya?"

Gwen looked at Arthur, and saw an equal amount of puzzlement there. The revelations about Merlin's father were one thing – he had always been tight-lipped about that. But who was Freya?

A movement close by caught her eye, and she glanced at Gaius and Lancelot. They both had expressions of horror plastered across their faces, and Lancelot was shaking his head from side to side, his lips forming a silent entreaty; Please, no…

Merlin lifted his head again, except this time, with Morgana on his level, he only needed to look straight ahead. Gwen would almost have thought he could see her, so intently was he focused on the smirking witch in front of him.

"Stop, Morgana." he whispered. "Please. Not her."

"A poor, young girl, cast out of every home she'd ever had, and about to be sold to Uther as fuel for his pyre…" Morgana tilted her head to the side. "That has to be one of the few times you ever saved a magic-users life by going against the King, when you broke her out of the bounty hunter's cage." Morgana threw her head back and laughed. "Of course, you would go and fall in love with her, wouldn't you!"

Arthur tensed in surprise. Merlin had started to tremble. Morgana stood up and stepped forward, placing her hand against the side of Merlin's face and making him flinch.

"And oh, how it must have hurt when it was over, Merlin! How your heart must have ached when she died! A slow death, from a sword wound too deep for even you to heal." With a sad sigh, she glanced at Arthur. "Just think of it; the woman you loved murdered by your best friend, the man you had sworn to protect with your life. Even you cannot deny Arthur's part in this, Merlin."

The shock in the room was palpable. Gwen felt like she'd been slapped in the face, but it was Arthur she was fixed on. His mouth hung open, and he was staring at Merlin like he'd grown another head.

Merlin had no knowledge of this, however. A single tear had escaped the blindfold, and was running down his cheek, unchecked, as he whispered hoarsely. "She – she was cursed."

"Not by choice. She couldn't help what she was doing."

"He didn't know that."

Morgana scoffed. "She stood in front of him and begged to be spared! She screamed as she transformed! She was just a girl, and he killed her!"

They had to strain to hear his next words. "She was killing people. We might not have got rid of the curse in time, she might have killed again."

"Yes, but would she really?" Morgana said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Behind him, Merlin's fists clenched. "Yes."

Morgana chuckled. "Now now, Merlin, you know better than anyone the strength that love holds. That girl, who had been shunned and unloved for so many years found it once more in you. Even in Bastet form she recognised you, she didn't hurt you when you got close. You tamed her. She need never have killed again, so long as she was with you."

Merlin said nothing, just sat there in stunned silence, shuddering with pent-up emotion. "Stop it." he muttered after a moment.

"So you dressed her in the clothes of a princess, and carried her out of the city–"

"Just stop it, Morgana" Merlin was hunched, now, bent double

"–As she died, she thanked you for your kindness, and promised to repay you–"

Merlin's voice grew stronger. "Stop it!"

"–Perhaps Arthur knew, deep down, that you intended to leave with her. Perhaps that's why he killed her–"

"JUST STOP IT!"

It took every ounce of strength Gwen had not to cry out as Merlin's frantic, pain-filled voice ripped through her mind. Merlin lay, forehead pressed to the ground and shoulders heaving as he sobbed, muttering under his breath.

It was a few moments before they could discern what he was saying. "I'm sorry Freya, I'm so sorry."

The entire room was silent and motionless, watching the weeping boy in the centre.

"Merlin"

He stopped muttering, but otherwise continued as he was.

"The same fate awaits you as did them. Arthur is his father's son, and to him, you are nothing but a servant. When Arthur finds out about this, you will die, and lie, as your father did, in an unmarked grave, and as every other magic-user does, as Arthur and his father have decreed. Arthur will kill you."

Arthur tried to move his head, but the Saxon held on tighter, pressing the knife hard enough that it almost drew blood.

"I – I know he will" said Merlin, quietly.

Arthur closed his eyes tight shut, as if in pain.

"But that doesn't matter. I will serve him till the day I die, however soon that day may come, and whoever it is who is ending my life."

It was not lost on Gwen that Merlin seemed to have ruled out the possibility of dying peacefully.

Morgana nodded, sighing. "I would expect nothing less from you, Merlin." Then she turned, and raised an eyebrow imperiously at Arthur. "What do you think? Should we tell him?"

Merlin immediately shook his head. "Not yet! Please, just…give me more time!", but Gwen knew she wasn't talking to Merlin anymore.

Is this what it felt like? Gwen thought, To know a secret this devastating, and to be this scared of it being revealed? Gwen wanted Merlin to know that they knew. She wanted to be able to tell him that even if Arthur did turn against him, she never would, she didn't care about his magic. But at the same time, she didn't want to see the fear on his face as he looked at them, his friends. She didn't want it to be like this.

Morgana motioned with her hand, and said "Take the blindfold off, and untie his hands", before winking at them, and pressing her finger to her lips, drawing the finger of her other hand across her throat.

Gwen's heart dropped down to her feet, and she threw furious daggers at Morgana with her eyes. They still weren't allowed to talk.

-0-

It took a moment after the blindfold was removed for Merlin's eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. It may have been night outside, but the Great Hall was filled with light, and he sat there for a few seconds, blinking rapidly to clear his vision and stretching his shoulders, since his hands were now free.

Then his eyes adjusted, and he looked up.

It was a long time before any emotion at all except complete blankness crossed his face. Morgana was positioned in front of him, the others to his right, and Arthur to his left. His head swivelled between them several times before understanding seeped through, and his breathing got faster.

Merlin stared up at Morgana in alarm.

"That's right, Emrys." Morgana drawled. "Your lord and master's here."

Merlin was now completely focused on Arthur. "I - I wasn't…" he stammered, staring at Arthur with his eyes wide. "I didn't actually…"

"I think perhaps a little demonstration is called for!" cried Morgana, sweeping round so that she was standing directly behind Merlin, whose gaze never left Arthur.

Arthur was still desperately trying to communicate with his servant with his eyes when he felt the knife vanish from his neck, and was dragged to his feet, before those holding him stepped back and he was left alone.

"Who fancies taking a shot at the great Arthur Pendragon?"

"No!" Merlin started to stand up, but Morgana pushed him down again, before placing her hands against the collar on Merlin's neck.

The Saxon from the forest came into Arthur's line of vision, a flick knife held lightly in his fingers, and came to stand opposite Arthur, just next to where the knights and Gwen and Gaius knelt. He raised the knife.

"Forlætan." Morgana said.

Merlin gasped.

The Saxon let loose the blade–

–which slowed to a stop, several inches from Arthur's chest.

Merlin stood, arm outstretched towards his king, the last of the gold fading from his eyes and his breathing heavy. Runes on the collar around his neck were glowing a bright orange as he stood there.

Two knives appeared this time, one headed for Arthur, another towards the knights, but both were stopped before they got anywhere near their targets.

"All right then, how about this?" Mordred smirked. "Metgian."

The knight's swords, still on the ground, rose up into the air. Only Excalibur stayed where it was. The five blades flew in different directions, two towards Arthur, one at Gwen, one at Lancelot, and the last towards Merlin. Each and every one of them slowed to a halt simultaneously.

But Mordred wasn't looking – he was frowning at Excalibur. "Why didn't it work on this one?"

"Don't touch that!" Merlin growled at Mordred. There was more loathing in the glare that Merlin fixed on Mordred than Arthur had ever seen on the servant's face.

Mordred looked questioningly at Merlin, and picked up the sword by its hilt.

"Aagh!" he gasped, dropping it as if burned, and glowering at Merlin, whose eyes reverted back to blue.

Merlin took a deep, controlled breath. "That sword was forged in the breath of the Great Dragon for Arthur's hand, and Arthur's alone. It holds more power than you know, but only he can truly wield its power. Magic has no effect on it."

Arthur's mouth dropped open.

"Your magic does." Morgana said curiously. "And you can wield it – you used that to destroy the immortal army, you had it with you when you killed my sister."

Arthur's mouth, if anything, got wider.

Merlin threw an uncomfortable glance in the King's direction. "It was I who had it forged. I am one of its guardians, it was my hand that held it first when it emerged from the flames, and it was I who placed it in the stone to wait until Arthur could claim it for his own. Besides," Merlin shrugged, "Kilgarrah is my kin – our magic is bound together."

"Well," Mordred said, drawing his sword from its sheath. "You're not the only one with an immortal weapon, except this time, it's you who can't use magic on it." And he stepped purposefully towards Arthur.

The various swords and knives, still suspended in the air around them began to shake and glow with burning heat as Merlin's face grew dark with anger, his voice deepening. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mordred."

Mordred just grinned and stepped between the trembling blades, which were now vibrating so fast that they were making a high-pitched ringing sound.

"Mordred, don't."

Mordred now stood in front of Arthur, whose chin was raised high as he looked intently into Mordred's face. Mordred pulled back the sword, readying to plunge it into Arthur's chest.

"I said, NO!"

Mordred's eyes widened as an invisible force jerked him back. He was thrown several metres across the Great Hall until he landed with a thump on the floor, his sword scraping to a rest a short way away.

But no sooner had the words left Merlin's mouth than an agonised cry followed them, and the quivering weapons fell to the ground clattering. Merlin had sunk to his knees, Morgana's hands pressed once more to the collar around his neck.

She rolled her eyes. "How many times, Merlin, just let it go, and it will stop hurting!"

Lancelot recovered from the shock first. "Let him go Morgana! Oof!" He groaned as a fist was plunged into his stomach.

Merlin's fingers were clenched into fists, his knuckles white and pressed against the floor. His arms were juddering with the effort of keeping himself up, but Merlin was shaking his head. "…Arthur!" he choked out.

Morgana sighed. "Fine, we'll stop trying to kill Arthur!"

With a gasp of relief, he let go, his head dropping forward and his arms straightening as he panted in great lungful's of air.

Arthur was staring so fixedly at his closest friend, that he didn't notice when Morgana stepped up beside him.

"There is a lot about this that I find hard to believe." Morgana said, eyes smouldering as she glared at Arthur. "Like how you could single-handedly try so hard to destroy the life of one who is so loyal to you, or how he could remain so loyal, with everything he has seen you do. But if there was one thing I could find hardest to believe, it is this;" her lips curled in a sneer of disgust. "that a man like you could be so arrogant as to take the greatest warlock that has ever lived, and make him into his servant."

Arthur didn't fight when someone started to pull him out of the room. He didn't see the others being hoisted to their feet and dragged out with him. The passages they walked through faded and meant nothing, and the sight of unfamiliar soldiers walking calmly through his halls elicited nothing but a glance. It was only when he realised that Merlin wasn't with them that he started to struggle.

-0-

Okay, so Stormaggedon's head may be made of poop right now, but I did listen to everything she said, minus one thing because I couldn't be bothered to think of something to replace it with. Although how she managed to write with all the poop coming out of her head I will never know.

There shall be another wait for the next bit, I think. The amount of homework I have would make even Hermione cry, but I can tell you that there's going to be A LOT of making Arthur feel guilty. I mean, there's just so much stuff to choose from!

Please review! It will help me get through the ordeal of death by English essay, and maybe encourage me to write in my spare time…