Merlin had a chance to speak with Gwaine earlier than he thought. While they were still relatively close to Camelot, Merlin noticed Gwaine riding in the back of the company, and fell back until he was riding next to him. He half expected Arthur to call him back up toward the front of their little cavalcade, but Arthur let him be—perhaps he had noticed him heading toward Gwaine and hoped Merlin's talk with him would improve his knight's attitude.

Merlin was afraid at first that Gwaine would be as mum on the subject as Anna. But there was nothing for it but to try, so as soon as they had fallen back far enough and the other knights were chatting noisily enough to make their conversation more private, he went ahead and broached the topic.

"I don't mean to pry, and I know it's none of my business, but… things don't seem so great between you and Anna."

Gwaine snorted at the understatement. "Where did you get that idea?"

"What happened between you two?"

Gwaine sighed. "I—" He shook his head. "Never mind."

"No, really."

Gwaine looked at him consideringly. "At the tournament, right before the second half started," he said at last, dropping his voice and falling back a little more from the others, "I saw her go into Bertilak's tent." He said the name with distaste. "I walked over to it, and found a gap in the flaps. She was flirting with him, and he mentioned her coming on to him the night before. She tied his sash onto him, and he kissed her. And she let him." He swallowed, staring hard between his horse's ears. "Are you surprised I broke it off with her?"

Merlin's horse snorted, and he realized he was pulling on the reins. He relaxed his hands. "Did you ask her about it?" he asked quietly.

"What was there to ask?" Gwaine said bitterly. "I saw everything. I told her what I'd seen, and she didn't even try to deny it. She tried to tell me she was doing it for a friend."

"That sounds more like her than—than cheating on you," Merlin suggested.

"But how could her kissing Bertilak possibly be helping a friend?" Gwaine insisted. "It makes no sense, and she refused to explain—because there is no explanation. We'd better keep up," he said, nodding toward the rest of the group, which was now some way ahead of them, and urging his horse into a quick trot.

Merlin followed him, but his mind was far away. That was why Anna wouldn't tell him anything about her argument with Gwaine—because it was helping him that had caused it in the first place, and she hadn't wanted to make him feel bad. She had kept her word to him and kept his secret, and it had separated her from the man she loved. Merlin felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach. Two of his closest friends were in misery, and it was because of him and his secret.

He simultaneously wished Gaius were there and was thankful he wasn't. He thought he knew what Gaius would say: Let it be. Leave it alone, keep the magic secret. But the very thought of leaving Anna and Gwaine's situation as it was when he could fix it made him feel sick to his stomach.

But there was serious danger in telling Gwaine. Not that Gwaine would ever be unfaithful. But unfaithful to whom? He was a Knight of Camelot now, sworn to protect the people and his king—his friend—and uphold its laws. And its laws were pretty clear on the subject of magic.

But still, he couldn't imagine Gwaine turning him over. He wished there were some other way than splitting Gwaine's loyalties between himself and Arthur—he wished his own loyalties weren't split that way. But there was no other course of action he could reconcile with his conscience. He would have to tell Gwaine.

000

His chance came the next evening as they were setting up camp for the night. As Merlin started off into the woods on his usual duty of firewood-gathering, Arthur called, "Merlin, wait. Gwaine, why don't you go with him? We're close enough to the reported Saxon activity that I don't want to send anybody off alone."

Gwaine got up immediately and followed Merlin into the woods. Merlin wordlessly led him a good distance away from the campsite toward a clearing on a rise. Unlike some knights, Gwaine didn't stand by with his hand on his sword looking bored, but silently helped Merlin to gather up wood as they went.

"We're getting a bit far, aren't we?" Gwaine said at last as they reached the hill. "I think we should move closer to camp."

Merlin turned to face him. "Actually, I—need to talk to you."

Gwaine sighed. "Merlin, if this is about Anna—"

"It's not. It's about me."

Gwaine saw the expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I…"

"Merlin, whatever it is, you can tell me."

Merlin swallowed hard. "I—have magic."

Gwaine stared at him for a moment, then laughed. "What?"

"I have magic."

Gwaine frowned at him. "Magic."

"Yes."

"As in…"

Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the top log from Merlin's armful floated up into the air, bobbed gently over his head a couple of times, and dropped softly back into his arms.

Gwaine was staring at him, and Merlin felt a little breathless. "Please—please don't tell Arthur," he said quietly.

Gwaine looked at him, frowning, then dropped his armful of firewood on the ground. Merlin gulped and took half a step back as Gwaine walked forward, took the firewood out of his arms, and threw it aside as well.

"Gwaine, please—"

And Gwaine stepped forward and pulled Merlin into a hug.

TBC

AN: Thank you to all my reviewers! You make writing this story that much more fun.

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