Hi, I'm back again. Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter, it's so good to hear what you think. I still do not own Merlin, if I did everyone would be a bit more alive by the last episode.

Chapter 2:

They were going to die. That was the only thing Arthur was certain of as he and Merlin plummeted towards the raging, swirling mass of water below them. He had his eyes screwed tight shut and was still trying to process the situation. Merlin had magic; Merlin had betrayed him, he had broken one of the most vital laws of his kingdom, the laws Arthur had sworn to defend with his life. Not that it mattered anymore, death was clearly imminent.

Apart from that it wasn't. No bone-jarring impact and the chilling rush of water. No, instead they were slowing down and steadying out. Arthur dared to open an eye. He quickly shut it again when he saw something that couldn't be there. The fear and exhilaration must be making him hallucinate he reasoned: what he had just seen should not, could not be possible. He opened his eyes to check that he had definitely seen what he thought he had

He was actually seeing this, it was real. Merlin's thin pale arms were wrapped about his waist and above him, sprouting from Merlin's shoulders, were a gigantic set of ebony black wings covered in silky feathers, that was beating steadily upwards lifting them clear of the ravine and out above the canopy of the trees into safety.

Merlin flew on instinct rather than by thought. His mind was too full of despair and doubt to properly control his flight. There was no way Arthur was ready to accept him, he may as well have signed his own death warrant but what else could he have done, at least Arthur was safe. The once and future king had to survive at all costs, even if that cost was Merlin's life. (He's a self-sacrificing idiot and we all know it)

Just as they cleared the gorge and had begun to fly over the forest towards Camelot, Arthur began to struggle in his arms, he was evidently recovering from his shock and this combined with his considerable weight (Arthur was still wearing full chainmail) meant the strain on Merlin's wings was immense. They began to tip downwards towards the hard unforgiving forest floor. "Stop it you clot pole or you'll kill us both" yelled Merlin but with the deafening wind, he was unsure whether or not Arthur could him but seeing as the prince did not stop struggling, Merlin assumed that he hadn't. It seemed that the crash was inevitable so Merlin did the only thing possible: he waited until the very last second then wrapped his body around Arthur's to attempt to soften the blow for his prince.

They smashed into the canopy and bounced off a couple of sturdy tree branches on the way down before they tumbled onto the carpet of leaf litter, twigs, and moss on the woodland floor.

Arthur was the first to recover, he untangled himself from Merlin and staggered upwards relieved to discover that he was not badly injured: only a few minor bruises and scratches that would heal in a matter of days. He drew his sword from its leather scabbard and thankfully, that too was intact from the fall. Then, finally, he turned to face the unconscious body of his friend, to face the truth of what had just happened.

Merlin was lying on his back, stunning wings splayed behind him, unmoving and as pale as weak winter sunlight. Arthur could see the steady rise and fall of his servant's chest that indicated he was breathing but was unwilling to go and inspect any damage that had befallen his friend. After all, he could probably heal himself with magic. That last thought made Arthur want to throw up. His servant, the man he now counted as one of his best friends and advisors was a sorcerer: the very thing he had spent his entire life trying to eradicate. His father had always said magic was evil, that it would corrupt no matter how good and well-intentioned the wielder. Merlin had always seemed so innocent, so good and kind and loyal. Had it been an act all along? Some trick so he could bring down Camelot from the inside?

Without warning, Merlin's cornflower blue eyes snapped opened and he uttered a groan, before Arthur could really think about what he was doing, he had leveled his lethally sharp sword with his servant's heart. "What are you?" he growled in an unforgiving voice with an undertone of violence. When Merlin didn't answer immediately, he pushed the tip of his sword forward until it was nearly scratching Merlin's heart. "I said what are you?"

Merlin looked up at Arthur and saw the betrayal and hurt clearly written on his face. "I-I-I'm a warlock."