A/N: Update as promised! :) On with the fic!

Chapter 54: Small Steps

Gwaine and Balinor had just sat down to breakfast when they heard an "oomph" and a series of clanks from the stairwell.

"That'll be Merlin," Gwaine observed pleasantly, not looking up.

"Does he always do that?" Balinor asked, pausing with his fork in mid-air.

"Mmhmm," Gwaine muttered around a mouthful of breakfast ham. He swallowed and added, "It's amazing the lad doesn't have scars all over."

Maybe he does, Balinor thought, feeling his stomach turn slightly. He set down his fork and reached for a hunk of bread instead. He's hidden so much for so long...what's to stop him from hiding scars, too?

"So I've been thinking," Gwaine began, oblivious to Balinor's worries. "How did you know who we were? I mean, it's not like we wore placards-" he gestured to an imaginary sign with both hands, "'Once-and-Future-King and Friends: Please Don't Feed to Wyverns!'"

He picked up an apple, polished it on his tunic, and took a huge bite.

"Merlin," Balinor said simply, before taking another bite of bread.

Gwaine nodded. "But how, exactly? Is it some sort of hocus-y pocus-y thing only magical people understand?"

"Hmm, sort of."

"So…?" The unmagical man clearly wanted an explanation nonetheless.

"Merlin-Emrys-has this, for lack of a better word, signature."

"Signature?" Gwaine repeated, not comprehending.

Balinor elaborated.

"A sort of aura, if you will. Non-magical beings wouldn't sense it, and only creatures of magic and well-trained, powerful sorcerers would be able to actually see it."

"See it? So Merlin glows?" Gwaine chuckled and mimicked a little girl with his falsetto. "Like a faery?"

"Hmm, yes, a bit."

Gwaine stopped mid-chuckle and looked at Balinor.

"You're serious?"

Balinor nodded. "To those with strong magic, he radiates power, more than any other being I've ever met. I can sense it from half a league away, but even I can only see it in my mind's eye if I concentrate."

He poured himself another mug of water.

"A fully trained priest or priestess would be able to see it without difficulty, I imagine."

"So you sensed that Emrys was coming? That's why we weren't wyvern-lunch?"

Balinor nodded seriously.

"Huh," Gwaine mused.

There was a lull in the conversation as both men resumed eating, lost in thought. Gwaine soon picked up the conversation again.

"So what's this signature look like, then?"

Silence never lasts long around him, does it? Balinor thought.

"Like you said, it's sort of a glow, like he's pulsing with light from within...deep blue and gold." Balinor took a sip of water. "You get a glimpse of it each time he does magic."

"The way his eyes-?"

Balinor nodded.

"And that's how Feathers-?"

"Yes. I imagine-"

Suddenly Merlin's voice cut into Balinor's mind: Arthur and I are coming down now. Balinor set down his mug and quickly switched topics.

"-So tell me, Sir Strength, how you came to be traveling with Prince Arthur and Merlin?"

Gwaine looked confused.

"But we were still-" Gwaine's eyebrows shot up and he mouthed "Oh."

Arthur appeared in the doorway, followed closely by Merlin. Balinor rose to greet them.

"Good morning, Prince Arthur, Merlin. I trust you slept well, your highness?"

Balinor could read Arthur's discomfort, but the young prince had come out of his chamber and Merlin was smiling behind him. Those are good signs.

The prince answered stiffly, "I slept well, thank you."

Merlin stifled laughter behind the prince.

"Merlin," Arthur warned as he turned his attention back to Balinor.

The older man decided to make it easy for him. "I hope your accommodations were suitable? I'm sure they are not up to the standard you are used to, but if there's anything I can do to make your stay here more pleasant, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Emrys," Arthur replied carefully. It appeared as though a thought crossed his mind slowly as the young man's face brightened a bit. "And, uh, thank you for the thing with the bathwater."

"The bathwater?" Balinor repeated, confused.

Merlin piped up, coming to stand next to Arthur, "Yes, I told him how you'd charmed the buckets to keep the water nice and hot."

All right, whatever you say,Balinor thought to himself. "Of course, your highness," he replied graciously to Arthur.

"Right, then!" Merlin announced, striding forward, "Let's get you some breakfast, sire!"

The three men joined Gwaine at the table. Balinor noticed, much to his amusement, that Gwaine had taken the opportunity to nick the remaining apples from the bowl before Arthur got there.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Once Arthur had eaten his fill in silence, deep in thought, he pushed back his plate and addressed Balinor again. Time to get this over with, the prince thought grimly.

"You were frank with me yesterday, so now I'll be frank with you."

Balinor nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

"This is your fortress and I am your guest in it. You are king here now, regardless of whether you came to this station by blood or by…chance."

The conversation with Guinevere when he was her guest flitted through his mind again as he gathered his thoughts, which was considerably easier now that he was full of ham and bread.

"I acknowledge that I reacted to your admission yesterday in a manner not befitting a knight, nor of one noble to another. I ask you to humbly accept my apology."

Balinor and Merlin raised matching eyebrows of surprise. Gwaine's jaw dropped open comically.

Merlin noticed after a moment and hissed teasingly, "You trying to catch flies?"

Gwaine snapped his jaw shut with a click. Arthur took a deep breath and continued as though nothing had happened.

"I have cannot disprove your claims to have saved my life, and as such, by the knights' code, I am indebted to you."

Arthur noted it was Merlin's turn to catch flies. Why is it so surprising to everyone that I'm apologizing? he griped to himself. I'll have to ask Merlin about that.

"Your apology is humbly accepted," Balinor replied with wide grin, very reminiscent of the way Merlin had beamed at him earlier that morning.

"Thank you, Emrys," Arthur continued, "Now there are several matters I wish to discuss with you. I confess I still have many questions."

That's a massive understatement.

"And I am not entirely comfortable with an alliance…"

Fifty leagues from comfortable, actually.

"…but I owe you the chance to explain yourself."

Uther's voice screamed in Arthur's head: What are you doing? He's a sorcerer!

Guinevere's voice replied, And he deserves to heard nonetheless.

Balinor's reply cut into Arthur's thoughts, silencing his warring conscience for the moment.

"And what matters did you wish to discuss?"

"In my haste to leave Camelot, I have not had an opportunity to pause and plan a suitable course of action. I wish to discuss this with you, as well as with Gwaine and Merlin."

"Then I have news that will be of use to your planning."

Balinor leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands in front of him.

"According to my sources in Camelot, Elyan, brother of Guinevere, intends to escape and ride for Níþdraca to rejoin your company. If all has gone well, he may already be on his way."

"Then, with your permission, we will stay here to wait for him," Arthur said.

Balinor agreed.

Good, Arthur thought, That'll give us time for proper planning—and to hear the rest of Emrys' explanation.

A/N: If y'all are willing, I'd especially appreciate feedback about the dialogue in today (and yesterday's) chapter(s). I've been sort of experimenting—or at least I think I am!—with a couple of different approaches to dialogue the past couple of days, so I'd love to hear how they read to y'all. (In particular, I'm curious for feedback concerning realism, keeping in-character/unique voices, and pacing/efficiency in moving the plot along, but any feedback would be fantastic and helpful.) Thanks! :D

Guest review replies:

Nance: Aww, thank you so very much for your review and your compliments. I'm so pleased you felt like it read that well! That's honestly what I was hoping for but afraid I wouldn't achieve :) Haha, really? Perfect timing, then! ;)

Bookybookworm: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you approve of the bromance, the attempted-apology, and the Gwen-conscience. Yes, I can't think of a better person for the job either ;)

Guest: I thought it might be just one reviewer from the writing style and time the posts were written, but I didn't want to assume and short-change someone a reply ;) Thanks, then, for both reviews as well as this latest one! Your ideas are definitely not twaddle ;) Hope you enjoyed this update!