A/N: Good news! Got a 100 on my science exam! Still waiting on the rest of the grades :/
Winona had made a point to give Merlin a light smack to his uninjured arm once he 'woke up', because although she understood his motivations well enough she couldn't help but be a bit angry at him for how he went about his test.
Arthur planned to go on a hunt later on the next day, so Merlin informed Arthur that he would be coming with him as traveling physician, and that Winona could safely take up the post as Court Physician in his own and Gaius' absence.
Despite him feeling like he had good reason for inflicting the injury to his arm, he found himself hiding the bandage under long sleeves and reaching for objects or waving with his other arm. It wasn't that he felt he had done something wrong - no, of course that wasn't it - he just didn't want to worry those around him. If Arthur found out he was injured he might not let Merlin go with him and the knights on their journey, which would leave Merlin more bored than he felt he had the capacity to deal with. No, he had to keep it hidden so as not to worry Arthur. That was why.
The evening was filled with idle chatter between Merlin and Winona, as the two had grown quite close in the time they had been together. Winona had noticed a bit of a gap in her knowledge of what happened to the old court physician about a month ago and felt it was prudent to ask what had become of him so that she knew exactly what she was getting into.
"So Merlin, did you know Gaius very well?"
Merlin froze where he stood, pausing the fluid motion of chopping potatoes and took a few seconds before he responded, "Yes, quite well."
She noticed the pause, but didn't think much of it, assuming he was recalling his memories of Gaius or something along those lines. "What happened to him?"
Merlin's eyes flickered between the small box that he had set on the shelf, not yet opened or properly examined. "He died." His voice had changed, morphed from cheery to dry and unfeeling. Winona turned from where she had been stirring the pot of hot water to look at Merlin, who, although his back was turned, had become visibly tense and seemed uncomfortable with the conversation.
She realized then she'd struck a nerve, and gathered that whoever Gaius had been, he was close to Merlin. She didn't acknowledge Merlin's change in demeanor - it didn't seem as though he wanted her to - and instead went back to stirring the pot of hot water, not pressing him on any of the other questions she had about the man. She'd have to ask Gwen later, someone she'd grown to be friends with in the last month or so. She waited a bit longer before resuming conversation about something else, and after a few moments of awkwardness the feeling of the room went back to normal. Winona made a mental note not to bring up Gaius again.
Once the sun had come up again and the intrusive sounds of the birds chirping invaded the pleasant quiet of Merlin's room, he gathered his bag of supplies and began to make his way out the door. Despite his own hesitation, he quickly retrieved the small box that had been left on the table upon Gaius' death with Merlin's name on it and hurried out the door - not before, of course, also retrieving the wooden dragon figurine his father had carved for him to bring along.
Arthur was already out in the courtyard when Merlin arrived, and as Arthur's eyes found Merlin in the bustle of activity around them, a smile to end all smiles spread across his face and he waved the warlock over to him.
Waiting next to Arthur's horse was a new one, a midnight black horse without a touch of white on her. She stood proudly, like she knew how beautiful she was, and Merlin didn't doubt it.
"Merlin, I figured on your travels you'd appreciate your own horse. So she's yours, to name and to ride."
Merlin's grin was wide and for a moment he forgot himself and lifted his hand without thinking of the bandage to pet the neck of the horse. Arthur frowned a bit at the corner of the gauze peeking out of Merlin's shoulder sleeve, but said nothing, as he knew Merlin was court physician and assumed that line of work would draw to the one practicing the craft some amount of risk. even so he frowned a bit more as Merlin dragged his sleeve down to cover the bandage before pretending not to have noticed and putting on a smile about the horse as Merlin giddily mounted and prepared to go on the hunt.
Arthur had to admit, he'd missed Merlin's company more than he thought he would. The servants now didn't have any clever remarks to Arthur's quips, and he often found himself apologizing for making some good-natured tease or jab that the servant took entirely seriously and personally. He tried to remind himself that not everyone had the big head that Merlin did, but even that thought brought a bit of sadness to the King's mind considering he felt already like he was loosing Merlin. He'd felt that way since after Gaius died, and although he understood Merlin's sentiments, he couldn't help but feel cheated by the whole ordeal. He'd lost Merlin, who was now apparently hiding injuries from him, and Merlin seemed sad half of the time where before he'd go on rambling about the most boring of things that Arthur would never admit Merlin made sound quite interesting in comparison at least to the round table meetings he found himself stuck at for more afternoons than he'd like to be.
As Merlin and Arthur exited the gates, Arthur couldn't help but wish that he could follow Merlin on his travels and be freer, able to go wherever he wanted for however long he wanted without the burden of the wellbeing of the Kingdom placed on his shoulders. Whatever he did though, Merlin would be by his side. He would make sure of that. If Merlin couldn't be close to him as a servant anymore, then he'd have to be promoted to a spot on the round table.
Nearly three days after a rather uneventful hunt, Merlin and Winona were interrupted from their afternoon lunch by the King summoning his subjects via the ringing of a very large bell. Merlin had always found it strange, but he had to admit that it had captured his attention from inside his home, which was no small feat considering his lunch was one of his most treasured times of the day.
Regardless, he shuffled to the courtyard along with the rest of the citizens of Camelot, where before he could find a shady place to stand, a guard ushered him to follow him into the castle to where Arthur was. He had forgotten that as the currently presiding Court Physician, he had a responsibility to be standing beside the King.
"Citizens of Camelot," Arthur's voice boomed throughout the now silenced courtyard. "I come to you today with news that is far overdue. I come to you today with news that my father should have been the one to present to you, and I come to you with the news that will shock you.
"Since before some of you were born, or arrived in Camelot, you feared magic. You fear it because you cannot control it and you are taught that it is dangerous, and I understand your fear. For years I shared this same fear, believing that everyone who practiced magic was deserving of death. But I am here to tell you my opinion has changed.
"As your King it is my solemn duty to protect you from the evils that may seek to harm you. As a member of nobility I must make decisions based on the good of the Kingdom. But as someone who genuinely cares for you and yours, I want to do what I know is best for you and those among you or around you who have been living in constant persecution for all of your lives.
"That is why I have made the decision that responsible use of magic is no longer outlawed under the laws of Camelot."
Instantly a mixture of cheers and hollars and accusations are thrown at Arthur, but he does not skip a beat.
"Each harmful experience you have had with magic - to name one, Morgana in the past, was due to the persecution of those who practice magic. Magic is not a craft you only choose. Sometimes, you are born with magic. Sometimes you cannot control your very human nature and to kill someone because of their nature is the most abhorrent act that one human can commit. We need to make magic safe, we can't make magic go away. I am committed to keeping you safe, and I will do what it takes to do that. I promise you now that this will keep you safe. You have nothing to fear with magic. It is within the hearts of men that you may turn your doubts. Magic is but a tool, much like a flame. In the right time it provides you warmth, safety and light. In the wrong hands it burns buildings, incinerates people. If magic is in the wrong hands, a ban is not going to be our saving grace. Hoping that the only people who can fight them would be on our side and able to help us is. And beyond self preservation, to do the decent thing and save people from persecution is to be a good person. I am committed to being a good person, and a good King.
"Please, Camelot. Join me in welcoming the witches and warlocks of our Kingdom into our hearts. I have done so myself, and they have made the best friend I have ever had. Someone with magic has saved my life more times than I can count, and when they are ready to reveal themselves, if they are ever ready, I encourage you to accept them as I have."