A/N: Thank you SnidgetHex, Buckhunter, GuestM, and Guest for reviewing! Here's the moment you've all been waiting for.

Chapter 2

Armed with this information, Merlin and the others all headed out to find Arthur and fill him in. The castle was dark, and guards were still running to and fro with torches. Merlin found Arthur, Leon, and Gwaine in the great hall, conferring on what to do next.

"It's the thing from the artifact Morgana wanted us to get," Merlin interjected. He explained what they'd found and what they needed to do.

Gwaine scoffed at the prospect of getting out. "We tried that and failed."

"What's Morgana's end goal?" Leon asked. "Will she eventually make herself known and try to take the castle? She can't think to just wait us out until we starve."

As though on cue, a horrendous crack reverberated from outside as the vines busted through the door. More came crashing through the windows, showering bits of glass everywhere.

"You just had to say it!" Gwaine sniped.

"Retreat!" Arthur ordered.

They all went running for the nearest exit as the thorns punched their way inside. They slammed the doors shut and Leon grabbed a tall candelabrum to shove through the handles. The vines thumped against it, but the wood held. For the moment.

But there was the sound of more breaking glass and splintering wood from further down, and they all whirled to see more vines plowing into the castle. Servants and guards tried to scramble out of the way, but several were skewered by the massive thorns and then swallowed by the writhing mass.

"Move!" Arthur yelled, and they all turned to run down an adjoining passage, only to be cut off yet again by more vines making their way inside.

Arthur, Leon, and Gwaine sliced at them with their swords as the rest of them ducked into another hall. Lancelot, Percival, and two other knights were just barreling inside through an opposite door and slamming it shut as well.

"Arthur!" Lancelot called, coming over. "They're everywhere," he reported breathlessly.

"They're going to overtake the entire castle," Leon added.

"Which means we have to get out," Merlin reiterated.

"How?" Lancelot asked.

"The tunnels. If we can't go through the vines, maybe we can go under them."

"What about the rest of the people in the castle?" Gwen asked.

Leon regretfully shook his head. "They're being cut off left and right."

Arthur nodded grimly. "Merlin's right; we can't fight this in here on the defensive. We have to try to get out and find Morgana. So the tunnels it is."

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" one of the other knights asked.

"The servants' entrance is this way," Gwen said, leading them across the hall to the back of the chamber. It was clear of thorns at the moment.

As they made their way down to the bowels of the castle, they gathered up more servants and courtiers they came across, until they were a group of about twenty trying to escape. They filed into the tunnels, Merlin leading the way. But just when they were approaching the tunnel exit, they pulled up short. The passage was filled with thorny vines probing their way inside.

Merlin exchanged a look with Arthur, who raised his sword. Their last encounters may have failed, but this was their one shot. The knights charged, brandishing their blades and torches in an attempt to carve a path through the thorns. But just as before, the flames didn't harm the vines, and for every shoot their swords amputated, more surged in. The knights fought valiantly and desperately, but it just wasn't working.

Then screams erupted from behind them, and Merlin spun. Vines were pushing up through the ground and grabbing at people's legs as they tried to retreat, but they were cut off, trapped between two walls of murderous plants.

The knights split, half remaining at the front to hold off the encroaching vines, the other half to hack at the shoots attacking the people in the rear. It wasn't enough, though. They were surrounded and about to be overrun. Merlin knew he needed to act, he just didn't know how.

Gwen screamed as a vine lashed around her leg and yanked her down, then began dragging her toward the large mass pushing through the tunnel. Elyan dove to the ground and grabbed her arms.

"Gwen!" Arthur shouted, running after them.

Lancelot and Leon immediately leaped toward the fleshy shoot and hacked at it with all their might until it finally broke, and Elyan and Arthur were able to pull Gwen free. But the severed shoot whipped up and out, snapping toward Lancelot and slamming him into the wall, one of the thorns impaling his side. He cried out, then gasped as the thorn jerked back out with a violent squelch and splatter of blood. Lancelot dropped to the ground.

Leon darted over to him, but he was beset by more vines. His sword cast dancing firelight around the tunnel as he swung frantically at the enemy, but there were too many.

Merlin snapped his gaze to the tunnel ceiling, and he shot his hand toward it with an uttered spell. The rocks began to rumble and shake, then came crashing down on the encroaching vines, momentarily distracting them from their attack. Merlin rushed over and helped Leon pull Lancelot off the ground. Silt rained down on their heads as they staggered away from the cave-in, which finally buried the vines in the collapse.

No longer having to fight on two sides, the knights and guards were able to drag everyone clear of the vines coming up through the ground, and once they had all retreated a short ways down the tunnel, Merlin turned back and cast that spell again, causing another cave-in that crushed those vines as well. He held his breath until the dust settled and everything was quiet. That had stopped the thorns. For now. Though it had also blocked their last viable exit from the castle.

Merlin became aware of the stunned silence behind him, and he slowly turned to face everyone. Arthur and the knights were gaping at him, shellshocked. Leon even staggered away from supporting Lancelot, since Merlin was on his other side. Lily rushed forward to take his place.

Merlin swallowed hard. "I can explain…"

"Explain?" Arthur sputtered. "You're a—" His mouth moved soundlessly, as though he couldn't bring himself to say the dreaded word.

"Sorcerer," Leon finished for him.

Some of the guards fidgeted nervously, raising their swords a fraction.

Gwen stepped forward, putting herself between Merlin and everyone else. "We can discuss this later," she said. "Right now we need to move."

"She's right," Merlin agreed. "The vines will probably push their way through again."

"Just…be quiet," Arthur snapped at him. But he nodded and gestured for everyone to head back into the castle.

Merlin shared a pained look with Gaius, Lancelot, and Lily. He'd always known revealing his magic wouldn't go well. And he had no idea what was going to happen now because of it.

Lancelot gasped and collapsed against the wall for a breather, his hand pressed to his side, blood seeping out between his fingers. Lily and Merlin hovered closely, expressions pinched with concern.

Gaius wedged his way between them and pulled Lancelot's hand away to inspect the wound. "We need to stop the bleeding."

"Here," Merlin said, quickly pulling his neckerchief off and handing it over.

Gaius took it and folded it a few times before pressing it against Lancelot's side. He gritted his teeth against the burst of agony that made him want to scream.

"I need something for a bandage," Gaius said next.

Gwen immediately bent over to rip the hem of her opulent dress. Lancelot grimaced at the waste as Gaius and Merlin wound the silken fabric around his torso and tied it tightly. He choked on a garbled cry when they did that.

"We need to find a defensible position," Arthur said. "Some place away from windows and too many entry points."

"There's a servants' common room not far from here," Gwen said.

She took the lead as they made their way there. When they reached the room, they found more people hiding inside. The knights immediately started barricading the doors with tables and chairs while Lily and Merlin helped Lancelot over to one wall and eased him down against it. Once they were all settled, the taut silence returned as Arthur and the knights turned to Merlin again.

"How long have you been a sorcerer?" Arthur demanded.

Merlin stood up. "I'm not. I'm a warlock. I was born with magic. It's not something I chose."

"You've lied to me, all this time."

"I had to," Merlin said desperately. "Magic is illegal in Camelot. I didn't want to keep it from you, it just…never seemed like a good time to tell you, given the circumstances."

"And you thought now was a good time?" Arthur retorted.

"Merlin saved our lives back there," Lancelot spoke up. "And he's proven himself loyal for years. Magic shouldn't change that."

"You accepted my magic," Lily added.

"That's different."

"How? Because all I do is grow plants? You know how easily I could turn that into a weapon; you've seen it. I could also just as easily use my magic to poison rather than heal."

Arthur's jaw ticked. "I know you would never do that."

"And you think Merlin would?"

"I use my magic for you, Arthur," Merlin put in, pleading for understanding.

Arthur turned away from him, shaking his head in dismay.

"You two don't seem surprised by this," Gwaine said to Lancelot and Lily.

Lily met his accusing gaze head on. "Merlin shared his secret with my people when you all came looking for the star lily. He thought the common ground could sway my father."

Gwaine snorted. "But it didn't."

"No."

Lancelot shifted with a grimace. He wished he could stand for this. "I've known since the first time I came to Camelot. Merlin killed the griffin, not me."

"You did kill it," Merlin interrupted with annoyance. "I only enchanted the lance so you would succeed."

Arthur spun back around, flinging his arms out. "Anyone else?"

Gaius stepped forward. "I've also known from the beginning, Sire. Merlin's mother entrusted him to my care, and I took that responsibility very seriously. I also tried to discourage Merlin from using magic." He canted his head. "Most of the time. But it is true that Merlin has often used it to defend you and Camelot."

"And that's supposed to make it better?" Arthur rejoined.

"Shouldn't it?" Merlin replied. "I've always been your friend, Arthur."

"You lied to me!"

"Alright, that's enough," Gwen interrupted. "I understand how shocking this all is, but I've known Merlin since the day he arrived in Camelot, and there is not an evil bone in his body. I understand why he kept this a secret." She turned to Merlin then, eyes sad. "But Arthur's been king for two years now. You didn't think to tell us in that time?"

"I wanted to, I just…I've spent my whole life hiding who I was, afraid of being hated or cast out—or worse. It's not an easy habit to just break."

"You didn't hide it from everyone," Gwaine said bitterly. "Apparently there were a few you trusted."

"It wasn't like that. Lancelot found out by accident. If it hadn't been for that, I never would have told him either."

Lancelot's heart broke at the truth of that, and he was glad he'd been able to be there for Merlin all these years. And he hoped the rest of them could get past this and realize Merlin was still Merlin.

A burst of pain in his side reminded him of the deadly thorns lurking just outside, and he grimaced.

They'd have to survive the night first…