Changing things up. I needed an Arthur POV earlier than I intended. Enjoy.

Arthur could honestly say he had never been so concerned about someone in his life.

Merlin wasn't being himself. Something was very, very wrong, that much was clear. Merlin had sounded like he was ending whatever they'd started because of whatever was going on, but Arthur just wasn't going to accept that. Not without a fight. Nobody mattered to him more than Merlin. He couldn't just lose him.

When Merlin refused to answer any of Arthur's texts, he started texting Lance instead.

Lance didn't know much, but he knew more than Arthur, which was a start.

Lance: He asked to borrow my car. He said he'd have it most of the day.

Arthur: You don't know where he's going though?

Lance: Not a clue.

Arthur kept badgering him for hours, but Lance stopped answering eventually. He fell asleep, Arthur guessed, because he wouldn't ignore Arthur on purpose no matter how annoying he was being.

Arthur, in a fit of madness, drove over to Merlin's flat—taking his father's car, which was less conspicuous than a red sports car. He couldn't be at home and half of him wanted to intercept Merlin as he tried to leave. Arthur texted Lance as much, not even ashamed of his behaviour.

He sat in that car for ages.

It was half past five when Lance texted again.

Lance: Merlin's going on a very long drive. I think he's in danger. He won't tell me where he's headed. I intend to follow him. Coming?

Arthur: Of course.

Arthur watched as Merlin walked out of the house in a daze. Clearly Arthur could've brought his own car and Merlin wouldn't have even noticed.

Lance ran out of the house and jumped in the car not long after Merlin had started driving, but Merlin was obviously out of his wits, because he was driving both slowly and recklessly. He got distracted a lot, and even pulled over a few times. He didn't even notice that Arthur pulled over as well.

He and Lance didn't talk too much. Arthur was too worried. But they did a couple times.

"You're together now, aren't you?"

Arthur glanced over at Lance and then sighed. "Not for long at this rate. He's hiding something from me, something big. I always knew he was, but now things are different. I expect him not to hide huge aspects of his life from me. I expect him to trust me."

"Arthur, he does trust you. This isn't a question of trust."

Arthur's hands tightened on the wheel. "You know." Lance was quiet, which was as good as a confession. "You've got to be fucking joking."

"Arthur…" Lance said carefully.

Arthur wanted to make Lance tell him himself, but he knew Lance would never do that. Breach of trust or whatever. So instead he said, "I don't understand why he won't tell me!"

"He's going to. Today."

Well that was a little comforting, but not much. "But why's he waited so long?"

Lance was thoughtfully silent for a moment. "He's petrified you're going to hate him when he tells you."

"How bad could it possibly be?" Arthur scoffed. "His life's not that interesting."

"You're wrong there," Lance said with a humourless chuckle. "When he does tell you, he deserves a thank you at the very least, even though I fear you're not going to see it that way."

"What the hell am I thanking him for? Treating me like a fool? He can go to hell."

"You don't mean that."

Arthur sighed. No, he didn't, but god he was angry. He never hid a fucking thing from Merlin. Even the embarrassing things. He went out a limb and told Merlin how he felt and this was what he got in return.

And then there was a part of Arthur that was mad at himself. Why would Merlin feel he couldn't tell Arthur something? Had Arthur expressed some sentiment that made Merlin afraid to be himself? That wasn't an attractive thought either.

"Arthur, I have to admit something."

Arthur was glad for a distraction from his own thoughts, honestly, since they were getting a little dark. "Okay…" Arthur muttered.

"Merlin wouldn't be happy if he knew I was following him, but if he finds out I brought you along, he'll be nothing short of furious. Because I'm going to let you watch him and you're going to learn his secret on your own."

Arthur glanced over at Lance. That wasn't like him, going behind someone's back. "Really?"

"Yes. Merlin doesn't know how to tell you, because he doesn't think you'll understand. And if you only just hear about it, you might not, but if you see him in action… I've seen him once or twice. It's honestly amazing."

Arthur still didn't get it at all. None of it was clicking in his head, but he was grateful for what Lance was doing.

And this was Merlin. Arthur was going to have an open mind at the very least. It didn't matter how cross he was at the moment. Merlin was the most important person in Arthur's world. He deserved the benefit of the doubt.

When they parked, they walked for another twenty minutes. They weren't too far behind Merlin. He kept looking around at everyone jumpily like every person he passed meant him harm. He managed never to look Lance or Arthur in the eye, but he was so out of it that Arthur didn't expect him to recognise them when he was like this. He often made jokes that Merlin was a coward, but he wasn't actually. What had him so scared?

"Now Arthur, I need you to listen to me," Lance said quietly. "I don't know what we're going to see, but I need you to promise me something. You will not reveal yourself, no matter how much you want to. Even if Merlin seems to be in danger."

Arthur looked over at him incredulously. "Why in hell would I do that?"

"Because if you reveal yourself then you won't figure out his secret, now will you?" That was certainly tempting. Arthur was ready for the secrets to be over. "Just please, let Merlin show you just how much he would do for you."

He knew they were walking towards a dark building, but it wasn't clear it was a palace until they were close. It certainly looked out of place, considering they had been passing ordinary houses a bit ago.

"Arthur, I mean it. Do not reveal yourself. Stay silent."

Arthur didn't want to agree this time. If Lance was insisting this much, then whatever he was about to see was going to be something that made him want to act.

But Merlin walked into the huge tower and after some hesitation, the two of them followed him in. The back of the room was dark as pitch, so Lance kept them against the back wall.

Arthur felt he couldn't breathe when the first thing he noticed was a huge creature on the other side of the room. A dragon.

He looked to Lance for some sort of explanation, but even standing right next to each other, it was too dark to see his face.

And Merlin was just walking deeper into the room, towards the dragon—and also towards a woman. He couldn't see her well from way back here, but she gave him a bad feeling.

And then she spoke.