Thanks to: TheReinbachDragonlord, TeganL74, Revenge of the Red Pen, A maze thing, and Boxerbee for reviewing last chapter. They bring joy to my writing.
Okay, so this chapter is all about Arthur and the return to Camelot. Merlin's only role here is to be unconscious so we can pity him. :(
I hope you guys enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
Chapter 20 -True Feelings
Arthur ran with all the strength he could muster. The loud, painful roar had finally stopped. Not only did this fail to comfort him but it also meant that, though he was close, he still had no idea where Merlin was exactly. Coming to a complete stop, the prince looked in all directions to see if anything looked familiar to him or could give him a sign as to where his friend was. Arthur was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he failed to notice the presence of his knights alongside him until Leon spoke up.
"Arthur, what's going on? What's wrong with Merlin?"
The prince stopped his frantic searching to observe his knights. Elyan and Gwaine were bent over trying to catch their breaths while Percival, Lancelot, and Leon were looking to him for answers. All of them knew Merlin was in some kind of trouble (Lancelot knew more) and he could see in all of their faces that they wanted to find the man they considered their little brother just as much as he did. It wasn't right of him to hold information about his wellbeing from them but right now wasn't the time for a drawn-out explanation.
Sighing, Arthur nodded his head. "Right. To make a long story short - Merlin was cursed, we were captured by an evil sorceress working for Morgana and Morgause, we escaped, and Merlin has been shot with an arrow - no, I don't have time to explain everything that happened Gwaine" he said while putting up a hand to stop said knight from interrupting, "and yes, he's still alive but he needs help. We have to find him."
Before any of the knights could comment, they heard a faint but clear voice cry out several yards from them. "Freya, help me!"
"That's Merlin!" Elyan exclaimed. Without another word, they all headed in that direction. Arthur smiled as he recognized the area he had come through minutes earlier in search for some yarrow. Oh yeah, I was supposed to find some. Merlin won't let me live this down, he thought to himself. That didn't matter though. Soon they would find Merlin, go home for a little bit of rest and then head over to the Lake of Avalon so Merlin could get a kiss from his sweetheart and break the curse put on him. At the thought of his best friend's lady friend Arthur smiled inwardly - who knew the idiot would ever find love.
It wasn't too long before Arthur was stopped abruptly from his thoughts when he collided into something big and bony.
"Percival, why did you just stop?" he asked indignantly.
The knight's only answer was to unsheathe his sword along with everyone else. Confused, Arthur forced his way in front of the knights to see what they were looking at.
A few yards away from them stood Anatol over an unconscious Merlin, right hand falling to her side and the tint of gold fading from her eyes. Anger and fatigue overcoming him, the prince moved from the tree line. "No!" he shouted despite Leon's whispered protests. This got the sorceress' attention. Looking up, she smiled at the prince and moved half way between him and Merlin.
"Hello Arthur, I was wondering where you ran off to"
"Let him go Anatol" he commanded.
"Oh, so you do remember my name. And here I thought it was unimportant"
"Let. Him. Go"
"Sorry, no can do. He's still needed. You however...well, Morgana didn't mind it if I were to kill you so if I were you, I'd go back to your precious Camelot while you still have a chance to say goodbye" she replied.
"I'm not leaving without him"
"Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you" Anatol replied as she brought her hand back up. To his credit, Arthur stood his ground, looking for an opportunity to somehow rescue Merlin.
"No" Leon bravely stepped forward, "we're warning you. Leave Merlin alone. You're outnumbered - surrender now."
"Even with two against one, I still have the advantage" she teased.
"Then how about three?" Lancelot joined Leon.
"Four sounds better to me" Elyan firmly stated.
"Five" Percival said as he stood by the others.
"Make that six gentlemen" Gwaine said, glaring at the sorceress. Arthur smirked when all of his knights came to his side - they're not the Knights of the Round Table for nothing.
Anatol sized them up. Six and against one wasn't going to be in her favor, especially if it was a drawn-out battle. She had spent a good portion of her magic preparing the spell and transporting herself in close proximity to Merlin. Her magic was spent and Anatol knew she didn't have enough strength to fend all of them off and transport them both back to the castle and she had to bring Merlin back or - Anatol gulped at the thought of Morgause's warning. Groaning to herself, the red-haired sorceress tried to subtlety back away.
"No you don't" Arthur said, stopping her in her tracks. Seeing she was caught, Anatol turned around and booked it for Merlin.
"Stop!" Arthur shouted while running after her but he was too late. Sliding to her knees by the unconscious warlock, Anatol mumbled a couple of enchanted words and both of them disappeared in a magical whirlwind. After reaching the spot where his wounded friend previously lay, the prince fell to his knees and slammed his fist in the ground in frustration.
"Merlin...!" Arthur half-yelled half-cried, refusing to look at the knights surrounding him. He had failed his friend.
"Sire we need to leave" Leon, ever the voice of reason, said sympathetically.
"That's right. We have to go after him!" Gwaine exclaimed.
"No Gwaine, we have to go back to Camelot. It sounded like Morgana's planning an attack. We need to prepare ourselves for battle."
"How can you say that Leon? Merlin's our friend. We can't just leave him to the mercy of Morgana and Morgause - I doubt they're going to throw him a big feast or something"
"Gwaine, Merlin's my friend too but I agree with Leon on this" Lancelot said, putting his hand on the usually drunk knight's shoulder. "Merlin wouldn't want us to risk Camelot just for his sake"
"You have to go to Camelot and warn them of Morgana's plan!" Arthur's eyes snapped open at the memory of Merlin's words. Lancelot was right. They had to go back for the sake of the people of Camelot. Merlin wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, he knew his friend wouldn't die - grimly he knew that the witches still needed him alive.
"But we can't just..."
"Gwaine, that's enough" Arthur said, sounding more like a king than a prince. "We're all worried about Merlin but we need to go back to Camelot."
"But Merlin he'll...he'll" Gwaine stuttered, not wanting to finish what he knew everyone was thinking.
"Don't worry. I know for a fact that he'll be alive", everyone's head shot up at the confidence in his words. Lancelot was about to ask how but Arthur put up his hand. "Like I said before, it's a long story and I will explain it to all of you once we return"
The knights nodded. Gwaine huffed in frustration but didn't even bother to argue with Arthur. The faster they got back to Camelot, the faster he would find out what happened, and the faster he could figure out a way to save Merlin.
Arthur was greeted by a flock of over-concerned knights upon his arrival in the white city. Granted, he did look a little worse for wear with all the scratches and his torn shirt but still, he felt like he was being smothered like the spoiled child he used to be.
He promptly made his way to the king and informed him of the upcoming attack, ignoring his father's attempts at trying to figure out what happened and why he left in the first place. No need to get my father angry at Merlin when he's not here to defend himself. Uther's face grew cold with rage at the thought of his daughter attacking again. He quickly ordered for the necessary preparations to be made before looking at his battered son.
"Arthur, you've been through a lot. Go to Gaius' chambers and get yourself patched up. I expect you will be ready to fight by sunset"
"Of course father" he replied, slightly disconcerted by Uther's cold tone towards him. His father had been serious before but with Morgana involved now... Arthur mentally shook those thoughts away before turning around and leaving the throne room. As he passed the knights he bowed his head slightly, hoping they would receive his silent message. Meet me in Gaius' chambers.
They nodded back and Arthur hurried to the physician's chambers as quickly as he could. There was a lot to discuss in so little time. Knocking on the door, the prince let himself in to find Gaius preparing (what looked like) different medications.
"Gaius"
"Arthur" the physician looked up to greet the prince, "you're back. What happened, are you okay? Where's..." Gaius paused briefly, remembering everything Lancelot told him. "Where's Merlin?"
Arthur's face morphed into surprise - he should've known that Lancelot would've told Gaius what happened to his ward - and then quickly changed to sadness and guilt.
"...I'm sorry Gaius, but...Merlin's been captured by Morgana and Morgause"
The physician stood in shock for a few seconds before turning away from the prince. It felt like a rock just fell on Gaius, crushing every fiber of his being. He wanted to cry, to weep for his foster son but the time for grieving would have to wait. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to face Arthur. Gaius wasn't angry at the prince, but he still felt guilty when he noticed the shame written on the prince's face.
"It's not your fault Arthur" the physician said consolingly but it didn't look like the prince believed it for himself. Still, Gaius knew that they needed to know the full severity of the situation which is why, though it seemed a tad bit heartless, he asked this next question.
"What happened?"
Arthur looked sadly at Gaius. He barely had mustered up the courage to tell him the bad news and now...
"I plan to tell everyone everything that happened when they come" he paused, "Gaius, I know about Merlin's magic" the physician didn't look surprised. "Should I tell the other knights and Gwen about it? Do I have the right to expose his secret without his permission?"
Gaius sighed. "Come here Arthur, let me tend to your wounds". The prince silently obeyed, knowing from childhood experience that arguing with him would prove fruitless, and sat on the stool by the table. Gaius took out his medicine bag and began applying a salve to the various cuts he received, starting with his wrists.
"Gaius?" the prince asked, waiting for an answer.
"If Merlin trusted you with his secret, then it might be wise to let the Round Table Knights know too. They are the men Merlin's trusts the most. I think they would take it rather well - Leon, if anybody, might have a problem with it but he has the utmost trust in both of you Arthur. If you're fine with his magic, then they'll be too."
"Thank you Gaius"
"Not a problem. If the situation is as bad as it seems, then they should know. Besides, I think Merlin would've probably told them himself after telling you."
Arthur sat in silence while Gaius finished patching what little wounds he had. "Again, thank you Gaius...and I'm sorry"
The physician gave him a tired smile. Never had he felt so old. They waited for a couple more minutes before Gwen and the knights filed their way into the physician's chambers. At seeing Arthur, Gwen ran and hugged him, almost making him lose his balance even while sitting.
Gwaine, however, found it prudent to cut the reunion short. "So princess, spill the mead. What happened to Merlin?"
"Something happened to Merlin?" Gwen's urgent voice shot out from behind Arthur's shoulder. Forsaking the hug (to Arthur's slight disappointment), she detached herself from the prince and looked to Gwaine for the answer. "What happened to Merlin. Is he hurt? Where is he?"
"We were hoping the princess could explain" Gwaine replied. Immediately everyone's gaze shifted to the prince. Sighing at the tavern-loving knight's blatant disregard of respect for nobility (nothing new there), Arthur led everyone to Merlin's room and closed the door.
"I guess I should start from when the were-wyvern bit Merlin four days ago."
The whole room was dead silent. The bright sun was beginning to set when Arthur, with the help of Lancelot and Gaius, finished retelling the previous days' events.
"So Merlin has magic?" Elyan asked, slightly unsure if this new knowledge was leading to some kind of bad joke.
"Yes" Arthur answered.
Gwen and the knights couldn't believe it. Their friend, this whole time, was a sorcerer living right under their very noses at the heart of the kingdom that would've killed him the moment he stepped foot inside the borders just for being alive. The prince looked at Percival, Gwaine, Elyan, Leon, and Gwen and tried to gauge their reactions. Confusion was on everyone's face. There was anger on Leon's, shock on Elyan's and Gwen's, Percival refused to show anything else, and - was Gwaine actually amused?
"So...truthfully, what do all of you think about...well, all of this?" Arthur asked.
Not surprisingly, Gwaine was the first to answer. "Honestly, it doesn't make a difference to me. Merlin is Merlin - there's no way he can be evil just because he has magic and I think what he's been through has proven my point. I'm only upset that he didn't tell me - oh, the many things we could've done, the many drinks we could have enjoyed..."
Arthur smiled at the drunk knight's answer despite the fact that said knight was now probably day-dreaming about mead and different ways to force Merlin to the tavern for his own entertainment.
"Oh!" Gwaine snapped his fingers, "That's how he beat me at the drinking contest the other night. He was already cursed by then. I knew he could never beat me in reality Perce"
Arthur didn't want to know.
"Like I've told you before, it's Percival Gwaine" the strong knight said before Gwaine sheepishly grinned back.
"What are your thoughts Percival?" Arthur asked.
"Well, where I grew up, magic wasn't viewed as evil or good - it just was. For those who could wield it, it was simply an extension of one's self, a way of interacting with the world. In fact, my family traveled with the druids at times when we were on the move. They offered us protection and we would aid them with the harvest. We coexisted, if you will - relying on each other in difficult times and prospering during the good. All in all, I have to agree with Gwaine on this. Having magic doesn't make Merlin evil. He's the kindest man I've ever and will probably ever know and nothing, not even magic, could change that." Percival finished. Grinning mischievously at Gwaine, he added, "And him being cursed also explains why he was able to eat more than I ever could in one serving" to which he, Gwaine, and Elyan laughed at the memory.
Arthur really didn't want to know.
"Elyan?"
"I've known Merlin for a while. After everything he's done for you and for Camelot, I don't see why he doesn't deserve my trust. I can understand him not telling anyone about it - he was probably afraid of what we might think or do. Just being here took courage and I can admire him for overcoming his fear to put others' wellbeing before his own. Merlin has my utmost trust Arthur"
The prince nodded in approval of the knights' response to their friend having - scratch that - being, magic. Now all he needed to do was confront Gwen and Leon, the two who had known Merlin the longest.
"Gwen?"
The servant in question clenched her fists in what looked like frustration. Arthur tilted his head in confusion when her eyes watered. Suddenly, she put her hands to her face and began crying. Elyan wrapped his arms around her shoulder to comfort her.
"Gwen, what's wrong?" her brother asked.
"Merlin was the one who healed our father when the water was poisoned" she sobbed. "It had to be him. He asked me how he was doing before I told anyone that he was cured. All this time and I didn't know. And I bet he's done more for all of us than he's let' on...oh, we've been completely ungrateful!" she finished crying, wiping the last remaining tears away. "When I see him, he's going to get a piece of my mind for not confiding in us sooner!" she said determinedly.
Arthur let Elyan comfort his sister as her words sunk right in. He had been ungrateful to his friend, even when it wasn't magic-related. All those battles he'd supposedly won, those monsters he had slain - they were all Merlin, but he let him take all the credit while he called Merlin a girl and a coward. The prince was touched by the warlock's humility. He truly never had known such a person like Merlin.
The prince shook his head and looked at Leon. He was going to be hard to convince that Merlin was good - after all, this was the second in command to the entire army. The knight had been taught since a young age that magic was evil. Convincing him otherwise was going to be almost impossible.
"Leon?"
For a couple seconds, the older knight refused to say anything. It seemed like he was still sorting everything out for himself. Eventually, though, Leon spoke up.
"Arthur, you know where I stand when it comes to magic. It's all evil and this has been proven time and again". At this, Gwaine looked like he was ready to pounce and throttle the knight. "However, I've also seen a peaceful side to magic, a good example being the druids. When my patrol was attacked by Cendred's men, they saved me. Me, a knight of Camelot who, under the King's orders, would've attacked them. I trust you and your judgment, but..."
"Oh come on Leon! You can't be serious" Gwaine angrily interrupted. "How can you not trust Merlin after everything he's..."
"But..." Leon enunciated, stopping Gwaine's imminent tirade. "...I also trust Merlin" the tavern loving knight immediately clamped his mouth shut. "He's been the most loyal friend I've ever seen and he's put his life on the line for you, Arthur, many times. If anyone was to prove that magic can be used for good, Merlin would be perfect for the job. So unless he proves otherwise, I trust him with my life"
Arthur beamed at Leon's - no everyone's - conviction and trust in his friend and judging by Lancelot and Gaius' smiling faces, they agreed as well.
"And what about you Arthur?" Percival asked. "How do you feel about Merlin having magic?"
Everyone, even Lancelot and Gaius, looked at the prince expectedly. Arthur thought about what he could say - he could've told a long tale about the different instances where he remembered a situation righting itself 'magically'. He could've proclaimed how, in the short time they were held captive, Merlin had proven his loyalty even in his most difficult situation. Heck, he could've just told them what Merlin said a few nights ago when Arthur asked him what he had done with his magic.
But Arthur just settled for a short and simple answer.
"I trust Merlin with my life and I would gladly give my life for him in a heartbeat"
So yeah...that's the chapter. This is pretty much what I sort of hope the knights would react (more or less) to learning that Merlin has magic. Most likely, when the 'big reveal' comes (hopefully season 5) Merlin will be either: 1) exiled/banished or 2) imprisoned ( or #3 sentenced to die - if the writers really wanted to make us fans scream our heads off in anger and possibly throw inanimate objects at our television screen - but I digress) XD
As always, please review.
The next chapter should be up Friday and we'll see what has happened to our favorite warlock.
Until later,
-STL13