A/N: I am so sorry for all of the issues with this chapter! I have no idea why it doesn't want to exist on the site. Hopefully re-uploading it (again) will fix it. I've also contacted the site to let them know of this trouble!

The Power of Three

Chapter Two: The Poisoned Chalice, Part One

Over the next two weeks, as everyone in the castle prepared for the upcoming visit from King Bayard of Mercia, Arthur watched Merlin closely, intent on discovering any more signs of magic. Whenever he wasn't with Merlin, with his father, or training, Arthur hung around places he knew Merlin to frequent - the armory, where he polished the prince's armor, the kitchens, where he picked up the prince's meals and gathered the water for laundry, and the washing room, where he did said laundry. He'd also tailed him back to the physician's chambers a couple of times and tried his best to listen at the door, but after he'd been caught by a confused Morgana one evening, most likely coming to pick up her sleeping draught, he ceased that particular exercise.

Whatever Arthur had expected to come of spying on his servant, what he discovered was certainly not it. As a whole, Merlin's life was boring. For some reason, after realizing that Merlin had magic, the prince had expected the servant's private life to be more exciting. He had imagined that he would see magic at any moment Merlin thought he was alone, but surprisingly, the boy did all of his chores with his own two hands.

Arthur did discover some things about Merlin, but none of them had anything to do with magic: Merlin hummed what sounded like off-key sea shanties when he was focused on polishing armor, he had a real love-hate relationship going on with the kitchen's overseer (who yelled at Merlin for nicking sweet rolls but obviously took how much Merlin enjoyed them as a compliment and sometimes slipped him an extra on his way out of the kitchen), he complained to Gaius a lot about his chores, and he fit in perfectly with the laundry maids, gabbing and gossiping like he was one of them on his way in and out of the wash room. He also fidgeted all the time, and he paid no attention to his surroundings, which was a little concerning to Arthur, as the servant hadn't even once seemed to even suspect that he was being watched. The prince would have to work on Merlin's awareness over time, because that level of obliviousness would be deadly if he ever followed his master into battle.

As time passed and Arthur grew increasingly tired of paying so much attention to a servant who simply refused to be interesting or do magic within Arthur's line of sight, the royal was about to give up - and was even beginning to doubt what he had seen - or thought he'd seen - in the cave when Gaius sent Merlin out to pick herbs one morning when Arthur was set to be in private council with his father. Uther had canceled at the last moment, and Arthur, with free time on his hands, had managed to catch sight of his servant leaving the citadel just in time to follow him into the outskirts of the Darkling Woods.

When Merlin finally found the area he was looking for, set down his basket, and began his foraging, Arthur settled himself down a ways off between two dense bushes and waited. At first Merlin simply did his job, selectively picking herbs and the occasional mushroom and tossing them in his basket. When he had foraged the area dry, however, and still did not seem satisfied with the payoff, Arthur watched in anticipation as Merlin stiffened slightly, glanced around him furtively, and raised his right hand. Arthur's heart drummed against his ribs, his eyes riveted to Merlin's outstretched hand. Suddenly, he wasn't sure he was ready to see this - what if he had been wrong about Merlin's character and the boy was incanting a wicked spell to attack Camelot? The thought was stupid and fleeting, but still it gave him pause.

After a moment, Merlin muttered some words in a language Arthur could not understand - but that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and sent chills across his body - and the eye that Arthur could see from this angle turned a bright gold. Pale yellow light gathered around Merlin's gangly fingers then shot like fireflies into the surrounding forest - one burst of light came so close to Arthur that it nearly touched him, and it took all of Arthur's self-control not to leap out of the way and reveal his presence. For a moment, nothing happened. What had Merlin done? And then, something - a lot of little somethings - flew out of the trees and straight for Merlin's basket in the middle of the clearing. With a start, Arthur realized that more herbs, leaves, and mushrooms were making a magical pilgrimage straight into Merlin's clutches.

Relief flooded over Arthur, and he felt a bit foolish for getting so worked up. He should have expected that Merlin would be using his magic to cheat on his chores. Maybe he had a bit more self-preservation than the prince had previously thought, since he was only using magic on the tasks that took him out of the citadel, but still Arthur was concerned. If someone else was in the forest and saw Merlin - or even just the unnatural parade of various plant life - he would be in real danger. When he finally spoke to Merlin about his secret, they were also going to have a nice, long chat about what the meaning of the words unnecessary risk was.

Even after seeing Merlin use magic in such a harmless, if lazy, manner, Arthur found that he still had his reservations and continued to delay any course of action regarding the sorcerer. He wanted to trust Merlin - he really did - but all of his life he had heard of the evils of magic, and the idea was so firmly rooted in his mind that it was hard to shake, even when he knew the truth about Merlin's intentions.

I'll keep watching a while longer, Arthur told himself. Just to be sure.

But he was unable to spend as much time tailing the servant in the coming days, as the visit from King Bayard was drawing close at hand. Mercia and Camelot had a bloody past, and were now suspended in a fragile cease-fire. The signing of this treaty would cement that cease-fire into something much more stable and secure. Everything had to go just right, which meant that Arthur spent most of his time now helping his father prepare. Uther was adamant that his son take part in every aspect of the visit, from the preparation to greeting the visiting dignitaries to the feast and treaty-signing.

"You are to be king one day, Arthur, and this is a monumental moment in our kingdom," he impressed upon his distracted son, unaware that Arthur's thoughts were consumed with magic, what he had always thought to be true and what had come to challenge those ideas. "Arthur, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Father."

"Then stop staring at nothing and help me draft the welcoming speech. Bayard and his entourage arrive in three days."

Arthur forced magic out of the forefront of his mind, but still it lingered, impatiently waiting for him to finish his duties so that he could ponder on it once more.

Merlin opened the door to see Morgana on the other side, elegant fist poised to knock. "My lady," he addressed, surprised. "I didn't know you were coming by this evening." Gaius was out on his rounds, and Merlin himself had been answering a sudden summons from Arthur.

Morgana smiled indulgently. "I've told you, Merlin, you don't have to be so formal. We are friends now, are we not?"

Merlin felt his face grow hot. "... are we, my lady?"

Morgana rolled her eyes and squeezed past the servant and into Gaius's chambers, the door clicking shut behind her. She turned, her light blue gown foaming about her feet like the sea at low tide. "I don't see how I cannot call you my friend at this point, Merlin. After all, we share a secret, do we not?" Her eyes glittered like the gemstones that hung at her ears. "After all, a secret of this size cannot be shared by mere acquaintances."

Merlin's own lips curled upward into a sheepish smile. "I suppose you're right, Morgana." The name sounded natural on his tongue.

They stood in silence for several long moments, Merlin feeling somewhat awkward while Morgana's composure remained completely intact. Then her eyes widened with sudden realization - "I just realized that you were going out as I was coming in. Did I interrupt something? Do you need to be somewhere else?"

With her words, Merlin remembered everything that had fled from his mind at the sight of Morgana. Despite her having visited on multiple occasions now with questions about his magic, even requests that he show her some of what he could do - her eyes always alight with wonder and admiration - Merlin still didn't know how to behave around the lady Morgana, especially when running into her so unexpectedly. She was as intimidating as she was beautiful. Other than his own mother, Merlin had never met a woman who spoke her mind so boldly and freely. She stood up for those that many nobles looked down upon, and she fought for what was right. She had accepted his magic without reservation, and had said herself that it was beautiful. She defied Uther, not only her king but also father figure, right under his nose just by keeping Merlin's secret, and she held no fear. Everything about her was fierce and elegant, and Merlin had no idea how he, a lowly servant who had somehow gained her respect by breaking the law, should respond to her.

All those thoughts were dashed out of his mind as her words reminded him that he had indeed been on his way out for a reason. "Oh, no," he muttered. "Arthur's going to kill me. He had only just sent for me."

"At this time?" Morgana frowned. "He should be in council with Uther now."

"He got out early, and he said there's something important he needs to discuss with me. He's going to kill me," Merlin repeated fretfully.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" She gestured to the doorway.

"We?" Merlin queried.

"Well, if Arthur truly is out for blood, you will need someone to protect you," she teased. Her eyes glinting with mischief, she added, "Then again, I think you are perfectly capable of protecting yourself."

Merlin blushed as they made their way down the stairwell leading from Gaius's chambers.

"No matter," Morgana continued. "I will escort you to his chambers regardless. I haven't been able to give Arthur a hard time in a few days' - his ego is surely in need of deflating, and I need a good laugh."

Merlin himself laughed at this, and they made their way together to Arthur's chambers.

"Merlin, there you are," Arthur snapped when the servant knocked. "You're late, though I suppose I should not be surprised at this point." He noticed Morgana standing to the left of Merlin in surprise. "What are you doing with Morgana?"

Merlin opened his mouth, and it was abundantly apparent to the prince that he had no idea how to answer the question, which meant that he was definitely hiding something - apart from the obvious. It was amazing what a horrible liar Merlin was regarding everything but his magic. Arthur crossed his arms over his chest, eager to watch the secret sorcerer fumble, but Morgana swooped in and ruined his fun.

"I was on my way to call on you anyway, Arthur. I ran into Merlin on the way here." Smirking, she asked, "Why did Uther let you out early? Did he finally realize how annoying you are?"

Arthur made a face. "Says the person who came all the way across the castle to take a weak jab at me."

Morgana's eyes narrowed. "Actually, I was wanting to ask you a question about the welcoming ceremony tomorrow, since you have been attending all of those fascinating council meetings."

Arthur groaned. "I still don't know how you managed to get out of so many of them," he complained.

"A girl never reveals her secrets," Morgana evaded mysteriously, and Arthur shook his head in exasperation before glancing over to his servant, who had been watching the exchange wide-eyed.

"You're awfully quiet," the prince noted. "Are you ill?"

"No, I'm just enjoying the show," Merlin commented lightly. "Seems Morgana is even better at insulting you than I am!"

Morgana's laugh tinkled in response. "Why thank you, Merlin."

Arthur watched the exchange through slitted eyes. An idea was forming in his mind, one he couldn't fathom being true, but the evidence was rather damning. Merlin and Morgana had arrived at his chambers together, and though Morgana insisted that they had met along the way, Arthur had his doubts. It seemed far more likely that the two were already together for some reason, especially considering Merlin's hesitation in response to Arthur's earlier question. And now Merlin had casually addressed Morgana without her title, and Morgana had giggled - giggled - in response! Were Merlin and Morgana…?

No, surely not. That would be absurd. How could Merlin ever hope to win the heart of someone so beautiful, and so above his station? And Morgana surely knew that nothing would ever come of it if they were… no. There was no way.

"Are you going to let us in?" Morgana asked blandly, a dark eyebrow raised. Arthur shook himself out of his thoughts, hoping his shock and disbelief didn't show on his face.

"Oh yes, right," he stammered, still reeling over the idea of Morgana and Merlin - NO. He couldn't consider this right now. Once they were both inside, he asked, "What question did you have for me, Morgana?"

She waved him off. "Nothing urgent. Go ahead and talk to Merlin first. I can wait."

Arthur glanced between the servant and the lady and frowned. "I'm sure you don't want to wait around while Merlin and I talk. Go ahead and ask your question, and then you can go back to your chambers."

Now both of Morgana's eyebrows ascended her porcelain forehead in perfect synchronization. "It's very presumptuous of you, Arthur Pendragon, to assume you know what I want."

Arthur shrugged. "Fine, you can stay." He turned to Merlin seriously. "Now, Merlin, I have something very important to discuss with you. There are some changes that are going to happen over the next few days."

The servant frowned his lack of understanding. "What do you mean, change? Are you going to wash your own dirty socks from now on?"

Morgana stifled a laugh with what sounded suspiciously like a snort, and Merlin's grin widened. Oh, great, now they're egging each other on, Arthur groused to himself. Arthur had been considering going easy on the servant, but now there was no holding back. Merlin had done this to himself.

With a wicked grin, Arthur reached behind his changing screen and produced a set of clothing and a hat - a colorful, feathered, archaic hat that servants hadn't been required to wear at feasts in at least five years. Merlin's eyes widened at the fashion atrocity before him. "Wow, Arthur, that's a bold statement. I'm sure you of all people can make it work, though."

Arthur's grin spread into something almost evil. "Oh, no, Merlin. This isn't mine. This is for you."

Merlin blanched. Arthur saw Morgana fighting another giggling fit out of the corner of his eye. It was good that she had stayed. This way, he could humiliate Merlin even further. "It's very kind of you to think of me, Arthur, but you didn't have to get me anything. It's not even my birthday."

"Oh, this isn't a gift," Arthur laughed. "It's the formal attire of the servants of Camelot. You're to wear it to the feast tomorrow." He noticed Morgana's frown; she knew as well as he did that the servants didn't have to wear the hat anymore.

This news seemed to momentarily distract the servant. "You mean I'm going to the feast?" Arthur almost smiled at the excitement in his voice. Almost.

"Not exactly," the prince hedged. "You'll be there as my servant. It will be your honored duty to make sure my cup doesn't run dry."

Merlin considered this carefully. "And I have to wear the costume?"

"Uniform," Arthur corrected. "And yes."

"Even the hat?"

"Especially the hat."

Merlin looked to Morgana as if for help, but she was obviously torn between feeling sorry for the servant and being amused at Arthur's pettiness and offered no assistance at all.

He sighed. "Fine," he agreed. Arthur scoffed - as if he'd ever had a choice in the matter!

"Take these - do not throw them on the floor or shove them into a drawer." He held out the clothes and hat, and the servant reluctantly took them. "My ceremonial armor needs to be polished, as does my ceremonial sword and crown. I'll need you to come and ready me for the welcoming ceremony at first light."

Sighing, Merlin bade the nobles good night and slouched out of Arthur's chambers like he was marching to his death.

Even though it was Merlin's "honored duty" to serve Arthur during the feast, and even though he seemed to be the only servant in the entire hall whose head looked like a peacock trying to attract a mate, the servant found himself thoroughly enjoying the feast.

Uther, it seemed, had spared no expense in an effort to make this feast truly memorable. The rich smell of roast boar and deer and lamb filled the hall with warmth - Merlin had never seen so much food in his life! He hoped that it would be as Gwen had said, that after the feast, if there was enough food left on the serving plates, that the servants could partake. Wine goblets were filled and refilled, the kitchen's coffers somehow never running dry. The entertainment, a troupe bards and a mischievous jester, had even the kings in stitches.

The best thing, though, was the unity that Merlin saw. He didn't know much of the history between Camelot and Mercia, but from what Arthur had told him, death and betrayal reeked from both sides. Seeing these two kingdoms and their kings, once so full of hate for one another, dine side by side, laugh together, drink together… It gave Merlin hope that two foes, diametrically opposed, could one day live in harmony. Maybe the dragon was right. Maybe someday, sorcerers and the kingdom of Camelot could live in peace as well.

For a while, Merlin chatted with Gwen, but for some strange reason, she became a bit cold after their conversation led them to Bayard's pretty serving girl that Merlin had run into, Cara. Scratching his head as Gwen stalked off to join Morgana - who caught his eye and winked - he wondered what he'd said wrong. With a sigh, he glanced over to where he knew Cara to be stationed and was caught off guard when he saw the pensive expression on her beautiful face.

Before he could ponder it any further, however, King Bayard stood up to speak. His words emboldened the entire room, first recounting the decades of bad blood between the two kingdoms and then rallying everyone together under the hopeful banner of peace. The man, though gruff, had a way with words that Merlin admired. It was when Bayard opened the gilded case and removed two ornate goblets that Cara suddenly appeared by Merlin's side. He hadn't even seen her approaching.

"Hi," he whispered. "Great speech, isn't it?" Cara bit her lip, her startling blue eyes dark with concern. "Hey, what's wrong?" Merlin asked, pulling her aside, the back of his neck tingling in sudden foreboding. He felt eyes on him and noticed that Arthur was watching him closely. As soon as Merlin caught the prince's eye, however, Arthur turned back to Bayard's speech, spine stiff like he was on alert.

"I need to speak to you. Now," Cara insisted. "It's urgent."

He followed her swift form just outside of the hall. "What is it?" he asked. When she hesitated, he added, "You can trust me, I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Cara nodded and revealed, "Everything makes sense now. I didn't make the connection until I realized that the goblet was for Arthur."

Warning bells ringing in his mind, Merlin doubled down. "What are you talking about?"

Again, Cara hesitated. "Cara, please. If anyone has threatened you, I will protect you. You have my word. But you have to tell me what you saw. Is Arthur in danger?"

Shakily, Cara nodded once more. "King Bayard, he... " She squared her shoulders, apparently drawing upon the last reserves of her courage. "He laced the goblet. With poison."

Before she had even finished speaking, Merlin had turned on his heel and was pelting into the hall. He felt her eyes upon his back as he sprung to Arthur's aid, and had he turned around he would have seen the triumph raging in them.

Arthur tried to maintain the appearance of interest in the proceedings, but after Bayard's speech had droned on past the five-minute mark, the prince began to check out. It wasn't that he didn't understand the importance of this occasion, but it was quite apparent that Bayard just enjoyed listening to himself talk. Letting his gaze wander, his eyes alighted upon Merlin, who was in intense conversation with a pretty serving girl. Wondering what Merlin was up to, if magic was somehow involved, Arthur watched closely until Merlin snapped his head around and met the prince's gaze. Flushing from having been discovered watching the servant, Arthur swiveled his attention back to Bayard and pretended that nothing had happened.

Bayard poured the wine - one goblet for the king, one for the prince - and proudly toasted the coming age of peace and prosperity. Arthur raised the goblet to his lips to drink - finally - when a sudden disturbance rent the toast.

"No! Don't drink it!"

Instinctively, Arthur jerked the goblet away from his mouth and stared in horror as Merlin bolted toward them, face pale, eyes wild.

The king's glare alone should have vaporized the servant on the spot. "What is the meaning of this?" Uther hissed as Bayard looked on with passive interest.

Ignoring the king and addressing the prince, Merlin repeated, "Don't drink the wine. It's poisoned."

A collective gasp sucked all of the air out of the room and a hush fell over the hall shortly after. Arthur felt his stomach twist in fear - not for himself, he realized, but for Merlin. What was the idiot thinking, making an accusation such as that? It was bad enough that he chose to use magic in Camelot, but at least he did that in secret. Now he was boldly proclaiming treason against a visiting king who was in Camelot to sign a treaty?

Hoping to gain some control over the situation like he had the last time Merlin had caused a stir - that time, he had burst into the council room claiming to be a sorcerer, which, to be fair, he was - Arthur took a step forward and growled, "What are you on about, Merlin? Have you been sneaking wine?" There were a few uneasy chuckles from the attending nobility. No one from Bayard's side so much as cracked a smile. Bayard himself looked poised to kill.

"Bayard laced the wine with poison," Merlin insisted. "Someone saw him doing it."

"Who?" Uther's tone was clipped.

"I can't say," Merlin admitted, and Arthur thought he might kill the servant himself. "I made a promise."

Arthur saw his father's eyes, furious and sharp, dart to Bayard. "Is this true?"

Bayard scoffed. "If this is how you treat your fellow king, then I have misjudged you, Uther Pendragon. I came here for the purpose of peace, the same reason that you invited me here! The boy's accusation is insulting, and I will not stand for it. I demand you hand him over to me, now."

Arthur felt solid ground begin to crumble beneath his feet. "Father-"

The king barrelled over him, addressing King Bayard. "If you are innocent as you say, then you have nothing to fear." He plucked the goblet from Arthur's hands and held it out to King Bayard, who easily reached for it. When he saw how quickly the visiting king accepted the challenge, Uther hesitated; Arthur held his breath. He had a nasty feeling that he knew what was coming and determined to do whatever he could to stop it.

"No," Uther decided, his expression sharper than a blade. "If you truly are a traitor, I want the pleasure of killing you myself." He swiveled to face Merlin, who stood there in a rare show of silence, eyes wide, breathing hard. "He'll drink it."

Again, Arthur intruded, "Father!" This couldn't happen. Not now. Not after Merlin had saved Arthur twice, maybe more, times just since arriving in Camelot. Arthur hadn't even built up the courage to speak to Merlin about his magic yet. Even more pressing, the thought of Merlin dying - whether by poison or Bayard's blade - sent a sickness throughout all of Arthur's being. Merlin had somehow already become a staple in Arthur's life. He was a stupid, scrawny commoner with an enormous secret and more heart than he knew what to do with. He couldn't die.

With a start, Arthur understood something very important and wholly unexpected: Merlin was his friend.

Hardly realizing what he was doing, adrenaline coursing through his veins, Arthur rushd around the table to intersect the hand-off of the goblet. His fingers caught it the same time that Merlin's trembling ones did. "I'll drink it!" Arthur exclaimed.

"No," Merlin defied, "you won't." Unable to hide the fear in his eyes, he wrenched the goblet away from Arthur, brought it to his lips, and drank.

At first, nothing happened. Relief filled Arthur as Merlin uttered, "It's fine."

Then came a new wave of fear as Uther intoned, "He's all yours" to Bayard and the other king drew his sword. Arthur froze, no clue how to fix this. It was one thing to drink poison, but to openly defy the king's orders by stepping in between Bayard and Merlin? Even attempting to fight Bayard off would only delay Merlin's death. Unless… If Merlin used magic to save himself, to flee Camelot, he would be a fugitive, but at least he'd be alive. Arthur opened his mouth to tell Merlin to protect himself, the way only he could, when a strange, keening gurgle sounded from the servant's direction.

The sound of the goblet ringing against the stone floor pierced straight through Arthur's soul.

Morgana shot to her feet as Merlin fell. Beside her, Gwen cried out, tears falling down her face. Inside, Morgana raged at the injustice of it all, but on the outside, she was composed. "Go to him," she ordered Gwen. Her voice was hard, but Gwen would know that it wasn't directed at her. Without so much as a thank you, Gwen had dashed to follow Gaius and Arthur, who had a limp Merlin draped over one shoulder, out of the hall.

Morgana herself wanted nothing more than to go after them as well, but it would not do to call attention to her concern over Merlin, particularly since he was already on such thin ice with Uther as it was. Besides, there was so much chaos erupting around her that she knew it would be prudent to wait. Bayard's men were being rounded up as she watched. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a dark-haired serving girl in Bayard's colors slip out a side door.

Morgana moved out from behind the table and along the wall to reach the door the girl had gone through. Peering around the corner, she was surprised to see that the woman, whoever she was, was already gone.

Gwen sat at Merlin's bedside, pressing a cold compress to his already boiling forehead. It was so petty now, she thought, being frustrated at the attention Merlin was paying the other serving girl. Why had she been so cold with him? Guilt festered inside her as she dunked the compress back into cold water.

She listened as Gaius and the prince discussed their course of action. Not long ago, Gwen would have been surprised to see Prince Arthur so urgently trying to save a servant's life. Looking down at the pale, pinched face of her friend, Gwen saw clearly what - or who - had started this change in Arthur. The prince had, not long ago, stood up for Gwen herself, and, according to both Merlin and Morgana, had much to do with her charge of witchcraft being dropped.

"The journey to attain the Morteus flower will not be easy," Gaius warned Arthur. "No one has come back from the caves alive." Gwen's heart skipped a beat. Merlin huffed in pain and she re-applied the compress, soothing, "Shhh."

"He saved my life," Arthur insisted stubbornly. "More than once." The way Arthur said it was almost as if he knew something that she did not. "I won't let him die."

"Your father will never allow you to embark on such a journey." Gwen knew that Gaius was only speaking the truth, but irritation welled within her. It almost sounded like Gaius didn't want Arthur to obtain the cure. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the heaviness on the old physician's already slumped shoulders, the deep lines of misery around his eyes, and instantly she regretted the anger she had felt towards him. Gaius was suffering, too, perhaps more than any of them.

"It's not his call to make." Arthur's voice was the sound of heels digging firmly into gravel. His voice softening, he made his way into Gwen's line of sight. For some reason, she found herself reddening as they locked eyes. Looking away from her and setting his gaze on the gasping servant, he asked, "How long do I have?"

Every word drooping with ten times its weight, Gaius answered, "The Morteus poison induces a slow and painful death. He may last four days, five at the most. Eventually, though, he will die."

Arthur's gaze still on his suffering servant, Gwen watched as determination locked into place. "I will be back as soon as I can. Keep him alive until then."

"We will do our best," Gaius promised. "Be safe, Sire."

Forty minutes later, Arthur stormed into his chambers, ears buzzing as the injustice of his father's words ate away at him.

Because his life's worthless?

No, because it's worth less than yours!

This was not the kind of kingdom that Arthur wanted to rule someday, one that sacrificed the life of its people, citing the notion that some people, merely because of the family they were born into, were worth more. He did understand that sometimes hard choices had to be made for the greater good - cordoning off the lower town during the plague, for example, had been an attempt to stop the sickness from spreading to the more populated areas, and whether Arthur had liked his father's method or not, it had undoubtedly kept death from spreading as far as it could have.

But this? The cruelty of his father astounded him. Merlin had not only risked his life in revealing to the king that the goblet was poisoned, but he had drank said poison and saved Arthur's life doubly! If anything, Merlin was a hero in this situation, but the king would insist that he was just doing what every commoner should do - putting the life of his royals ahead of his own. Arthur was capable and strong. His father knew this. And yet Arthur was ordered to stay in Camelot and watch the man who had saved his life, and Morgana's - sorcerer or not - die a horrific death.

"Arthur."

With a start, the prince spun to see Morgana silhouetted in the light from his open doors. Her shoes clicked on the stone as she entered.

"Morgana. I'm sorry; I should have checked on you earlier. Are you all right?"

Even in his unlit chambers, with only the light from the torch-lit hallway outside, Morgana's eyes flashed. "I'm fine." She glanced at Arthur's sword which he'd placed on his table. "Are you giving up so easily?"

"Morgana-"

"Arthur Pendragon, I cannot believe you would let your father bully you into taking the easy way out! I never took you for a coward."

"Morgana!"

"You cannot let Merlin die, not like this! If you knew the things he has done for you-" She suddenly snapped her mouth shut, as if she had said too much.

Turning to face her fully, Arthur asked, "What has he done for me, Morgana?"

Regaining her composure, Morgana huffed, "You know! He saved your life when the old woman attacked you. And just now, with the poison."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "I know about that already. You implied that there were things he's done for me beyond what I am already aware of."

He watched her eyes widen almost imperceptibly. She deflected, "Is now really the time to be questioning me, Arthur? Merlin's in danger, and you're standing around interrogating me. It's been a long day. I misspoke."

Arthur highly doubted that - Morgana was not one to say anything but what she meant, even in times of stress - but she was right. Now was not the time for this. They would revisit this later, after he had found the antidote.

"Fair enough," he granted. "And Morgana? You also misspoke when you implied that I am not intending on going after the antidote."

She stepped back in surprise. "You are? But, your father-"

"If there's one thing you've taught me over the years," Arthur responded cooly, "it's that sometimes you have to do what you know to be right, damn the consequences."

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Morgana's red lips. "Then what are you doing back here?"

Casting an incredulous look her way, Arthur indicated the satchel thrown haphazardly onto his bed. "I'm… packing?"

"I'm proud of you, Arthur." The words touched Arthur more than he would have expected, and he cleared his throat.

"Well, I had better hurry and finish packing. I've got a ways to go, and Merlin doesn't have much time."

Getting past the guards his father had stationed at the gate was easier than expected, and shortly Arthur was on his way to the Caves of Balor. Gaius had shown them to him on a map, and had estimated that they were at least four or five hours away, even on horseback. Although Merlin apparently had several days until death claimed him, Arthur moved as swiftly as possible, not wanting to take any chances. Besides, he had witnessed first-hand the pain that the poison was already inflicting upon Merlin's system. It would be cruel to allow him to suffer longer than necessary while Arthur took his time.

As he rode, Arthur kept his keen eyes on the lookout out for any signs of danger, but all was clear. Despite the desperation and peril of the situation, Arthur couldn't help but enjoy the cool air on his face, the wind in his hair, and the sound of the horse's hooves thundering across the terrain. Because of all of the preparations for Bayard's visit, this was the first time that he had spent any substantial amount of time out of the castle other than a hunt or two - and the one time he'd tailed Merlin into the Darkling Woods.

At the thought of his servant, he sobered. He hoped that he had not waited too long to have that talk with Merlin. He'd been so cautious, harboring doubts even when it was obvious that Merlin was no evil sorcerer, and now he might die without ever knowing that Arthur was grateful he had shown that magic could be used for good.

I was waiting and watching to make sure he was truly loyal to me, and to Camelot, Arthur thought grimly. If drinking poison for me isn't certain proof of his loyalty, then I don't know what is.

He would retrieve the antidote, save Merlin's life, and then have that talk with Merlin.

And then he'd figure out just what the hell was going on between him and Morgana.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story: drew1998, Vanvdreamer, Gingeraffeaelene, oma13, emrysmorgan, tea and biscuits for me, Nimbus Llewelyn, Cdnacho98, EmrysOfStorybrooke, Loopstagirl, Unformal Sorrelle, Anarra, Guest, and HalloumiHermit! And thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, and favorited! (Note, to the anonymous reviewer DREW1998 who reviewed with a question - the answer is unfortunately probably not. That's not to say I won't write for that fandom ever again, but I just don't have inspiration for it right now. I appreciate your asking, though.)

I ended up breaking this monster of an episode into two parts, because when I had finished it, it was a whopping 11,000ish words! The next part will come next Saturday. It's already written, so you will definitely get it on time. I'm spacing out updates because I want to be able to write ahead to provide more regular updates for you all in the long run. Oh, and sorry for the magic discussion fake-out lol. I couldn't resist. The real thing will be happening soon, though, I promise!

Also, I did want to clarify that my aim is for each chapter (or chapters lol) to be its own relatively self-contained "episode," but I'm not planning on following this format slavishly. Also, just a reminder that - as I am sure you could tell from this episode - from here on out I am not taking dialogue directly from the episode (I'm not even pulling up a script or having the episode on hand). I am using elements and plot points to varying degrees from each episode, but my plan from the beginning was not to rewrite each episode just enough to fit Arthur and Morgana knowing about the magic in it, but to create my own story out of that concept and what we've already been given. Some "episodes" may be more similar to the original than others, but none will be carbon copies of the show with minimal edits. :D

Anyway, I would love it if you would tell me your thoughts on this part! Chapter three will be up next week! :) Thanks again, everyone!

~ Emachinescat ^ .. ^