"All right, boys, time to get up," Gaius said.

Merlin groaned. "Five more minutes."

"You've slept till almost noon already," Gaius said.

Almost noon? He was that late to Arthur? He was dead, so dead. He'd be mucking out stables until his children had children. He bolted upright. "I'm late."

"Relax," Gaius said. "It's fine." He pointed next to Merlin.

Tiny Arthur was fast asleep, his cheeks flushed and his blond hair sticking up all about. Sir Bear was clutched in one arm, and the other was flung above his head.

Merlin relaxed and smiled. Arthur was actually kind of cute when he was little, though he'd rather die before he admitted it. He shook him. "Arthur, it's time to get up."

Arthur groaned and screwed up his face. "I don't want to get up, Nanny."

"Food," Merlin said. "If you get up, you can have some."

Arthur opened his eyes. "Really?" His eyes landed on Merlin and his excitement drained. He sat up and crossed his arms.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked.

"You have magic," Arthur said.

Merlin scratched his head. "Yeah, a bit. I was born with it."

Arthur pouted. "Are you evil?"

"No," Merlin said, a bit taken aback by the question.

"What do you do with your magic then?" Arthur asked.

"Mostly protect you. Save Camelot. Occasionally I have a bit fun creating flowers and butterflies," Merlin said.

"That's girl stuff!" Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin sighed. Something never changed.

"Do I know about the magic?" Arthur asked.

"You mean older you?" Merlin asked.

Arthur nodded.

"No."

Arthur drooped, drawing his eyebrows together. "If we're best friends, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to have to choose between me and your father," Merlin said. "Also, I've done a few things I'm not too proud of because of my magic, and I'm rather ashamed to tell you."

"What?"

"That'll have to wait until you're older."

"I guess that makes sense," Arthur said. "I wouldn't want you to have to choose between me and your father either." He pointed to the staff. "What's that?"

"That's the staff of a Sidhe, a fae that tried to sacrifice you so his daughter could return to live in Avalon, the land of the fae," Merlin said. "I killed him and took his staff."

Arthur's mouth dropped open. "Wow. You really did that for me?"

Merlin nodded. "You're my best friend."

"And magic isn't always evil?" Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded. "There is no evil in magic, only in the hearts of men."

"That's what I thought," Arthur said. "I guess I forgive you for lying to me." He hopped off the bed and scooped up the staff. "What can you do with this thing?"

"Um, Arthur?" Merlin said. "Maybe you should put that—"

The staff blasted into the wall, burning a scorch mark into it. Arthur beamed. "Cool!" He tossed the staff into the air and caught it, a move he did a lot with his swords. "What else can this do?"

Gaius stepped into the room, two plates of food in his hands. "What on earth is going on in here?"

Arthur held up the staff, but Merlin beat him to speaking. "Blasting holes in the wall."

Arthur protested. "I am not! There aren't any holes in the wall, only scorch marks."

"How on earth are you using that?" Gaius asked. "You don't have magic as I am aware."

"I don't know," Arthur said. "But it's cool!"

Gaius looked vaguely unsettled. Merlin frowned. He had thought the staff was just that powerful, but maybe it wasn't. His stomach churned. Surely…surely not.

"Arthur, why don't you put the staff down for now and come eat breakfast," Gaius said.

Arthur heaved a dramatic sigh and placed the staff on the floor. "Okay."

Gaius placed one plate in front of Merlin and the other plate on the covers near the end of the bed.

Arthur scrambled up on the bed and sat cross-legged in front of the plate. "There's no sausages."

"Arthur," Merlin said. "Tell Gaius thank you."

Arthur scowled. "Thank you, Gaius."

"You're very welcome. Now why don't you boys eat in here? I need to do some research," Gaius said.

"Okay," Arthur said. He dug into the plates, eating like a voracious wolf.

"You eat that fast, you'll get hiccups," Merlin said.

"But I'm starving!" Arthur exclaimed. "I haven't eaten in ages."

Merlin winced. Arthur had missed lunch and dinner yesterday, had a barely substantial breakfast that day, and slept through breakfast today. He was a growing boy that needed all the food he could get. "Sorry."

"'s all right," Arthur said. "It's nothing compared to lying me about magic."

Merlin bit back a sigh. So this was where they were now, Arthur constantly holding his lies over his head. "You know, I did tell you before. I told the entire court. It's not my fault you didn't believe me."

Arthur's mouth dropped open, his hands freezing on the way to his mouth. "You told the entire court you have magic? Why?"

"Well…" For some reason, Merlin felt slightly embarrassed. "There was a plague going through Camelot and Gwen's father got sick, so I cured him, even though Gaius said it was too dangerous. Gwen was arrested for practicing magic, so I told the court it was me. I didn't want her to be punished for my crime. But you told the court I only said that because I was in love with Gwen."

"And it's a good thing, too! Father doesn't let people go, he just arrests more people. All you'd do is get yourself killed. Why would you confess your magic to the court of a kingdom where magic's illegal? Do you want to die or are you just an idiotic buffoon with no sense of his own safety?"

Merlin hadn't received a big brother you're-an-idiot lecture from Arthur in a while, and it was odd to receive it from tiny Arthur. Of course at six he'd already perfected words such as idiotic and buffoon. "I had to save Gwen."

"By being an idiot?" Arthur exclaimed. He crossed his arms.

"Just eat your breakfast."

"Merlin?" Gaius stood at the door to his bedroom. "Come here."

Merlin placed his almost empty plate on the bed and slid off. He walked with him out to a table with Gaius. One table was open.

Gaius pointed to a passage. "Read that."

Merlin bent over the book. Creating life via magic is a very tricky process and has a steep price. To create a life, a life must be taken. There is also an interesting side effect with children born through magic: they are almost certain to possess magic themselves. Even if the child does not possess the ability to perform magic on his own, he can channel his magic with the help of an enchanted object, such as a necklace, sword, or staff.

"Oh no," Merlin breathed. This meant the one secret he planned on taking to his grave, the lie he never wanted to confess, had to come out. Arthur had to be told Uther using magic to create him was true. He had to be told he had the ability to perform magic. "Arthur's going to be livid."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Gaius exclaimed. "Merlin, I think that would be a very bad idea."

"I can't keep this from him, Gaius. He deserves to know. If we let him possibly find out on his own, he'll never forgive us or himself. I can't lie to him, not about this."

"Merlin, you cannot tell that young boy his father is responsible for his mother's death and he has the ability to perform magic. He won't be able to handle it," Gaius said.

"Not right now, but when he's older—"

"What do you mean, my father is responsible for my mother's death?" Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin cringed. "Arthur, it's…it's complicated."

"How? Tell me what he did!" Arthur demanded.

Merlin knelt in front of Arthur. "It's not a pretty story. Are you sure you want to hear it now?"

"Tell me!"

Merlin lifted Arthur up and sat him on the table, then sat beside him. "I only found this out about a year and a half ago. A knight rode in and challenged you, and after she won—"

"She?" Arthur exclaimed in dismay.

"She was a very excellent swordsman," Merlin said. "You did have an opportunity to win, but you were too honorable to take it. She promised to spare your life if you did one thing for her, and you promised. She tested your courage, and then offered you the chance to speak to your mother through magic."

Arthur drew in a sharp breath. "That's possible?"

"Only at certain times and locations and with the most powerful of sorcerers," Gaius said.

Arthur's shoulders drooped. "Oh."

"Well, your mother revealed that…" Merlin glanced at Gaius.

"I promised Uther I would not say," Gaius said. "Besides, what can it do now but bring up hurt?"

Merlin scowled. "Gaius, he deserves to know."

Arthur crossed his arms. "If you don't tell me, I'll…I'll throw you in the dungeon!"

"And I won't rescue you," Merlin said.

"I don't think I can—" Gaius started.

Arthur's bottom lip trembled, and his eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, I suppose, just this once," Gaius said. "You have to understand, Arthur, your father loved your mother so much. He would have died for her. He never would have knowingly put her life at risk. But he was desperate for an heir, and Ygraine was barren. So he turned to magic to get an heir. That kind of magic has a steep price, a life for a life. He knew this, but he didn't think your mother would be the one taken. I'm sure he thought the price would be a criminal already condemned to death or someone he didn't know."

"Or maybe even himself," Merlin said. "But these things never work out the way you want. You can offer yourself, but they'll just take your family instead." Bitterness crept into his voice.

Arthur frowned up at him.

"I…tried it once." For some reason, Merlin felt compelled to explain himself. "You were bitten by a monster and were certain to die. I offered my life to save yours, but my mother was dying instead. I was going to try and offer myself again, but Gaius beat me to it. I eventually wound up fighting with an evil sorceress that spread a plague through Camelot and killed her, and everyone else got to live. This kind of magic is an unpredictable mess."

"That's no excuse!" Arthur shouted, hands curled into fists. "My father's the one that chose to sacrifice someone to create me. He chose to do that, knowing the price, and he kills others who use magic even though he did the same!"

"He blamed magic for your mother's death," Gaius said.

"He's the reason! He's the one to blame!" Arthur said. "He deserves to be punished for all the people he's taken just to make himself feel better!"

"You already tried that," Merlin said. "You fought your father and were about to drive your sword through his chest, but I stopped you. I knew you'd never forgive yourself if you killed him, so I talked you down. But because I was in front of Uther, I had to do that by lying. I told you the sorceress that revealed this was lying when she wasn't, but she was trying to get you to kill your father so that she could take the kingdom. You can't give into her."

"I don't care!" Arthur screamed. "My father should pay for what he's done!" He slid off the table and charged towards the door out.

Merlin caught his arms and lifted him up.

Arthur screamed and kicked his legs in the air. "Let me go!"

"Gaius, can you get the magic stuff out of the room?" Merlin asked.

"Gladly." Gaius snatched the magic book and staff up from Merlin's floor and left the room.

"He doesn't deserve to live!" Arthur shouted.

"No, he doesn't, but killing him would still be murder," Merlin said. "I've had multiple opportunities to let assassins take their revenge on him, but I've saved his life. I have more reason than most to want him dead, but I spared him, because killing him or letting others murder him would be wrong. When you calm down, you'll feel the same." He tossed Arthur onto his bed, ran out, and bolted the door.

Arthur thumped against the door.

Merlin ignored him. He dusted off his hands. "If only I'd been able to do that the first time."

"Merlin," Gaius scolded.

"He'll calm down and see reason eventually," Merlin said. "Then when he does, we can tell him about the magic. Besides, how do you think Agravaine would react to a six-year-old trying to kill the king?"

A/N: Again, I don't think Arthur actually can use magic, but I think it would be really cool if he could. Also, this fic kind of ran away from me. I wasn't expecting Arthur to find out about Merlin's magic like that or to be able to do magic himself.