"You couldn't possibly have just remembered that earlier, could you?!" Merlin yelled, shooting a dumbfounded look over his shoulder at the stumbling blond.

"You're the one who knocked over the bloody shield!" Arthur huffed, pulling his sword off of his horse's saddle.

Merlin muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Fine! See if I ever patch your leg up again, you twat..." and scanned the cave for a possible exit. The light beam had to have come from somewhere. He found a small opening in the wall, a likely culprit, but there was no way they could possibly fit through it. Earlier, Merlin had thought about using his magic to move the fallen rocks while Arthur was unconscious. But then he'd heard the bandits yelling on the other side and had gotten distracted tending to Arthur's wounds. Then there was the slightly concerning childhood story-time. Either way, he felt like an idiot. His only chance to use magic discreetly was gone, and now there was a monster with them in the cave.

"There's no way out, Arthur." Merlin huffed in defeat, "What kind of monster was it? An actual magical creature? Maybe it was a bear or something? You were young... your imagination could've exaggerated it!"

"It was not a bear!"

Arthur would rather it be a bear. Bears could be beaten. But he remembered the beast now and how the knights had stabbed it and shot it with crossbows to no effect. Like the griffin, all weapons had bounced off its form uselessly.

"Are you certain? Maybe a big mean badger? A pack of wolves? Wildren?"

"It was a creature of magic, Merlin! The knights could not harm it. We barely escaped with our lives. If it was a sort of angry mammal, they would have killed it then, and it wouldn't be our problem now!"

Merlin nodded and stared into the dark tunnel of the cave. They could hear the quiet growls getting louder as the creature got closer. They hadn't been quiet, and there was no doubt it would soon find them. Arthur spun Excalibur smoothly in his hand, shifting into a defensive position. With his leg injured, Arthur was left unbalanced, and the blood loss still kept him pale. He couldn't fight like this... it was too dangerous. "Alright, give me the sword. You're in no condition to fight, sire!"

"I can still fight fine, Merlin. It's just my leg."

"I'll be the one to decide if it's 'just your leg'. I have medical training! The only thing you've trained in is how to stab at things and to be an ass!"

"Well, you can hardly tell apart the handle from the blade! What's your plan, Merlin? Sing it a lullaby and hope it leads us to the backdoor?"

"My plan is to stop you from getting yourself killed!"

Merlin had gotten too loud in his exasperation, and his voice ricocheted off the stone walls. The creature let out a shrill cry and crawled towards them. It was too dark to see it, but Merlin could feel the ground shake under his feet. Finally, it emerged from the shadows. The horses snorted and shrieked in fear. They tugged at their tied reins and stomped anxiously. Merlin tried to hush them, but it was useless.

The monster was white and skeletal, with bones protruding from its spine and joints. It crawled like an insect across the ceiling, two talons sharp and glinting from each foot. As though looking for them, it huffed and sniffed, and Merlin prayed that it was blind and would leave if they stood still without a breath. It flexed and shifted, its skin wrinkled with each movement, shining with dew. Merlin's lungs screamed at him for air, and when he could hold it in no longer, he sucked in a breath. The creature's head snapped towards him, beady black eyes blinking hungrily at him. It snapped its jaws with rows upon rows of teeth glinting in the moonlight, and dropped to the floor and lunged.

"MERLIN!" Arthur yelled, grabbing Merlin's sleeve and yanking him away from it.

Merlin scrambled backward and dodged as the creature slammed past him and into the ground. The walls shook from the commotion and an idea popped into the warlock's head. He saw Arthur slowly approach the beast from behind as it shook its head frustratedly. Merlin had to keep Arthur safe. Running forward and pushing Arthur out of the way, he screamed, "ARTHUR, GET BACK! THE CAVE IS COLLAPSING!"

When the monster lunged again, guided by his shout, Merlin rolled and shot out a hushed spell towards the cave ceiling. It shook and fell, building a blockade between them and the king. He heard Arthur yell for him, but all that registered in Merlin's thoughts was that the king was unharmed. Now Merlin faced the beast alone.

It was a Lymocton. 'The starving man'. He'd seen it in his book before. He couldn't remember much, only that they had an aversion to light and heat. So he spun around, fists blazing hot with fire, and called to it, "Alright, you've got me now. Give it your best shot."

The monster shrieked giddily and snapped its mouth, dripping with saliva. Merlin shot a blast of flame against its jaw and slowed time to step out of the way. It cried in pain and angrily roared at the warlock. Now, it swiped at him with a claw, catching the warlock's thigh as he tripped back. Merlin grunted but kept moving. He needed to find a way to pin it down. The lymocton slithered towards him viciously and bit at him again. Merlin sent another ball of fire into its side and slid back into a crouch. Looking up, he caught sight of a sharp hanging stalactite. He extended a hand towards it, and his eyes shined with blazing molten gold. With a twist of his wrist, the rock broke off, and he caught it. In a hurried panic, he yelled out the enchantment he used to aid Lancelot, "BREGDAN ANWEALD GAFELUEC!"

The stalactite glowed blue and hummed powerfully. THe lymocton charged once again, and Merlin shot the enchanted weapon into its chest. It slammed into the monster only a moment before its teeth closed around his extended arm. The stalactite impaled its chest and heart, and the force of it pinned the creature to the wall. It slumped limply. Dead.

Merlin cackled breathlessly at his success. He brushed the dust off of his breeches, only to hiss as the scrapes on his hands rubbed against the scratchy fabric and the gash on his leg. Merlin had defeated the creature relatively easily, but what excuse was he going to give Arthur this time? He couldn't use the good old, "You somehow did it while unconscious, sire."

He turned away from his fallen foe and back to the rock wall that he'd trapped the blond behind. Too late, Merlin realized Arthur had found the way out on his own. The king stood in the shadows, his form illuminated by the remains of Merlin's fiery blasts. He'd seen Merlin use magic. He'd seen everything.

Arthur looked like a ghost at the end of the dark tunnel. Momentarily, panic flared in Merlin's chest. His breath felt choked, and his instincts screamed at him to run. He was terrifyingly aware of the hand resting on the king's sword hilt. Arthur swayed quietly, and Merlin waited for his reaction, but then he saw Arthur's face and time froze.

Arthur didn't look angry. He didn't even look surprised. Just exhausted. Hurt. Betrayed. They stood in silence for a moment, their uneven breathing painfully loud like a blade on a rock. Arthur removed his hand from his sword and let it hang limply at his side. Still not a word said. Merlin could have thought Arthur a ghost, standing at the end of the hallway unmoving. This was not at all how Merlin imagined Arthur discovering his magic. He'd expected screaming, denial, anger, banishment. In the past, fleetingly even execution. But Arthur did nothing. Merlin stepped forward, his arms outstretched in a peaceful gesture. Arthur looked at his hands but didn't blink or step back.

"Arthur…" Merlin's voice felt rough and dry. Like an axe cutting through the thick tension. "Arthur, I'm so sorry…"

Arthur looked down at Merlin's feet. The servant stepped closer with all the hesitation of a guilty child.

"I only use it for you… to protect you…. I would never hurt you…"

Usually, Arthur would reply with a prattish, 'I'd like to see you try, Merlin.' But he didn't. He just nodded quietly.

"I-I… Magic can be good, Arthur, I swear it."

Merlin had finally got close enough to touch the king. He wrapped a hand around one of Arthur's wrists gently.

"My magic is for you… It's my destiny to watch over you."

It wasn't visible, but Merlin could feel the small shiver that ran through the king's body. Merlin lifted Arthur's chin with his fingertips to bring their eyes together. Complete and utter guilt consumed Merlin when he realised that Arthur was crying. The king didn't notice it, his expression carefully void of emotion, but tear tracks marred Arthur's cheeks. Arthur didn't cry. It was a rule the king had always obeyed, his motto. 'No man is worth your tears.'

"I'm so sorry, Arthur -"

"We should head back to Camelot. It was irresponsible for me to have left the kingdom so long without proper preparations."

"I-I… what?"

"Unless you would prefer not to come with me?" There was no trace of humor or threat. As though asking if a guest would like more wine.

Merlin blinked in disbelief and tried to backtrack. Arthur was completely closed off and unrelentingly cold towards him. It felt like a sort of odd dream. The man looked like the Arthur he knew but acted like someone else entirely.

"What about the mission?" He tried, squeezing Arthur's wrist gently in his hand and brushing a loose blond hair out of his face. Arthur let him.

"There was no mission, Merlin. You were right, I didn't know where we're going, I didn't have a plan. I just wanted to spend time with you."

"Oh..." It was an admission, in a way. Something that would have made Merlin's heart warm and flutter. Merlin wanted to playfully suggest Arthur take him on a date. To watch the blond flush and mumble some excuse or insult. But it was wrong. This was all so wrong.

"I brought the bow and arrows" Arthur continued, his voice monotone and hollow, "I figured I could teach you how to shoot from a distance. Since you're always hidden away in the trees when we get ambushed anyways."

"I'd like that..."

"However, that now appears to be unnecessary."

Merlin struggled to find the words that muddled on his tongue. 'I want you to teach me anyway. I want to spend time with you, too. It's not unnecessary, I know you were trying to do something good. You just wanted me to be helpful. You just wanted me to be safe. I'm sorry. I still want to be your friend. I still want you to want me. I still love you.' But instead, he only said, "Do you - will you….to Camelot? I want to go with you, Arthur…"

"Then come."

Arthur turned away from Merlin and walked to the cave entrance. He didn't even spare a glance back in the servant's direction. He just gestured for Merlin to move the rocks blocking their way out and started packing their supplies onto the horses.

Merlin wasn't sure what to do. Was Arthur angry? Was he going to be burned or beheaded after all? Had Arthur been offering him a chance to escape? After a moment of hesitation, Merlin nodded and raised his hands. He whispered a spell under his breath and pushed the rocks carefully away. It was still night, and the stars in the sky seemed impossibly bright and dense in the sky. A part of Merlin wondered if this was a nightmare. Or the calm before the storm.

Still, he followed his king.