PART TWO : PELTED WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Guards escorted Merlin down the Wrought Iron Stairway to the dungeons and throw him in a cell where he was going to be living from now on - unless the royal asshole suddenly grew a heart, which he doubted very much. The next morning, the same voice from the morning before wakes him.

"Merlin... Merlin..." The deep rumble didn't come from inside his head this time. The warlock hears it coming from the floor beneath him, so he gets up and backs away. "Merlin..." The voice calls again and Merlin moves towards the floor and inspects it.

"Merlin!" Gaius' voice exclaimed, clearly scolding and startling Merlin. The cell door opens and Gaius steps in. The physician heaved a sigh as he watched his ward. "You never cease to amaze me! The one thing that someone like you should do is keep your head down, and what do you do? You behave like an idiot."

"I'm sorry." Merlin apologized, feeling chastised and guilty.

"You're lucky. I managed to pull a few strings to get you released." Gaius finally revealed the reason for his visit. Relief and happiness flowed through Merlin and a blinding beam lifted on the corners of his lips.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" He practically praised the physician. Gaius gives him a disapproving look for being so excited. The warlock reluctantly reigned himself in, instead opting for some thankful words rather than practically dancing around his cell. "I won't forget this."

"Well, there is a small price to pay." Gaius told him and Merlin had a feeling that he wasn't going to like the price he had to pay.

Not long after, Merlin is in the stocks, being pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables by children. The sun blazed down on the lower town. When another piece of rotten tomato hit him, Merlin knew he didn't like the price of his freedom. Still, it was way better than another night in the dungeons.

He look comfort in the fact that it wasn't a certain blonde asshole prince throwing the fruit ans vegetables at him.

"Oh, no." He moaned quietly. Gaius walks past and laughs heartily.

"Thanks!" He said; half-sarcastic, half-serious. Children leave to get more rotten fruit and vegetable and a tan girl approaches Merlin.

"I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen." She introduced in a soft and polite voice. "I'm the Lady Morgana's maid."

"Right. I'm Merlin." He reaches his hand further out of the stocks to shake hers. Gwen brought her hand up to his and shook it with a small smile on her face. "Although, most people just call me Idiot."

"No, no, no. I saw what you did. It was so brave." Guinevere objected earnestly, her face so sincere that Merlin almost believed her.

"It was stupid." He let his head hang again.

"Well, I'm glad you walked away. You weren't going to beat him." Gwen told him. Merlin's eyesbrows rose, wow she knows how to raise someone's confidence.

The brunette snorts. "Oh, I- I can beat him."

"You think? Because you don't look like one of these big, muscle-y kind of fellows."

Merlin stares at her for a long second, noting the gentle look in her eyes. At least she was honest and not purposely trying to be mean. "Thanks."

Guinevere realised how offensive that sounded and started to back track. "No! No, I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just, erm... Arthur's one of these real rough, tough, save the world kind of men, and... well..."

"What?"

"You don't look like that." Gwen told him and Merlin briefly wondered if she had ever got into trouble with her brutal honesty like he did. He motions for her to move closer.

"I'm in disguise." He told her, grin on his face.

Gwen laughs heartily. "Well, it's great you stood up to him."

"What? You think so?" Merlin asked, genuinely curious if people didn't just think of him as an idiot.

"Arthur's a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero." She assured him, kind smile on her face.

"Oh, yeah?" The warlock asked, warmth in his chest.

Guinevere nods, "Mm-hmm." The children return with more rotten fruit and the warlock groaned inwardly.

"Oh, excuse me, Guinevere. My fans are waiting." Guinevere leaves as they start pelting him.This is not so bad, at the very least, Merlin thought as he closed his eyes so that the rotten fruit and vegetables wouldn't get into his eyes, I made a friend.

MERLIN

Later that day, Merlin sits down to eat in Gaius' chambers. His body was aching and he was sure that he'd have some bruises tomorrow morning. Gaius watched his ward eat in silence for a few seconds.

"Do you want some vegetables with that?" The physician honestly couldn't help the jab - Merlin had it coming.

Merlin snorts and took it - in all fairness, he had it coming. "I know you're still angry with me."

"Your mother asked me to look after you." Gaius told him, hoping Merlin would understand the meaning of his words. No matter what, he would always protect Merlin and help him - even when he did stupid things like pick a fight with the blonde royal.

"Yes."

Gaius hesitated, "What did your mother say to you about your gifts?"

"That I was special." He mumbled, shrugging.

"You are special. The likes of which I have never seen before." The physician agreed.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked curiously, frowning ever so slightly.

"Well, magic requires incantations, spells. It takes years to study. What I saw you do was... elemental, instinctive." The white haired man explained as best he could.

"What's the point if it can't be used?" The young warlock questioned, feeling dejected and tired of the day already.

"That I do not know. You are a question that has never been posed before, Merlin." And, if anything, that answer made him feel worse.

"Did you ever study magic?" Merlin questions, curious as to how the man knows so much about magic.

"Uther banned all such work twenty years ago." Gaius answered Merlin's question but it wasn't really an answer.

"Why?" He couldn't help his curiosity, after all, you don't just ban something or pass a law without a reason.

"People used magic for the wrong end at that time. It threw the natural order into chaos. Uther made it his mission to destroy everything from back then, even the dragons." Gaius remembers how the king hunted down witches and warlocks and anything magical within the kingdom. He also remembered how people fled their home in fear of being next - Gaius himself even helped a couple of them flee.

"What? All of them?" Merlin questioned, clearly appalled by the way the king killed anything magical. It also made him a little fearful of the king.

"There was one dragon he chose not to kill, kept it as an example. He imprisoned it in a cave deep beneath the castle where no one can free it." Gaius explained and Merlin wondered for a second if maybe, just maybe, if was the dragon he heard in his head. "Now, eat up. When you've finished, I need you to take a preparation to Lady Helen. She needs it for her voice."

The brown haired boy finished his lunch before leaving Gaius' chambers. He walks up a spiral stairway, across the balcony corridor and enters Lady Helen's guest chamber. He puts the potion bottle on the vanity table and notices an effigy and a special book. He picks it up, curiosity getting the better of him - one day it would land him in trouble. Merlin hears someone coming and puts the book down, trying to cover up the evidence that he was snooping.

"What are you doing in here?" Lady Helen asked, eyes narrowed at the young boy.

"An... I- I was asked to deliver this." Merlin stammed, heart thundering in his chest and picks up the potion bottle from the table. Mary's reflection is revealed in the half-covered mirror behind him. The young warlock hands her the bottle before exiting the room, breathing a sigh of relief when he was out the room.

In the lower part of town, Merlin walks across the Square and passes Arthur and his gang. He ignored them, not wanting to interact with the blonde prat anymore than what is necessary. The Prince seemed to have another idea.

"How's your knee-walking coming along?" Arthur asked, clearly trying to provoke the young warlock. Merlin keeps walking, and Arthur frowned internally. Is the idiot really just going to walk away? I quite enjoyed the way he stood up to me yesterday ans now what? He just ignores me? I am the Prince of Camelot. How dare he? "Aw, don't run away!"

Merlin stops and Arthur hid a satisfied smile. "From you?"

Arthur sighs in relief, still hiding his smile. "Thank God. I thought you were deaf as well as dumb."

"Look, I've told you you're an ass." Merlin points out and finally turns to face Arthur. "I just didn't realise you were a royal one." Merlin smirked, his eyes alight with mischief. "Oh, what are you going to do? Get your daddy's men to protect you?"

Arthur laughs to hide the offence he felt, because he worked his royal ass of to train and be the best swordsman and fighter in Camelot. "I could take you apart with one blow."

"I could take you apart with less than that." Merlin retorted truthfully. He could do it, he just wouldn't. The warlock didn't fancy being murdered because he committed teason.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked, his voice challenging. The knights egged the Prince on, wanting him to take down the skinny boy once again. Merlin takes off his jacket - not afraid to go up against the Prince - and Arthur laughs to hide his surprise. Was he really going to go up against him once more?

"Here you go." One of Arthur's knights hands him a mace, which he tosses at Merlin. Merlin doesn't catch it. He picks it up and oh Gods, what am I supposed to do with this thing? and Arthur starts swinging his mace with ease. The knights kept encouraging their Prince.

"Come on, then. I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth." The blonde stated, arrogant and cocky.

"Wow, and how long have you been training to be a prat?" And you had to give Merlin credit for saying what everyone else wanted to say but no one had the courage to say to Arthur's face.

Arthur snorts a chuckle, tried as he might, he couldn't keep it in. This boy really had a lot of never. "You can't address me like that."

"I'm sorry. H-How long have you been training to be a prat, My Lord?" Merlin gives a little bow, tone completely mocking. Arthur smiles a perturbed grin and starts swinging at Merlin.

"Come on then, Merlin! Come on!" Arthur backs Merlin into the market stalls and crowd continues to gather. Gaius hears the commotion and looks out the Physician's Chambers' window to see Merlin in trouble again. Merlin falls down and Gaius sighs and made his way to the market.

"Haha. You're in trouble now." Arthur was enjoying this fight more than he had enjoyed anything else in his life. Looking into the dark blue eyes, the blonde felt his heart beat speeding up. He frowned, probably from the fighting.

"Oh God." Merlin looks around, slightly frantic, for something to help him. He sees a couple of large hooks and magically entangles them with Arthur's mace. Arthur untangles it and attacks again. Merlin moves a box and Arthur steps into it, banging his shin.

"OW! Argh!" Arthur pursues the brunette again, Merlin tightens a rope on the ground, tripping Arthur. The Prince, for the life of him, couldn't understand why hw is so clumsy today. Merlin picks up the mace and starts swinging it at Arthur.

"Do you want to give up?" He asked furiously.

"To you?" Arthur retorted, voice incredulous and telling everyone that no way in hell would he give up to the gangly looking idiot.

"Do you? Do you want to give up?" He asked confidently, moving in on Arthur with the mace swinging. The Prince backs up, catching his foot in a bucket and falling over backwards. Merlin is thrilled by his victory and looks around the crowd. He spots Gaius in the crowd and pauses, noting the stern look on his guardian's face. Uh oh.

His attention is so focused on Gaius that he doesn't see Arthur's attack coming. The blonde attacks him from behind with a broom, knocking him to the ground with a smug look in his face. Merlin watches as Arthur twirled the broom for show. Guards begin picking the young warlock up and something around Arthur's heart clenched terribly at the sight of his guards taking ahold of Merlin.

"Wait. Let him go. He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one." Arthur looked at the brunette, his icy blue eyes locking on stormy grey ones, the feeling around his heart loosening when Merlin is free from their grasps. The blonde looked at the young warlock, shaking his head slightly. "There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it."

Merlin wisely kept the, and you never will, to himself.

MERLIN

Up in Gaius' chambers, the physician gave Merlin yet another scolding. He was sure that his young ward would cause him to suddenly develop heart problems. Of all people, Merlin had to go use his magic in front of - never mind the loads of people - the future King of Camelot. "How could you be so foolish?!"

"He needed to be taught a lesson." Merlin retorted strongly. The Prince is an arrogant pray that thinks his title gives him the right to treat other people like his play things.

"Magic must be studied, mastered, and used for good! Not for idiotic pranks!" Gaius scolded. He asked the boy to keep out of trouble and what did he do? He picked a fight with the Crown Prince of Camelot.

"What is there to master?" Merlin asked the man in disbelief, huffing lightly. "I could move objects like that before I could talk!"

"Then, by now, you should know how to control yourself!" The physician retorted glaringly.

"I don't want to! If I can't use magic, what have I got?! I'm just a nobody, and I always will be. If I can't use magic, I might as well die." Merlin rants in frustration and goes to his bed chamber. Gaius enters Merlin's chamber with a medical basket.

The white haired man sighed. "Merlin? Sit up. Take your shirt off."

Merlin removes his shirt, revealing bruises that the rotten fruit and vegetables left on his body. "You don't know why I was born like this, do you?"

"No." The physician knows a great many things, but this is something he doesn't know. Gaius tends to Merlin's wounds gently.

"I'm not a monster, am I?" Merlin blurted, looking at Gaius cautiously. The white haired man looks Merlin in the eye.

"Don't ever think that." His voice was firm and it left no room for argument.

"Then why am I like this? Please, I need to know why." Merlin is desperate at this point. He was past wanting and wishing to know why he has these powers. He really needs to know now.

"Maybe there's someone with more knowledge than me." The physician told him, thinking of the dragon beneath the castle - Kilgharrah.

"If you can't tell me, no one can." Merlin muttered and Gaius was a little flattered by the faith the young boy has in him.

Gaius pours potion into a tiny cup, holding it out to the dejected looking Merlin. He would tell Merlin about the great dragon later. "Take this. It will help with the pain."

Author's Note: I'm doing this guys! Oh, my goodness, I am so excited for this story. I hope you guys are to. What did you think of the chapter. Also, the next part will be the ending of Episode 1.