Memory Trials

by MegRising

Destiny has gone wrong and it's time for someone to interfere. Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, Hunith, and the knights must discover secrets they never knew and change destiny before it's too late. A watching the show fanfic.

4. Valiant

Chapter Text

Valiant

I decided to change the tense of the story so please ignore the tense issues before this chapter. I decided to do the memories in the past and the current situation in the present. It makes much more sense to me, but I can't go back and change the previous chapters right now.

Thank you for reading!

Arthur pulls Merlin aside to stand near the windows. Everyone else is chatting amongst themselves. They give them spaces but the two aren't fools and know that they are being watched.

"So you were born with magic?" asks Arthur. "And you've been using it the entire time you've been in Camelot to protect me and everyone else?"

"Exactly," says Merlin. "I am sorry I had to lie to you, but I didn't see any other way."

"I think I'm starting to understand," says Arthur. "But something I don't understand is why you told me just a few days ago that magic had no place in Camelot? I was open to listening thanks to the Disir's choice. I was rethinking everything. You understand? The literal gods of the Old Religion were telling me I was wrong. Why did you tell me there can be no place for magic in Camelot?" asks Arthur. "I know you're no hypocrite so you can't say you meant what you said. I just don't understand why you would say what you did."

Merlin sighs. He wants to avoid this conversation for as long as possible, but he needs to be honest.

"It's complicated Arthur," says Merlin.

"Try me," says Arthur.

"I promise you Arthur, you'll find out in a few memories, you can yell at me then," says Merlin. Arthur can see Merlin is visibly uncomfortable, but figures now is not the time to push.

"Fine. Though tell me this have you ever actually been to the tavern on your own?" says Arthur in a poor attempt to lighten the suddenly tense atmosphere.

"Er no. Gaius is just terrible at coming up with excuses," says Merlin.

Gauis scoffs at that remark.

Arthur gives Merlin a look.

"Alright, well I am interested in seeing exactly what you've done with it through this process. It will help me understand you better. I have a feeling I've missed a lot these last few years and I want to know the truth now. I'm holding you to your promise, no more lies Merlin," says Arthur.

"Absolutely Arthur. No more lies. I know there are some things you won't be happy about, but I don't want to lie to you anymore, it's honestly exhausting," says Merlin.

"Well good," says Arthur. He is glad he finally understands the one thing about Merlin he could never pin down all these years. He could finally understand Merlin completely. He remembers all those times throughout the years when Merlin had been in an odd mood, and he never found out why. He has a feeling it isn't always going to be pleasant or funny, but he is tired of being kept in the dark about things. He's always felt there were things Merlin and Gaius didn't tell him and he is glad those days are hopefully over now that he knows the truth. They could trust him with the truth now.

Arthur just needs to make sure their faith in him isn't misplaced.

Gwaine is glad he can finally understand Merlin as well. He's always felt there was something he was missing with Merlin. There were many times he noticed Merlin have an odd look or an odd reaction that he couldn't place. Gwaine always tries to make sure Merlin knows he was his friend first, but he knows that recently things have been different between them. Merlin comes to him a lot less and they barely spend any time together. Gwaine is busy with his new responsibilities and feels the distance between them grow. Though he never planned for a situation like this he is hoping to understand both Arthur and Merlin better. He knows they will learn about him, and he is trying to come to terms with it. Merlin and Arthur's life is on display for everyone, and they are handling it extremely well, he could handle it too.

Gwen is happy and relaxed for the first time in a long time. A bit funny considering their situation but for the longest time they were always worried about Morgana's next step. They never had any time to relax and take time for themselves. This experience is really giving them the chance to talk and get to know each other better. She knows this will be good for the future. Gwen has noticed Merlin always seems to carry a burden she doesn't understand. She always wondered why Merlin accompanied Arthur everywhere and how they both always come out unscathed. Now that she knows the truth she can't help but imagine how hard that must have been for him, handling so much on his own. She suddenly wonders if Merlin does come out unscathed, she frowns at the thought. At least through this process, they will all become closer, she knows it isn't just Merlin who keeps things to himself.

Leon always admired Merlin if he is being honest. He is technically a servant, yet he always follows Arthur into battle and other dire circumstances. Now that Leon knows the truth it doesn't make the courage any less, but it helps Leon understand the sacrifices and burden Merlin's carried all these years. He understands this to an extent. Leon hasn't always agreed with King Uther's practices and rulings and the burden of following what he believes to be unjust rules is a hard one to carry. He always tried to contain King Uther and did what he could to make sure innocent people were safe but as the years went by it got harder and harder. He would never resort to treason, but he is glad Arthur is much more levelheaded than his father. He listens to his people and respects other's opinions. Leon is happier by far to serve him.

Elyan feels weird. He has no idea of any of the things that happened before he came to Camelot all those years ago. He knows that Merlin and Gwen are really close and when he first met Merlin, he didn't understand. Though he soon got to know Merlin and finally understood why he is so important to Gwen. He still never understood the faith Gwen has in Merlin, but now he has an idea. He is forever grateful that Merlin was there for Gwen all these years while he was away finding himself. He has a feeling he is going to be even more grateful after watching these memories.

For a long time, Gaius was beginning to think he would never see the day Albion came to be. When Merlin told him what happened when he tried to heal Uther, he began to worry that he would die before he saw the day Merlin was recognized for all that he had done for Camelot. Now to see him smiling and relaxed and talking to Arthur happily with no more secrets, Gaius knows that if he dies now, he would die happy with hope for the future.

Hunith had missed so much of Merlin's life these last few years. She wanted to be a part of his life but understood that he is a grown man now and there are things she can't help him with. She always knew he was meant for more than a quiet life of farming. In the past, she sometimes doubted her decision to send him to Gaius and Camelot but now she could see she was right. Her boy is meant for a great destiny, and she is happy to see it coming to pass. He looks so at peace with his friends now that they know about him and are getting a chance to understand him better. She is beyond happy that his friends have proved true, and they accepted him for who he is. She hopes that would stay true for what they were to watch. She is happy if not worried about what she will see. She knows he's been through a lot, and some of what he's done he isn't proud of but she knows her boy and that he always tries to do what he feels is best. When Merlin was young, she had feared for his life nearly every day due to his gifts. These past few years he'd been away, she held her breath in fear that news would come of his death. Now for the first time in a long time, she didn't fear for this life. For the first time in a long time, she could breathe.

Pahoren finally allows himself to hope for the future. Arthur had proved to be the king of legend and handled the knowledge of Merlin's magic better than he thought possible. When he was first assigned this task, he wasn't sure he would be able to handle it but he could see now more than ever that there is hope for the future, at least for now.

"Are you all ready for the next memory?" asks Pahoren shaking himself from his thoughts.

Affirmatives were given all around the room. Everyone settles back into their respective seats.

"Wonderful now as I said it will start as soon as it recognizes everyone is ready and there is nothing else you need to do," says Pahoren.

"That's fascinating," says Merlin.

"I again must be off, but I'll try and come back and check in near the end to see if you need anything," says Pahoren.

"Thank you, sir," says Lancelot.

With that Pahoren leaves again through the double doors.

"I still say he's hiding something at the very least," says Gwaine.

"Let it go for now Gwaine, there isn't anything we can do right now," says Leon.

Gwaine shrugs but says nothing else.

A man walked up to a big, pitched tent.

"I understand you have a shield for me," said Valiant as he entered the tent.

"Ugh this guy," says Merlin. Arthur frowns at the Valiant as well, not fond of this particular memory.

"What did this guy do?" asks Gwaine.

"What else?" says Merlin. "Tried to kill Arthur."

The merchant, Devlin, motioned for him to come behind the counter.

"With your swordcraft and this shield, I guarantee you'll win," said Devlin

"Show me how it works," Valiant demanded.

"Certainly," said Devlin, "Tharanai im bis entra ofra honra stolle."

The painted snakes on the shield came to life and slithered out of the shield.

"When you're competing in the tournament, you pin your opponent under the shield, a snake strikes. Your opponent will be paralyzed. The snakes are now under your command. They will do anything that you tell them to do," he explained while handing him the shield.

"Anything?" asked Valiant.

"Something tells me this won't end well for that merchant," says Leon.

"I have a feeling you're right," says Merlin.

"Just say the word," Devlin said. He and Valiant laughed.

Valiant quickly stopped laughing and looked at the shield. He looked back at Devlin and said, "Kill him."

A snake darted out from the shield and attacked Devlin.

"How did he not see that coming?" asks Elyan. He's seen his fair share of shady dealings in the marketplaces and most people in the business prepared themselves for these outcomes.

Valiant rode for Camelot and placed his helmet and seal on the registration table.

"Knight Valiant of the Western Isles. I'm here for the tournament," said Valiant.

"Welcome to Camelot," said the Steward as he wrote the information down.

"Just in the future Arthur if you hold another tournament without vetting contestants or deciding on clearly defined rules I will without hesitation do all I can to put a stop to it until those requirements are met. You will not be able to stop me," says Merlin staring Arthur down.

"Oh, come on tournaments are fun! Why do you hate them so much?" asks Arthur in amusement.

"The number of times I've had to save your life or your father's life because of tournaments alone is ridiculous. I'm serious about the requirements from here on out," says Merlin.

"He has a point, Arthur. That one tournament with no rules seems particularly inadvisable," says Leon.

"You almost died in that tournament, I'd say Merlin wins this one," says Gwaine. He remembers sneaking onto the grounds and just barely stopping that one miscreant from killing Arthur. Fun times.

"Fine, fine," says Arthur grudgingly. He supposes they all have a point. He's been meaning to set up another tournament soon and reviewing the rules would be a good idea beforehand.

Arthur was training on the castle grounds in his standard armour without his helmet. Merlin was wearing armour with a helmet and shield.

"Ready?" asked Arthur

"Would it make any difference if I said no?" asked Merlin.

"Not really," said Arthur.

Merlin drew his sword. Arthur attacked.

"Body. Shield. Body. Shield," Arthur said while hitting the named part.

"Shield," said Merlin as he tried to keep up with Arthur.

"Arthur what are you beating him up for?' asks Gwaine hotly.

Arthur holds his hands up defensively, "I honestly had no idea he was going to be that bad. He nearly beat me in the fight in the last memory so I thought he could handle this. Also, I didn't want to practice with the other knights this close to the tournament in case they learned my moves too much. They were also all already busy finding their own ways to practice so no one was available."

"Still," says Lancelot, "That looks like you are hitting pretty hard."

"Maybe a little too hard," admits Arthur. He can feel the hits of pain at each strike in the memory. It doesn't feel pleasant. "Sorry Merlin."

"No worries, honestly, I needed the toughening up for the future. While I wasn't happy about it, your little practice sessions saved my life in the future because I was able to take a hit," says Merlin.

Arthur frowns at that but is comforted that his harsh practices were useful in some respect. It alleviated some but definitely not all of the guilt for his past actions.

"Head," said Arthur. He knocked Merlin on the head with his sword.

"Head? Ow," said Merlin.

"Come on, Merlin. You're not even trying," said Arthur.

Arthur tagged Merlin in the back.

"Ow! I am," said Merlin.

"I was," says Merlin. "I'd barely ever held a sword before. I had no need of one in Ealdor for the most part."

"Really?" asks Gwen.

"Yeah, it was pretty peaceful with the rare exception and when those kinds of situations did happen, I was too young to help by holding a sword," says Merlin.

"But I'm guessing you helped anyway?" asks Percival.

"Yes, I had my ways," says Merlin smiling as his eyes flash gold. He is still worried about actually using magic without Arthur's permission, but he wants to see everyone's reaction to an outward display of looking like a sorcerer.

Gwaine smirks and says nothing.

Percival looks interested in the display.

Gaius rolls his eyes.

Gwen looks surprised but calms down quickly.

Hunith shakes her head in exasperation.

Elyan looks alarmed but also calms quickly with a look at everyone else.

And Arthur, Arthur is smiling.

Merlin is happy with that for now and they move on.

"Once more," said Arthur.

"Oh, no," said Merlin.

"To the left. To the right. And left. Head," said Arthur as he maneuvered to those points.

"Ow!" said Merlin.

"Oof," says Arthur at the pain, "Sorry Merlin."

"I already said it's fine Arthur," says Merlin smiling. He honestly believes without those harsh training sessions he or Arthur would be dead by now. It wasn't pleasant, but it was for the best.

"I'm glad he's saying it, you look pretty hurt," says Hunith worrying.

"I was fine mum, it only hurt a little and I felt much better in a few days," says Merlin.

"Alright I'll let it go, for now," says Hunith.

"Come on, Merlin! I've got a tournament to win," said Arthur in annoyance.

"Can we stop now, please? Ow! Shield. Body," said Merlin.

"Shield," said Arthur.

"Shield. Ah," said Merlin.

Arthur hit him on the head.

"Ow," said Merlin.

"King Arthur?" asks Hunith.

"Yes Hunith?" asks Arthur a bit shyly.

"You best remember what I said before, don't hurt my boy anymore okay?" demands Hunith.

"I remember I'll keep my word," says Arthur. Arthur can't imagine trying to hurt Merlin on purpose anymore. It saddens him how much pain he can feel through the necklace right now. He honestly wishes he could give himself a smack on the head. He is however going to keep his word and never hurt Merlin like this again.

Merlin toppled over backward, and his helmet rolled off.

"You're braver than you look. Most servants collapse after the first blow," said Arthur.

"Most servants?" asks Gwaine angrily.

"I didn't usually train with my servants but after an incident I made sure to train with them all. Essentially on one of our routine patrols my manservant got seriously injured. From then on especially in the beginning of training for my manservants I've always done at least some fighting training so they can protect themselves better. It didn't usually start off like what I'm doing here but I really needed to train for the tournament, and I thought he would be better than that," Arthur explains.

"You said most servants? Did you go through many servants, before Merlin?" asks Percival. He wasn't fond of the way Arthur was treating Merlin in the memory, but he knows there had to be more to the story. They all had seen Arthur and Merlin's relationship and the way Arthur would mess with Merlin and Merlin mess with him right back. This may not have been the case early on but it was still unlike Arthur to do this kind of thing, their meeting aside.

"Well, my father forced many manservants on me over the years. I didn't appreciate it much in the beginning. I didn't want some adult following me around and telling me what I needed to do and where I needed to be. I ran them off. Finally, father started assigning people to the post who were around my age, but they just were never quite right. They got afraid of everything and were impossible when going out on patrols or got too annoying honestly. Some of them just quit because of the demands of the job, others because they couldn't handle my gentle teasing, some for reasons unknown. Just before Merlin came Father gave up on assigning me a specific manservant, I just used whoever was nearby. Morris ended up kind of having the title because I was nearly Crown Price and needed a manservant more than ever. Neither of us particularly liked each other," says Arthur.

"Arthur got bored," says Gwen. "I saw him all the time trying to goad his servants into responding with jokes and pranks, but they were always the epitome of politeness. It grated on him like nothing else does. He expects it from the nobles and most people in town but being around someone all day treating you so politely can irk you; it has started to grate on me now that I am queen," says Gwen. She remembers arguing with Arthur that she didn't need a personal servant. She only acquiesced because he explained that she needed to look the part of Queen for people to believe in her. She already doesn't have royal or even noble blood, she has to work harder to look the part.

"It's true, they were mostly annoying," says Arthur gruffly. He takes Gwen's hand and kisses it. He knows he chose the right wife all along but it is times like this when she understands him completely that makes him feel whole. He can't imagine not having a wife like Gwen who understands him like she does. He hopes that he does the same for her but sometimes he worries.

"Is it over?" Merlin asked tiredly.

"That was just the warmup. How's your mace work coming along?" asked Arthur.

Arthur swung a mace over his head.

Merlin sighed.

"My mace work had indeed not been coming along," says Merlin.

Merlin walked into the Physician's Chambers, losing his armour as he walked further into the room.

Gaius chuckled and asked, "So, how was your first day as Arthur's servant?"

Merlin held a hand to his head and asked, "Do you hear clanging?"

Merlin sat at the table wearing his tunic. Gaius massaged Merlin's shoulders.

"Ah!" Merlin exclaimed at the pain.

"It was horrible, and I've still got to learn all about tournament etiquette by the morning. Onhríne chtung bregdan!" said Merlin as he looked at a book.

After he cast the spell, a book slid to Merlin on the table and it opened.

"Oi!" said Gaius as he slapped the back of Merlin's head.

"What've I told you about using magic like this?"

"I've tried to tell him many times to be careful," says Hunith with exasperation.

Arthur discreetly rubs his head and only Merlin and Gwen notice. Merlin rolls his eyes.

"It seems pointless," says Gaius.

"If I could actually feel my arms, I'd pick up the book myself," said Merlin defensively.

"Never mind your arms. What do I do if you get caught?" said Gaius.

"What would you do?" asked Merlin as he looked up at Gaius.

"I'm not even sure what made me ask that," says Merlin. "I think I was just nervous that someone I didn't know well knew everything about my magic, so I said all sorts of things."

"Well, you just make sure it doesn't happen, for both our sakes," said Gaius evasively.

Gaius went back to treating Merlin's shoulders.

"Ah!" Merlin complained as Gaius shoved his shoulder. "I save Arthur from being killed and I end up as a servant. How is that fair?"

"It's really not mate," says Gwaine.

"Right? Mordred saves his life and is knighted, and I get a position as a servant," Merlin rolls his eyes.

"My father gave you that position Merlin, there was nothing I could do after that. I can't knight a servant and even if I wanted to you just, you just aren't a knight," says Arthur. He is rubbing his shoulder but stops to shrug then resumes.

"That's correct I'm a warlock, glad you know your people Arthur," says Merlin rolling his eyes.

Arthur wants to defend himself. Merlin misunderstood him. His father, while vastly misguided, actually had done Merlin a favor in terms of court life. His father could never have knighted a man like Merlin, especially with what he was like when he arrived. Arthur might have if he'd been King but he was only a Prince at the time. The position as his manservant is one of the most prestigious roles in the castle and for a peasant like Merlin it is the most a person could hope for. At least before he was King. He let the point stand because Merlin is technically right, he is meant to be exactly what he wis, not a knight or a servant but a Warlock, and Arthur is finally going to understand what that means.

"I'm not sure fairness comes into it. You never know, it might be fun," said Gaius.

Merlin scoffed, "You think mucking out Arthur's horses is going to be fun? You should hear my list of duties."

"We all have our duties. Even Arthur," said Gaius.

"It must be so tough for him with all the girls and the glory," said Merlin sarcastically.

"He is a future king. People expect so much of him. He's under a lot of pressure," said Gaius.

"It's actually this incident that made me realize that there was a lot I didn't know about you Arthur. I mean there was more to you than I thought when I first met you," says Merlin.

Arthur raises his eyebrow at that and can't wait to see where this is going. He knows his side of this story but he knows he must have missed some magic along the way.

He pressed hard on Merlin's arm.

"Ah! That makes two of us," said Merlin.

"You know, even though you didn't know it at the time, it seems as if you both had a lot in common. Arthur obviously had to prepare to be king and had a lot of responsibilities as Prince. He had to do what Uther no longer could or no longer wanted to do. Merlin had to do everything that no one else could. You both had to take care of magical threats even if you did it in different ways. You both had the fate of the kingdom on your shoulders," says Hunith.

"I never thought of it like that really," says Merlin. "But it's true."

"Only I didn't have to hide the weight of it all or fear for my life," says Arthur thoughtfully.

"Well, you feared for your life sometimes, I mean I know I did," remarks Merlin.

"True, and I fought evil magic knowing a lot less about it than you did, though not often by choice," says Arthur. He always tried to argue with his father about how they fought the magic, especially when Gaius argued against it. His father, as he'd grown older, had stopped listening to reason. It is getting easier and easier to see as he gains more experience as King.

"But at least now and in the future, you can share that burden better. I mean Arthur and you will know it's no longer all on either of you alone to fight the evil magic, and you won't have to fear for your life or hide your power from us which I'm sure will make evil magic much easier to fight," says Gwen.

Arthur and Merlin smile for different reasons. Arthur at the thought of again understanding why Merlin never took him seriously when they discussed fighting magic, evil magic now he corrected himself. He'd grown frustrated at times that Merlin could be so cavalier when planning but he knows now that Merlin knows more than he does about all of it. Arthur chuckles to himself.

Merlin was smiling at not having to hide the burden, at being taken seriously, and the fact that both Arthur and Gwen referred to fighting against evil magic and not magic in general.

Merlin brought Arthur's armour to Gwen's house and spread it out on the table. Merlin is dressed in some of the armour.

"So," Gwen said, "You've got voiders on the arms."

She tapped on the voiders.

"Mmhhmmm," Merlin nodded in acknowledgment.

"The hauberk goes over your chest," said Gwen as she tapped on the hauberk.

" The chest. The arms. The chest," said Merlin repeating as he tapped the pieces.

"I guess you know what to do with the helmet," said Gwen smiling.

"Erm, yeah. Yeah, that was the only bit I'd figured out," said Merlin.

"You really never dealt with armour before this?" asks Elyan.

"Nope. I was too young to ever help with armour when we needed it. My friend Will had his father's armour and we messed around with it. His mum was really attached to it and we were too young to understand its importance. His mum yelled at us once for touching it and we never went near it again. I certainly never helped put it on," says Merlin.

"Why did you not get proper training? All the manservants are supposed to go through basic training and then have specific training for their position after that?" asks Arthur confused.

"What?" asks Merlin.

"It's true. I did wonder why you came to me; I just figured you wanted to go over it a bit more but I went through training as well and then special training in order to be Morgana's maidservant," says Gwen.

"No one ever told me I was supposed to go to training! And no one ever gave me a time or place to go to get it!" says Merlin indignantly.

"It might have been because of how quickly you were appointed….they might have forgotten to schedule it or just assumed you already knew what you needed to do. It's not often that someone gets promoted to the Prince's personal manservant the way you did. Typically, you have to rise up in the ranks,, plus things were getting crazy around this time because of the tournament," says Arthur.

"You know we can still put you through more training with George if you want? He currently runs the training whenever we have someone new?" asks Arthur with a grin.

"No thanks I'm good now," says Merlin quickly. He can't believe that all his early troubles with the job would have been solved if someone had remembered to schedule his training.

Arthur again got insight into Merlin. He knew the first couple months he'd been really hard on Merlin and only now did he understand why Merlin had been so bad. He'd assumed all this time that Merlin went through normal training like anyone else. It was a shock to learn that Merlin had to figure it out as he went along. At least Merlin is as efficient as he is today.

Gwen laughed.

Merlin put the helmet on.

"How come you're so much better at this than me?" asked Merlin.

"I'm the blacksmith's daughter. I know pretty much everything there is to know about armour, which is actually kind of sad," Gwen explained frowning.

"No, it's brilliant!" said Merlin.

Gwen smiled.

"Everyone I'd met before this besides Morgana always thought it was odd that I knew so much about armour. I hid it most of the time," says Gwen.

"That's ridiculous. Just because you know more about armour doesn't make you odd or any less a woman," says Arthur rolling his eyes.

"Exactly. I really appreciated your knowledge when I came to Camelot. And it has benefited us all at one point or another," says Lancelot.

Gwen smiled again. She's always felt odd about how she'd grown up with just her brother and father. Then just her father when Elyan left. Her mother unfortunately died when she was just a young girl and without that influence, she always worried she grew up a little too boyish in manners. Now she is surround by boys who appreciate her, oh the irony.

It was a bright sunny day and the castle grounds were covered in tents for the knights. Arthur and Merlin were preparing for the tournament on the grassy field. Merlin struggled to secure the vambrace on Arthur's lower arm.

"You do know the tournament starts today?" asked Arthur in annoyance.

"Yes, Sire," said Merlin.

Merlin fixed the buckle on the gorget.

"You nervous?" asked Merlin.

"I don't get nervous," said Arthur.

"Really? I thought everyone got nervous," said Merlin.

"Well, that's not going to help," says Gwen. She is familiar with Arthur's moods and how to help him through them. Antagonizing him in this sort of mood doesn't end well for anyone but her. Though she doesn't antagonize him for the most part. She smiles at the thought of how well she and Arthur work together. She helps calm him and encourages him to follow his heart, and he helps her be strong and stand up for herself where she never would have before.

"Definitely not," agrees Leon. He is well familiar with Arthur's moods over the past few years and while Merlin has helped curb them remarkably, Arthur still got easily annoyed around this time. He did not take well to being teased or questioned like this.

"Will you shut up!" yelled Arthur.

"Wound a little tight there Princess?" asks Gwaine.

"It was an important tournament," says Arthur in his defense.

'It was one of the first big ones he had to do as a knight and because of that it had a big impact on how the people viewed him as a Prince and Future King," says Gaius.

"I know it's no excuse but it's an explanation," says Arthur. "I had no idea Merlin had no training and since he didn't go through training, I'm also guessing he wasn't briefed on how important this tournament was either." He shakes his head.

Merlin grabbed Arthur's cape, tied it on him, and handed Arthur his helmet.

"Great, yeah. I think you're all set," said Merlin.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" said Arthur.

"You're joking right Merlin?" says Leon.

"Er," says Merlin looking embarrassed.

"He wasn't," says Gwen laughing into her hand. She'd seen his cluelessness firsthand.

"Honey even I know what's missing," says Hunith in exasperation.

"It's right in front of you," says Gwaine.

"I get it all right? I was trying so hard to remember all the other things I forgot the most important part. But it only happened once okay!" says Merlin throwing his hands in the air. He knew how clueless he'd been in the beginning; he'd been constantly late and dropping things and missing meals. He's come a long way since then though and everyone knows it. It was hard for him to find the humor in this though still because sometimes he still felt like that clueless kid when he arrived.

After a pause he spoke slowly as if he was speaking to a child, "My sword?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, sorry. Guess, uh, you'll be needing that," said Merlin sheepishly.

Arthur grabbed the sword and marched off.

"That went well," said Merlin to himself.

"No it didn't!" says Arthur.

"Considering he didn't have training, I think it went pretty well," says Percival quietly.

"I guess," admits Arthur.

Guinevere and Morgana sat excitedly in the stands of the tournament grounds as the competitors entered the arena. Merlin poked around the entrance as Uther strut past the front line of knights.

Uther observed the audience and knights.

"Knights of the realm, it's a great honour to welcome you to a tournament at Camelot. Over the next three days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion, my son, Prince Arthur. Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion, and he will receive a prize of 1,000 gold pieces," said Uther.

A box is opened revealing the gold.

"What did you do with all that money?" asks Hunith eyes wide.

"It actually stayed under my bed for a few years, I've spent a little here and there at the shops in the marketplace, but I honestly haven't spent much of it," says Arthur. Most of the time, no matter how much he resisted, people typically just gave him things. They often didn't let him pay. He is King but he doesn't want to take from his people. Though he knows for a fact that if he graced places with his presence, it gave the patrons status, so he tries to make sure it balances out. He suddenly realized that Guinevere would know what he should do with the extra money in situations like that. He picks up the parchment and writes down that he should consult Guinevere more on money matters, especially for the needs of the people.

"It is in combat that we learn a knight's true nature, whether he is indeed a warrior or a coward. The tournament begins!" said Uther

"Well at least that's true," says Arthur.

"Barely," says Merlin.

The crowd cheered. The knights exited the arena. Uther stopped by Arthur on his way to the stands and spoke to him in a low voice.

"I trust you will make me proud," said Uther.

"He always did put to much pressure on you sire, I apologize I couldn't help you in most cases," says Gaius. Gaius always tried to help Uther do what was right, even if he was unsuccessful in most cases. The way Uther sometimes talked to Arthur and Morgana wasn't something he could ever talk to the king about, as it was one thing that set Uther off like nothing else, except magic of course. Any time he brought up Uther's treatment of either of them with the King he was ignored, or the king got angry.

When Merlin came it had a great affect on Arthur but there are still lingering effects of him trying to please Uther that could be detrimental to his future.

"It's okay," says Arthur surprised. "I mean the pressure helped shape me and make me tough enough to be King."

"But it has also hindered you, Arthur," Merlin says.

"What do you mean?" asks Arthur.

"You were and still are so willing to please Uther that you disregard your own judgement in matters. You argued with him occasionally but always backed down and had to go around him to get things done that needed to be done," says Merlin.

"There were a lot of things that could have been solved easier if we hadn't had to sneak around behind Uther's back," says Gwen thoughtfully.

"I never gave it much thought, I just have always tried to rule the best way I know how, the way he taught me," says Arthur.

"And that right there is the problem," says Merlin.

"This is your kingdom now," Merlin says then continues in a whisper, "Remember what happened with Uther's ghost? You must rule how you think is best. You have to rule with your heart. You can't keep trying to appease a dead man."

Arthur is surprised. "Haven't I been doing my best to not? I've made peace with the druids. I've always made sure to listen before judgement regardless of status," says Arthur. Arthur isn't sure what else he is supposed to do besides fix the bigger issue of magic. He is still considering his options there.

"Yes, Arthur but you are still holding on for the hope of his approval. It's why you let Agravaine get so close, it's why you haven't personally reached out to invite the druids to make them feel more comfortable in Camelot. It's why you always needed a push before you did what you needed to do," says Gwen.

Arthur considers some of the things that happened when he was ruling the way his father would have. With Uther's ghost specifically, Gwen and Percival were both nearly killed. When he followed what Uther would have told him, including killing Caerleon, Camelot nearly fell. That was mostly thanks to Agravaine, but he was following what Uther would have done. He also nearly lost Gwen because he gave up hope the people would believe in her. He should have known better; he had known better he just hadn't let himself believe it back then. The people love Gwen, and she is the perfect Queen. Thinking of what would have happened if he hadn't followed his own heart and married her, his life and Camelot wouldn't be the same.

He knows that while he was Prince, he was constantly seeking his father's approval but never realized he was still doing it now. He's known since he met his father's ghost that he couldn't rule like him or claim to rule like him, but he believed himself past that at this point. Maybe he isn't as past it as he thinks.

Uther slapped his back. The guards took Arthur and the other knight's capes, and they put on helmets. The crowd cheered and Guinevere whooped. Arthur and the knight fought.

"Yeah! Come on!" said Merlin.

Arthur won and the crowd cheered.

"Yeah!" cheered Merlin.

"I didn't know you cheered for me Merlin," says Arthur. He felt an immediate fondness for the young Merlin on screen.

"Of course, I did. Who else would I have cheered for?" says Merlin.

Valiant won his bout. Meanwhile, other knights competed. Arthur and Merlin watched Valiant fight.

"Knight Valiant looks pretty handy with a sword," said Merlin.

Valiant exited the arena and stopped near Arthur.

"May I offer my congratulations on your victories today?" said Valiant.

"Likewise," said Arthur.

"I hope to see you at the reception this evening," said Valiant.

Valiant left with his servant.

"Creep," said Merlin.

Arthur snorted.

Merlin smiled and Arthur started to reciprocate.

"Aw budding friendship," says Gwaine.

"He still couldn't stand me," says Merlin.

"True," says Arthur.

Arthur fights off a smile, "Uh, for tomorrow you need to repair my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chainmail."

"And I did it all," says Merlin proudly.

Merlin's Chamber bustled with activity. All the tasks were magically completing themselves while Merlin read the magic book. Gaius entered and all of the objects dropped.

"Using magic? Did you do all your chores with magic?" asks Arthur.

"I mean for the most part, I have a lot on my plate. I'm your manservant, Gaius' assistant, and Camelot's protector. I can't do everything. Though I did have to do some chores by hand, you know like the stables. The stables are in plain view so I can't hide it. Also, I got less careless the more I was in Camelot. I still did my chores by magic, but much less noticeably than everything floating in the air," says Merlin.

"I wish I had magic to do my chores when I was a servant," says Gwen accusingly. Then she thought more about it. Merlin is a busy person, at least she always thought. Yet he always offered to help with her chores and duties. She only took him up on it a few times. He did try to help her, she thought. And he'd had more on his plate then she ever had back then.

"Are you using magic again?" said Gaius.

"No," said Merlin.

"What's all this, then?" said Gaius.

Merlin shrugged.

"I just came to tell you that supper's ready," said Gaius.

"I didn't want to deal with it," says Gauis in exasperation.

"Don't blame you. It was an endless battle in his early years," says Hunith.

"I can't help it!" says Merlin. "You know what happens when I try to hold it in." Merlin shrugs.

"Why does that happen? You mentioned that if you didn't use your magic, it would cause you to scratch and other bad things but why would your own magic attack you like that?" asks Gwaine. He isn't at all bothered by the magic and is more curious about all it entails.

"Well, I wouldn't say it's attacking me, it's more building up. Think of it like a water source that suddenly gets a dam placed in it. The water is still there, and it beats and beats against the dam for a while but in this case the dam won't hold and so little cracks start appearing letting it leak out. Then the dam will burst. I was lucky my mother took to me the forest that day otherwise it could have been much worse," says Merlin.

"Well at least that never happened ever again," says Arthur in relief. He is shocked at the fact that his friend could be in extreme pain due to not using his magic. He also isn't fond of the idea of a possible crater being made in his castle. This is further proof to Arthur that things had to change.

"It still happens occasionally actually," says Merlin.

"Wait what?" asks Leon nervously.

"Yeah, um because I've been more cautious about my magic lately and only use it mostly when absolutely necessary, I've had to go in to the woods and release some magic by letting it loose and helping certain flowers and herbs and other stuff grow better. It's quite annoying actually; I mean I have the excuse of gathering things Gaius needs but I have to go way to often when it gets quiet in Camelot; which should be nice for me but instead also causes stress," says Merlin.

"Is there nothing you could do in the castle to release your magic?" says Gwen curiously.

"Not really, I mean at first I was using excess magic to create wards around the town and castle but even those are filled and are the best they can be right now. Anything else I was too concerned about being caught doing so I didn't risk it," says Merlin.

Arthur is pretty uncomfortable with this topic. This isn't something he ever thought he would have to deal with. His best friend had magic and the magic had to be used or his best friend would be in tremendous pain, not to mention what might happen if he didn't get the magic out of him in time. Nonetheless, it's important to know when things need to change and though it made him nervous, he knows that the laws on magic can't stay the way they are right now. For Arthur, it was a hard thing to come to terms with.

"Well, I'm sure you could use some company on your trips into the forest if nothing else changes," says Gwaine.

"True, true," says Merlin.

"But regardless we would want to avoid Merlin having a buildup and then subsequent magical outburst in the forest, so we'll have to figure out the best way in quiet moments to let the magic loose," says Arthur thoughtfully.

"Maybe a garden I could let the magic loose into near the castle? It's such a bother to go all the way to the forest but if I had a magical garden, it would serve a few purposes, one to channel my magic, and two I could grow magic plants and flowers that could be useful?" asks Merlin tentatively. This is one of the first times he;s recommending magical use in Camelot when they get back. While he doesn't want to push Arthur too much, he knows Arthur and he needs to know what is going to happen after they leave this limbo. Small changes seem to be the best way to go about it.

"I mean I don't see why not; we'd probably have to change the laws before you can be seen doing it though so we should probably be careful in the placement, also though my opinion has changed a lot of people will still be prejudice but we can figure out the location later that's a great idea Merlin," says Arthur.

Merlin's smile is radiant, and Arthur can't believe he didn't notice before how unhappy Merlin was. I mean he is outwardly happy all the time, but this smile is completely different from the one Merlin always had on. Arthur made a vow at that moment to make sure it stayed there.

In the Throne Room the tournament knights are queued up to meet Uther and Lady Morgana.

"Knight Valiant of the Western Isles, My Lord," said Valiant.

"I saw you fighting today. You have a very aggressive style," said Uther.

"Definitely not always a good thing," says Elyan.

"You can easily get too caught up with a style like that," says Leon. He's had to train many a people away from that style in order to get better at fighting. Of course, the opposite is also true, people could be too hesitant and need to be trained to be more aggressive. Leon had found that it was best to do what was opposite your personality, it seemed to yield the best results when training.

"Well, as My Lord said, 'To lose is to be disgraced'," said Valiant.

"You can learn a lot by losing," says Percival.

"You certainly can," says Gwaine, "You learn how to beat them next time."

"You get stronger," says Leon.

"I couldn't agree more. Knight Valiant, may I present the Lady Morgana, my ward," said Uther.

"Looks like my father doesn't agree," says Arthur.

"Well, your father is an idiot," says Gwaine.

Arthur rolls his eyes but can't find it in himself to disagree.

Valiant bowed to kiss Morgana's hand while Arthur looked on with a wry grin.

"My Lady," said Valiant.

"I saw you competing today," said Morgana.

"I saw you watching. I understand the tournament champion has the honour of escorting My Lady to the feast," said Valiant.

"That's correct," said Morgana.

"Then I will give everything to win the tournament," said Valiant.

She smiled and nodded to him, he nodded back.

"My Lady," said Valiant.

Valiant walked over to shake hands with other knights, Morgana and Guinevere watched him. Arthur bowed to his father.

"Arthur," said Uther.

"Father," said Arthur politely.

"For being his pride and joy, he sure was cold to you," says Hunith. She couldn't imagine treating her son that way. Uther looked so indifferent to Arthur, and it bothered her. She always tried to raise her son right and to be an emotionally healthy and strong man, especially with all that he has going on in his life. She worries sometimes she didn't do enough to guide him before sending him off to Camelot. He's had to go through so much and she only knows that from Giaus' letters not Merlin's. He's shouldered so much and most of it alone.

"I guess," Arthur says unsurely. He didn't want to argue with Hunith. She is Merlin's mother and he's always respected her. But she seems to hate his father and while he couldn't really blame her it made him feel awkward and he didn't know how to deal with it. He is a King! He didn't get awkward or uncomfortable, especially since he married Gwen and is no longer hiding his feelings for her.

He wants her to have a good impression of him and he can't do that if he argues with her. And thinking more about it, he found he can't really argue with her anyway. His father had always been cold and expected a lot of him. Arthur always believed it was to prepare him for being King, but he could have used the support with all the foes he's had to face over the last few years. Merlin's been more supportive than his father. That was a surprising thing to finally realize.

Arthur looked over at Valiant before he walked over to Morgana.

"They all seem rather impressed by Knight Valiant," said Morgana.

"They're not the only ones," said Arthur pointedly.

"You're not jealous, are you?" asked Morgana.

"I don't see there's anything to be jealous of," said Arthur.

Morgana's smile faded. Arthur walked on.

"Before you guys knew you were siblings you guys still very much acted like them," says Merlin.

"Could Arthur be any more annoying? I so hope Knight Valiant wins the tournament," Morgana said to Gwen in a low voice.

"You don't really mean that," said Guinevere.

"Yes, I do," said Morgana.

"She didn't actually mean that, at least not yet," says Gwen.

Merlin walked by the armoury. He hears a hissing sound

"Hello? Is there someone there?" asked Merlin.

Merlin looked over at Valiant's shield and noticed one of the snake eyes blink.

"See, I'm excellent at snooping," says Merlin.

"Sure you are, you couldn't even get proper proof!" says Arthur.

"Hey this was only the second time I saved your life, I still managed to figure out his plot pretty quickly," says Merlin.

"Give him some credit mate, he's only seen the thing for a few minutes, and he already knows somethings wrong, I'd say he figured that out in record time," says Gwaine.

"Sure," says Arthur rolling his eyes.

He moved to touch it when someone put a sword to his chest. Merlin got up hastily.

"How dare he!" says Lancelot.

"This is why I hate most knights," mutters Gwaine. Everyone stares at him. "Obviously not you guys." Most knights that Gwaine met before coming to Camelot, and definitely a few after, were self-indulgent and narcissistic. This Valiant guy was a prime example. He was abusing his power to his own vanity and pride and enjoyed wielding it over others.

"You didn't tell me about this!" says Arthur.

"I didn't tell you a lot of things," says Merlin.

Arthur gives him an unimpressed look. "He threatened you!"

"Yea and it wasn't relevant to the issue at hand," says Merlin. "You had the information you needed."

"Well, that need-to-know nonsense stops now. Got it?" says Arthur.

"Yes sire," says Merlin.

"It will be a good thing Merlin, you can't keep handling everything on your own," says Gaius.

"I've been fine for this long, but I guess you're right," says Merlin.

"Can I help you with something, boy?" asked Valiant.

"Nope. I'm good. I, I was just... I was, erm, gathering my master's armour," said Merlin.

"So this is where you learned the value of lying with truth?" asks Gwaine.

"Yes, it's much easier than creating a whole new story or new facts," says Merlin.

"Well, I guess that's true, but you can't do that with me anymore, only when absolutely necessary with anyone outside of this room," says Arthur.

"That sounds fair doesn't it Merlin? We just want to be able to help," says Gwen.

"I guess that's fair," says Merlin. Merlin isn't used to people being able to help him with his problems and it's comforting to know that from now on, even if they couldn't help magically, they had his back and he could come to them for help or at least to get involved in his plan.

"Then you'd best be on your way," said Valiant.

"Right, yeah. No problem," said Merlin.

Merlin picks up the armour and stumbles on his way out.

Arthur's armour is laid out on the table in Arthur's Chambers. Arthur entered, dressed in his gambeson.

"You did all this on your own?" asked Arthur.

"Yes, Sire," said Merlin.

"Not exactly," says Merlin. "Gwen helped me a lot. She gave me a diagram and everything to help me set up."

Gwen smiles. "No need to give me undue credit, I had the diagram lying around," says Gwen.

"Well, you still gave it to me and took the time to explain everything," says Merlin. "Because you're the best Gwen."

"You've always had such a kind heart," says Lancelot. He would always care for Gwen in his own way, but he'd long gotten past his feelings though he was still fond of her.

Gwen smiles. She was always worried when she first became Queen that everyone saw her as weak because of her empathy. Now she knows most people see strength in her kindness.

"Now let's see if you can get me into it without forgetting anything," said Arthur.

Merlin put on Arthur's hauberk and surcoat, followed by the gorget, vambraces, pauldron, and couter. Next, his mail coif, belt, sword belt, dagger, and sword. Merlin handed Arthur his helmet.

"That was much better. Not that it could have got any worse," said Arthur.

"I'm a fast learner," said Merlin.

"I hope, for you sake, that's true," said Arthur.

"It's very true," says Gaius.

"Good luck," said Merlin.

Arthur marched into the arena and acknowledged the crowd on the tournament field. Merlin watched from the entrance.

"Is it my imagination or are you beginning to enjoy yourself?" asked Gaius.

"It...," Merlin sighed. "It isn't totally horrible all the time."

"It's not I promise. I enjoy the tournaments when someone isn't trying to kill you in them," says Merlin.

"I can't believe this; you mean to tell me you actually enjoy those things but you didn't like them at the time because my life was in danger?" asks Arthur in amusement.

"That would be correct," says Merlin.

"Makes sense. I saw him cheering you on a few times when there seemed to be nothing going on at the time," says Gwen.

Arthur fought his opponent.

"Yes!" yelled Merlin clapping.

Valiant fought in the arena. He knocked down Sir Ewan, whose helm rolled off. Valiant pinned him down with his shield.

"Valiant? Is that his name? He's not even using basic skills!" says Elyan. "He's just holding him down with strength."

"No footwork or good movement," says Gwaine.

"Strike him," said Valiant.

Serpents came out of shield.

"Of course, he needed to cheat, he wouldn't be able to win on his own merit," says Leon shaking his head.

"He was the worst sort of person," says Gwen.

"I'm not sorry I killed him, Sir Ewan was a kind and loyal knight, he was one of the men that trained with me," says Arthur. He would never forget this experience; it was the first time a friend of his died and before he joined the group of rowdy knights Sir Ewan had been the person closest to him.

"Strike him!" demanded Valiant.

The serpent bit Sir Ewan. Valiant hit him and stood up. The crowd cheered. Arthur and Merlin looked at Sir Ewan who lied motionless on the ground.

"I think he's badly hurt," said Merlin.

"I'm not happy that I'm always right," says Merlin.

Gaius entered the arena with his medical bag.

Merlin enters the physician's chambers and put down Arthur's armour.

"How is he?" asked Merlin.

"It's most odd. Look at this. See these two small wounds. Looks like a snake bite," said Gaius.

"It really didn't make any sense for there to be snake bites. I looked over him that morning to make sure he was fit for the tournament, and he'd only been in town. Snakes don't just come into the middle of town," says Gaius.

"And hence starts the tag team of snooping," says Gwaine. Since he was so uninvolved in this experience, he was finding this fascinating. The beginning of the investigations of Merlin.

"How could he've been bitten by a snake? He was injured in the sword fight?" asked Merlin.

"But the symptoms are consistent with poisoning: slow pulse, fever, paralysis," said Gaius.

"Can you heal him?" asked Merlin.

"Well, if it is a snake bite, I'll have to extract venom from the snake that bit him to make an antidote," said Gaius.

"What happens if he doesn't get the antidote?" asked Merlin worriedly.

"We only have garden snakes in Ealdor. While we did keep clear of any snake we saw we weren't worried about poisonous ones so Merlin had no idea what to expect," explains Hunith.

"We don't have many poisonous snakes in Camelot either, and they all mostly reside in the darkling woods," says Arthur.

"Dad always told us to steer clear of those woods," says Gwen.

"He did, and we never listened," says Elyan fondly.

"Then I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do for him. He's going to die," said Gaius gravely.

"He was fighting Knight Valiant," said Merlin thoughtfully.

"You put that together mighty quick," says Gwaine.

"Well, he noticed the shield was off and Sir Ewan got the injury just after the fight," says Percival.

"Yes, those things together, plus he put my at sword point for just looking at shield, something was definitely off with him," Merlin says with a pause, "This is going to be interesting now you guys will all know my snooping methods."

"It can't hurt to have more eyes now can itMerlin?" says Gwen.

"No, it just feels odd, now that you all will know everything," says Merlin. "I'm very happy about it don't get me wrong but it feels weird. Like I'm in nothing but my underthings."

Arthur rolls his eyes but smiles, "Come on Merlin, we've seen you pelted by fruit it can't get worse than that."

"What's that?" asked Gaius.

"Nothing," said Merlin as he darted out of the room.

Valiant walked through the Red Ribbon Chamber and Merlin spied on him from around the corner. Merlin followed Valiant to his guest quarters to spy on him. Valiant pulled a mouse out of a cage.

"Dinner time. Come on," said Valiant.

Valiant fed the mouse to the snakes in the shield. Merlin scurried away.

Valiant heard him and followed. Merlin hid in an alcove of the Criss-cross Corridor till Valiant gave up the chase.

"Thank goodness you got away," says Gwen.

"Of course, I got away, I always get away," says Merlin confidently.

The others look at him in surprise.

"Are you sure about that?" asks Lancelot. He gives Merlin a look that says I clearly know what you don't want to say.

"I mean, not always but for the most part I get away just fine," says Merlin.

'What do you mean for the most part?" asks Arthur.

"I may or may not have gotten hurt a few times when I was discovered," says Merlin.

"But you are okay right? Like no serious injuries?" asks Gwen.

"Unfortunately, some of his injuries were quite serious. They should all be healed by now but some of them left some scars," says Gaius. Gaius needs them all to know just how much Merlin has gone through over the years

"Oh, come on Gaius it's not that bad," says Merlin.

"That's where we disagree Merlin. But everything is going to be shown so they will decide for themselves," says Gaius.

Merlin looks thoughtful at that. He fondles the necklace that allows Arthur to feel his pain and emotion and realizes he really can't let Arthur feel the worst of it. He's not sure if just taking his off will pause the spell or if he needs to get Arthur's off as well. He will need to get that information from Pahoren soon.

Gaius was sitting beside Ewan in his chambers when Merlin suddenly entered.

"I've just seen one of the snakes in Valiant's shield come alive. He's using magic," said Merlin hurriedly.

"Are you sure?" asked Gaius.

"The snake ate a mouse - one swallow, straight down. Sir Ewan was fighting Valiant when he collapsed. It must've been one of the snakes from the shield. I have to tell Arthur," said Merlin.

"You trusted me to believe you then?" says Arthur surprised.

"Yes, well I didn't think you wouldn't believe me. I just figured you would know I had no reason to lie to you," says Merlin.

"Fair," says Arthur.

"Is there any chance you might be mistaken?" asked Gaius.

"I know magic when I see it," said Merlin.

"Perhaps but have you any proof?" asked Gaius.

"Gaius what's with the inquisition? Did you not believe him?" says Hunith.

"It wasn't that. Over the first few weeks he was there I trusted him, but we had to be sure, I was worried about what could happen if he was mistaken," says Gaius.

"Yeah, it didn't turn out well," says Arthur.

"Don't you believe me?" asked Merlin with a frown.

"I fear you'll land yourself in trouble. How will you explain why you were in Valiant's chambers?" asked Gaius.

"Ugh I remember. Knights could get away with murder if they wanted to under Uther," says Gwaine.

"He nearly did," says Merlin.

"Things are different now. I make sure that everyone's word counts the same. I hope the people know that," says Arthur. He never forgot the instances where him or someone else nearly died because their word didn't count. He nearly died because Merlin's word didn't count enough. He nearly died again because even Gwaine's and Merlin's word combined didn't count enough to have those fake knights investigated.

Because of these instances Arthur put procedures in place in order to prevent something like this from happening again. As King his judgement is typically final, so he makes sure to listen to both sides and fairly examine the evidence without bias.

"They do," says Gwen. "They trust you and I know that, even when I was a servant, they trusted you to always try to do the right thing, even if you father wouldn't allow it."

Arthur feels comforted by the words. He always tries to make sure everyone feels safe and protected as much as he can. Though he knows some people are still afraid because of the way his father treated them.

"What does that matter? He's using magic to cheat in the tournament?" demanded Merlin.

"But you can't go accusing a knight of using magic without proof. The King would never accept the word of servant over the word of a knight," said Gaius.

"What? So what I say doesn't count for anything?" asked Merlin angrily.

"Not under Uther unfortunately," says Arthur. Watching everything back it's become harder and harder to rationalize his father's actions and procedures. It doesn't make sense to just disregard something just because of someone's status. Even now while Arthur understands that you can trust some people more than others, like he trusts the people in this room more than anyone else, he would still listen to any judgement against them as fairly as possible.

"I'm afraid it counts for very little as far as the King is concerned. That's the way it is," explained Gaius.

"Not anymore thankfully," says Gwen.

Merlin and Arthur watched as a serving boy used a step ladder to put on the helm of Arthur's next opponent. They are on the training grounds prepping for the tournament.

"You're telling me you've got to fight that?" asked Merlin.

"Yes, and he's strong as a bear. But he's slow," explained Arthur.

"Ah, and you're fast," said Merlin with a nod of comprehension.

"This when I realized you might have a brain," says Arthur.

"Wow thanks," says Merlin.

"But then I realized I was wrong," says Arthur.

"Hey!" says Merlin.

"Exactly," said Arthur.

Merlin finished helping Arthur with his armour. Morgana absently stroked Guinevere's cloak in the stands.

"We used to be so close," says Gwen. "Maybe it's just me but I really wish we could help her. I want to believe she is still in there someone under all that anger and hate."

"Me too," says Merlin. "I've always wanted to help her, but I failed her before and I'm not sure she'd be willing to let me help now," says Merlin.

"What do you mean? You mean help her with her magic?" asks Arthur. He could tell Merlin felt guilty about Morgana and he wanted to understand.

"I know you are tired of hearing this but I'm sure you will see later," says Merlin. "Morgana turning out the way she did isn't just because of your father, I played my part and I have to live with the consequences for now, but let's just get back to it," says Merlin. He knew they would find out and maybe they would be able to find a way help her come back to the light and help her in a way she couldn't.

"You're not worried, are you?" asked Gwen.

"No," said Morgana clearly lying.

"She was worried though," says Gwen to Arthur.

"It's nice to know she cared at one point," says Arthur. He knows there used to be a time they were really close, like brother and sister he thinks wryly.

"I can't tell you how weird it is to see her like this," says Elyan. "Gwen, you talked about how Morgana was different, but we've only ever seen her attack us."

"Yeah, when we were trapped underground with Morgana, she came back a few times and she was certainly something. She never stopped yelling about how she was going to kill you and how Camelot was hers for the taking," says Percival.

"She was frantic," says Gwaine. "She seemed unhinged for the most part, demanding the key she was looking for."

"She used to fight for others when I didn't, and now she just fights," says Arthur. He honestly wishes Morgana could be here so he could understand her perspective better through these first few years. He understands more now that Merlin explained how he felt these past few years alone.

Merlin watched Valiant put down his shield. Gaius approached Merlin.

"How're you getting on?" asked Gaius.

"Fine. Just doing my job. Minding my own business," said Merlin sarcastically.

"Merlin, when in your entire life have you minded your own damn business?" asks Arthur indignantly.

"Pretty often actually before I came to Camelot and had to keep saving your life," Merlin shoots back.

Arthur rolls his eyes.

"It's true. In Ealdor I was the picture of discretion and minding my own business," says Merlin.

"Honey, no you weren't," says Hunith. "You were always prying into people's affairs and helping, be honest Merlin you're a busybody."

"Yeah, well if it saves lives then whatever call me a busybody," says Merlin. He still tries to leave people alone if he can help it but he doesn't want to not help people or let horrible things happen.

Everyone laughed. They all know Merlin would do anything for any of them. They would do the same.

"It's only to protect us," says Gwen in his defense. "We know that, Merlin."

"We can only aspire to your level of busybody," says Gwaine.

Arthur fought the bear knight and won. Valiant won his next match. Merlin and Gaius looked at the final brackets.

"Valiant's going to fight Arthur in the final. He'll use the shield to kill him," said Merlin.

"I knew he wouldn't be able to beat you without cheating," says Merlin.

"Thanks for your confidence in my abilities," says Arthur smirking.

Merlin rolls his eyes.

Merlin was sitting beside Ewan when Gaius entered his chambers.

"Merlin, about what I said yesterday… Look, Uther wouldn't really listen to you or me, but you are right. We can't let Valiant get away with this," said Gaius.

"But we don't have any proof," said Merlin.

"Well, if we could cure Ewan, he could tell the King that Valiant was using magic. The King would believe another knight. But how we get the antidote…Well, that's another matter," said Gaius.

Merlin got up and left.

"I knew we would need more information about the snake in order to get the antidote," says Merlin. "I'd never seen one like it so I couldn't describe it well either."

"Merlin?" asked Gaius.

In the Council Chambers, the knights toasted Valiant.

"Long live Valiant!" shouted the knights.

"How bout go die Valiant!" says Gwaine.

"I guess that's better than theirs," smiles Percival.

"So Valiant, do you think you stand a chance of defeating my son?" asked Uther.

"He is a great warrior, My Lord. I do hope to be a worthy opponent," said Valiant.

Merlin quietly peeked into the Council Chamber.

"You should stay in Camelot after the tournament. I could do with more knights like you," said Uther.

"We are better off with Knights like you all, who use your power for good and treat everyone like they matter," says Arthur.

"I'd be honoured, My Lord," said Valiant.

Merlin stood outside Valiant's guest chambers. Merlin mumbled a spell and the door unlocked.

Merlin entered and took a sword from a rack as he approached the shield. Merlin turned to the door when he heard someone approaching. A snake slithered out of the shield and poised to strike him. Merlin noticed the shadow of the snake and turned around to cut off its head at the last second.

"Nice form there," says Gwaine.

"You're lucky you didn't get bit," says Arthur.

"Not lucky. I have some skills," says Merlin.

The other snakes escaped as well, but Merlin dropped the sword, grabbed the first snake head and ran out of the room.

"I figured they wouldn't be able to follow me that quickly," says Merlin.

In the physician's chambers, Gaius drained some venom from the snake head.

"I'll get started preparing the antidote," said Gaius.

"I'm going to tell Arthur," said Merlin.

"I'm glad again that you trusted me enough to come to me," says Arthur. "It could have gone a lot worse if you hadn't told me."

"It might have been less trouble if I hadn't told you, but you wouldn't have been as prepared," says Merlin.

"You'll need this," said Gaius as he handed Merlin the snake head.

"And Merlin, what you did was very brave," said Gaius.

"He needed to be told because no one else could," says Gaius.

"And how often did that happen?" asks Elyan.

Merlin and Arthur were in Arthur's chambers. Merlin finished explaining the situation with Valiant. Arthur was sitting nonchalantly while he ate his food.

"You? You chopped its head off?" asked Arthur skeptically.

"As you saw I most certainly did," says Merlin.

"Yes, we are all very impressed Merlin," says Arthur. He wouldn't admit it in a non-sarcastic way, but he was impressed.

"I'm impressed," says Gwaine. "Maybe we ought to give you more sword training ay Merlin?"

Merlin frowns, "I wouldn't go that far."

"Ewan was bitten by a snake from the shield when he was fighting Valiant. You can talk to Gaius, you can see the puncture wounds in Ewan's neck where the snake bit him. Ewan was beating him, he had to cheat," explained Merlin.

"Valiant wouldn't dare use magic in Camelot," said Arthur.

"Want to bet on that?" says Merlin smirking.

"Not particularly," says Arthur.

"Ewan was pinned under Valiant's shield. No one could see the snake bite him," pushed Merlin.

"I don't like the guy, but that doesn't mean he's cheating," said Arthur pointedly.

"I didn't want to believe it but I had to agree that Sir Ewan's injury didn't make sense," says Arthur. "Plus, I knew that it would open a whole can of worms."

"Gaius is preparing an antidote to the snake venom. When Ewan's conscious, he'll tell you what happened. If you fight Valiant in the final, he'll use the shield. It's the only way he can beat you. Look at it!" Merlin pleaded.

Merlin picked up the snake head and shoved it in Arthur's face.

"Have you ever seen any snakes like this in Camelot?" asked Merlin.

"Nope none," confirms Arthur. "I'd never seen a snake with colors like that before."

Arthur took the snake head and looked it over.

"I know I'm just a servant and my word doesn't count for anything. I wouldn't lie to you," said Merlin.

"I want you to swear to me what you're telling me is true," said Arthur.

"It should've counted then and it always will now," says Arthur. "But you definitely have lied to me a lot"

"Er yeah but not about this clearly," says Merlin.

"I swear it's true," said Merlin at once.

"Then I believe you," said Arthur simply.

"You took him at his word just like that?" says Hunith. It comforted Hunith that they were this close this soon. They had an instinctive trust that has only grown into the brotherhood they have now.

"I did. This is the first time I'd ever seen him be serious, so I chose to believe him," says Arthur.

Valiant is escorted through the Square to the Council Chamber of Doom. Gaius treated Sir Ewan in the Physician's Chambers. Ewan woke up.

"Welcome back," said Gaius.

"There was a snake on his shield. It came alive," said Ewan.

"You're weak. The snake's venom is still in your system," said Gaius.

"I must warn Arthur," said Ewan.

"What is going on if he's awake now how did he die?" asks Arthur confused.

"You'll see in a moment, but it was clearly murder by Valiant's snakes," says Merlin with a frown.

"I'm afraid it was my fault. I wasn't as diligent as I should've been. Merlin told me about the magical snakes leaving the shield and I let my guard down," says Gaius.

"I'm sure that's not true Gaius," says Gwen comfortingly.

Gaius didn't look like he believed it. Gwen let it go as they would see what happened shortly.

"Either way he was a great and loyal knight," says Arthur sadly. "We were really close when we began training but drifted apart a little later when I started hanging out with the other knights. I wish I'd stuck with him."

"I'm so sorry Arthur," says Gwen. She gave him a quick hug.

"Arthur already knows. He's requested an audience with the King. Now, they'll want to talk to you. Rest. You'll need your strength. I need to fetch more herbs. I'll be right back," said Gaius.

A snake slithered to Ewan's bed. Ewan cried out as the snake attacked him.

"I wish I'd been able to help him," says Merlin.

"I shouldn't have left him alone, knowing that the snakes attacked him in the first place," says Gaius.

"You couldn't have known that the snakes could go out that far or get to him that quickly," says Gwen.

"It's kind of scary though, the thought of the things that magic, dark magic, can do," says Gwaine.

"Yeah, I hate saying it but I agree with you. I've seen a lot of the dangers of dark magic, and it can be terrifying. The Dorocha come to mind. There are also some magic enchantments and trinkets that no one should ever use," says Merlin.

"But you still believe magic is good?" says Arthur.

"Yes," says Merlin without hesitation. "I know all you've seen is dark magic, but magic is just magic. It only becomes dark if you have dark intentions. It can be a force for good or for bad it just depends on how you use it."

"Just like how I used to use my sword to entertain ruffians, now I use it to protect Camelot and those I care about," says Lancelot.

"That makes sense," says Arthur.

Uther entered the Council Chambers.

"Why have you summoned the court?" asked Uther.

"I believe Knight Valiant is using a magic shield to cheat in the tournament," claimed Arthur.

"Valiant, what do you have to say to this?" asked Uther.

"My Lord, this is ridiculous. I've never used magic. Does your son have any evidence to support this outrageous accusation?" demanded Valiant.

"Do you have evidence?" asked Uther.

"Did he not believe you?" asks Hunith surprised.

"I wouldn't say that," says Arthur. "He just couldn't show favoritism in court. I had to provide evidence just like anyone else."

Arthur motioned for Merlin to come forward. Merlin handed Uther the snake head.

Gaius was mixing a potion in his chambers.

"I'm afraid this potion tastes like toad water, but it'll get you back on your feet. Ewan?" asked Gaius.

Gaius checked for Ewan's pulse.

Gaius frowned as he didn't find any signs of life.

A moment of silence passed for Sir Ewan.

Back in the Council Chambers Uther is standing with his court.

"Let me see this shield," said Uther.

Merlin whispered to Arthur, "Don't let him get too close."

"I don't understand why you protected him even though he wanted you killed," says Arthur.

"He was important to you," says Merlin.

"And that's exactly why I took care of Uther too, even though our history was shall we say, turbulent," says Gwen.

"That's putting it lightly," says Merlin.

Arthur frowns and says, "Unfortunately,"

"Be careful, My Lord," said Arthur.

Arthur drew his sword. Uther inspected the shield as Gaius entered the room.

"Merlin," Gaius whispered to Merlin.

"We need Ewan. Find out what's happening," whispered Arthur.

Merlin nodded and walked over to Gaius.

"As you can see, My Lord, it's just an ordinary shield," said Valiant.

"PFft Liar," says Gwaine.

"He's not going to let everyone see the snakes come alive," said Arthur reasonably.

"Then how am I to know that what you say is true?" questioned Uther.

"What an ass," says Gwaine.

"Gwaine!" says Arthur.

"He's right and you know it Arthur. He didn't listen to you and nearly got you killed," says Merlin.

"How could your own father treat you like this? I mean he's practically calling you a liar in front of the court!" says Hunith. "I mean he's showing he has no faith in you! You deserved better, Arthur."

Arthur had a hard time seeing it from their point of view. As King, he knew he would've at least done more research and likely called the only expert on magic they knew to investigate, Gaius. He isn't sure why his father just let the whole thing go but hearing Gwaine, Merlin and Hunith call Uther out on it, he couldn't deny it was messed up.

Gwen could see him deep in thought and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He put his hand over it in silent thanks.

"I have a witness. Knight Ewan was bitten by one of the snakes from the shield. Its venom made him grievously ill, however, he has received an antidote. He will confirm that Knight Valiant is using magic," said Arthur.

"Where is this witness?" asked Uther.

"He should be here...," said Arthur as he turned to look at Gaius and Merlin.

"Where's Ewan?" asked Arthur.

"He's dead," said Merlin clearly upset.

"I'm waiting!" demanded Uther.

"I'm afraid the witness is dead," Arthur declared sadly.

"So you have no proof to support these allegations. Have you seen Valiant using magic?" asked Uther.

"Did he not even care that a knight was dead?" asks Leon. "There was no pause or hesitation, no moment of silence." Leon was shocked at Uther's callousness. And Leon has seen how bad Uther had been at times. Uther showed not an ounce of emotion at the loss.

"At the time I just assumed he thought that it was due to the tournament and didn't want to bring to much attention to it, which is exactly what I did by calling the court, but there should have been some sort of acknowledgment, you're right," says Arthur troubled.

"No. But my servant fought one of the snakes from...," said Arthur.

"Your servant? You made these outrageous accusations against a knight on the word of your servant?" Uther interrupted angrily.

"You can't value a person based on their position; it's bound to lead to disaster. There are some knights that are horrible and some servants that are absolutely amazing people. I've had to learn it the hard way," says Arthur. He looks at Merlin and Gwen with a nod.

"Yeah, I had to shove it into your thick skull," says Merlin.

Gwaine laughs. Arthur decided to let this one slide.

"I believe he's telling the truth!" stated Arthur.

"My Lord, am I really to be judged on some hearsay from a boy?" demanded Valiant.

"Boy?" says Percival.

"And he was only two years older than Merlin!" says Arthur indignantly.

"Really?" says Merlin. "I thought he was like five to ten years older than me! How dare he call me boy. I'm much more mature than him."

"Not by much," says Arthur. Merlin rolls his eyes.

"I've seen those snakes come alive!" yelled Merlin.

"How dare you interrupt?! Guards!" yelled Uther.

"How dare they rough hand my son like that!" says Hunith. She is furious. She never put much faith in Uther but seeing him in action was worse than she thought. He deliberately didn't listen to her son against all logical reason.

Guards started to drag Merlin away.

"My Lord," interrupted Valiant.

"Wait!" said Uther.

"I'm sure he was merely mistaken. I wouldn't want him punished on my account," said Valiant.

"He wouldn't be punished at all if you weren't a cheating coward," says Gwaine angrily. He wishes he'd made his way to Camelot earlier, so he'd have been around during this time to help.

"Unfortunately, I've seen many knights act like this, especially the new ones and particularly old knights from Uther's time who refuse to retire," says Leon. He had been meaning to bring this us with Arthur at some point because some of those knights were out of control and needed to be checked.

"I expect a list when we get back to Camelot," says Arthur quietly.

"Yes sire," says Leon.

"You see? This is how a true knight behaves - with gallantry and honour," said Uther.

"That is how a true knight behaves, Valiant just isn't one," says Merlin.

"My Lord, if your son made these accusations because he's afraid to fight me, then I will graciously accept his withdrawal," said Valiant.

"Now the coward is accusing you of being a coward?" asks Gwaine.

"Yes and of course it works perfectly. He backs Arthur into a corner because he knows that Arthur knows the truth and he can't let him live with that information. He's a knight so he knows that Arthur can't and won't back down, especially since he is also the Prince," says Merlin.

"You understood all of that?" says Arthur.

"Of course, it really helped my understand where you were coming from," says Merlin. "Gaius mentioned you had a lot pressure you had to deal with and while I believed it I didn't really understand how much it affected you as a person. Once I understood you better it's how I learned not to take some of the things you said to me to heart," says Merlin.

"You should have taken some of those things to heart," says Arthur.

"Just not most," says Merlin. He knows Arthur never meant half of what he said to Merlin, he just needs someone to banter with. It relieved stress for both of them if he is being honest.

"My boys," says Gwen shaking her head. She remembered the early days when it was just her and the boys and Morgana. It felt like it had been a simpler time for her before everything in her life got crazy. Though her life is great now, she is married to the love of her life, and her brother and all their friends are by their side; sometimes she misses those easy early days and she still misses the Morgana she used to know and the closeness they once had.

"No!" yelled Arthur.

"Then what am I to make of these allegations?" demanded Uther.

"Obviously there has been a misunderstanding. I withdraw the allegation against Knight Valiant. Please accept my apology," said Arthur.

"You shouldn't have had to do that," says Hunith. She couldn't believe that Uther was so distrustful and thought so poorly of his son that he hadn't believe in him or investigated this issue further.

"Accepted," said Valiant.

"Accepted," says Gwaine in a mocking tone.

Arthur moped in his chambers that night.

"I believed you, I trusted you, and you made me look a complete fool," said Arthur.

"Arthur, you know Merlin didn't do that. Valiant did," says Gwen.

"I know I was just angry and embarrassed. I'm sorry I took it out on you Merlin," says Arthur. During this time, he was particularly bad at handling his temper. He is glad he's grown since then.

"I know it didn't go exactly to plan," said Merlin

Gwen sighs, "That's not going to help."

"You would be right about that," says Merlin. He hadn't had a handle on Arthur at this point and only learned later how to mitigate the temper that was ever present at the time. Lucky the last few years Arthur's temper was hardly ever present. Likely due to Gwen and the fact that his father wasn't around to stress him out.

"Didn't go to plan"?! My father and the entire royal court think I'm a coward! YOU HUMILIATED ME!" yelled Arthur.

"I didn't realize until that moment how important court procedures and court opinion were… If I had I probably would have done things differently to begin with," says Merlin.

"We did the best we could. We had a knight's backing and the snake head but there was nothing we could do once Valiant killed Sir Ewan. We could have left him with some guards if my father believed me quickly enough and I hadn't had to summon the whole court. All the procedures and formality and because my father didn't believe Merlin, it caused all of this to happen. If this happened today Sir Ewan would have lived" says Arthur. Arthur comes to the realization that these procedures might need altering too.

"We can still expose Valiant," assured Merlin.

"I no longer require your services," said Arthur.

"You're sacking me?" asked Merlin in disbelief.

"You sacked him!" says Hunith. "Merlin, you didn't tell me you got fired!" says Hunith.

"It was only temporary Mum I promise I didn't want to worry you," says Merlin.

"I need a servant I can trust," said Arthur angrily.

"You can trust me!" yelled Merlin.

"You can trust me, absolutely," says Merlin.

"I know that now, especially now," says Arthur. "Even learning about your magic, I know I can trust you. You've always tried your best to help me and keep me and Camelot safe. You're one of my best friends."

Merlin gives him a watery smile.

"Thanks, Arthur. I'm so glad that you trust me and my magic so completely," says Merlin. Merlin had waited for this moment for so long and he almost doesn't believe this is real.

"And look where it got me this time. Get out of my sight!" shouted Arthur.

"Sorry again, Merlin," says Arthur.

"It's okay, you've already apologized to me," says Merlin.

"Wait Arthur apologized? I have to see this," says Gwaine.

Merlin walked down the staircase to the Dragon's Cave.

"Where are you?" asked Merlin. He looked around the cave for the dragon.

"I just came to tell you: whatever you think my destiny, whatever it is you think I'm supposed to do, you've got the wrong person!" said Merlin loudly. He waited a beat.

"You nearly gave up?" asks Arthur. He wasn't too upset but a little sad that he'd made Merlin so upset that he wanted to give up on him.

"Yes, unfortunately. I was just upset I mean I tried to help, and it blew up in my face. I didn't think we were right for the job," says Merlin. "We weren't getting along, and I didn't know you well enough yet to see past it."

"I'm so glad you ended up coming back, I know I didn't give you much to have faith in but what made you come back? I never found out what made you come visit me that day?" asks Arthur.

"A stimulating conversation," says Merlin smiling.

"That's it. Goodbye" said Merlin.

"If only it were so easy to escape one's destiny," said Kilgharrah.

"Isn't that the truth?" says Merlin.

"What do you mean by that?"

Merlin doesn't answer.

"How can it be my destiny to protect someone who hates me?" asked Merlin.

"A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole. Very soon you shall learn that," said Kilgharrah calmly.

"It's true. I never hated you. I was just upset and worried. I mean I was going to have to face Valiant with his shield of snakes and I misplaced the blame on you," says Arthur. Privately Arthur thinks to himself that he doesn't think he would ever be able to hate Merlin. They'd come too far together.

"Oh, great. Just what I needed, another riddle," said Merlin sarcastically.

"That your and Arthur's path lies together is but the truth," said Kilgharrah.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Merlin.

"You know, young warlock, this is not the end. It is the beginning," said Kilgharrah mysteriously.

"It was just the beginning," says Merlin.

"Just give me a straight answer!" demanded Merlin.

"He never does give me a straight answer," says Merlin in annoyance.

The dragon flew off without responding. Merlin huffed and stalked off.

Merlin sat on the steps in the Main Square. Guinevere approached him.

"Hello, Merlin," said Guinevere.

"All right?" asked Merlin.

Guinevere sat next to him.

"Is it true what you said about Valiant using magic?" asked Guinevere.

"We heard about it all throughout town. I knew I could trust him, and I didn't think Arthur would lie but I wanted to hear it from him, it was such a crazy circumstance," says Gwen.

Merlin nodded in confirmation.

"What are you going to do?" asked Guinevere.

"Why does everyone seem to think it's down to me to do something about it?" asked Merlin with slight annoyance.

"Because it always is," says Lancelot with a pat on Merlin's back.

"Not just me," says Merlin.

"This isn't the time to be humble Merlin it's time for truth," says Gaius.

"It's just mostly you right Merlin?" asks Arthur. He is really starting to realize, with Gaius, Lancelot's, and Hunith little comments here and there that Merlin had done a lot and done it all on his own to protect him. He wonders what kind of toll this would have taken on him, because he is King now and he could understand the pressure. But everyone in his life knows and understands the pressure he had to face. It helps them understand him and they comfort him because of it. Merlin, until now, got none of the understanding or sympathy of having the pressure of Camelot on his shoulders, but he has, or had, in comparison to Arthur a lot more on his shoulders. He has the same pressure of saving Camelot but has to do everything in secret and be worried that his magic would be revealed and will get him killed.

While he was sure that Merlin, who confirmed it while watching the other memory, didn't think he would get killed the whole time if he was discovered during Arthur's reign, Merlin had never been sure and never had that sense of calm and home that Arthur had felt in Camelot because of his magic. Arthur wants to change that.

"I mean mostly me, but everyone here helps in their own ways," says Merlin with a shrug. "We all have our own strengths. I could just do more to combat the magical attacks then anyone else in Camelot. So, I did," says Merlin.

"And you did it alone," says Hunith. She gives Merlin another hug. Arthur knows that this also must change.

"Because it is! Isn't it? You have to show everyone that you were right and they were wrong," said Guinevere.

"Ah I see, the stimulating conversation," says Arthur.

"She was always encouraging everyone to do what they felt was right," says Elyan.

"And it always worked too," says Leon smiling. He remembered the times when they were kids playing together, Gwen, Elyan and him. Those were good times and he did miss the easy camaraderie that children often have before society gets in the way. He hadn't thought about rank or anything back then. Then it became his life until he helped retake Camelot with peasants who became Knights. He knows now how little titles mattered. They matter even less with Gwen as queen. If someone as amazing and kind as Gwen wouldn't have been allowed to be queen because of her station, then it was clear the world was wrong. Gwen is an amazing queen. She is an amazing leader and confidant for the King. They stood together and cared about the people like no one else could. Gwen being a peasant was an asset to the King because it helps him understand the people's needs better, it is something he knew Arthur valued, and something Uther would have detested.

"And how do I do that?" asked Merlin.

"I don't know," said Guinevere.

Merlin caught sight of a dog statue.

"That's it," said Merlin with sudden enthusiasm.

"Where are you going?" asked Guinevere.

"Do you have a wheelbarrow?" asked Merlin.

"I always wondered what in the world you were thinking. I thought you were going a little crazy with everything going on," says Gwen laughing.

"But you let me borrow your wheelbarrow anyway. That's what makes you an amazing friend Gwen," says Merlin.

"She's always there for any of her friends, its who she is," says Elyan. Gwen is always a great friend and great supporter. It is honestly one of the reasons he left to live on his own. At the time he needed to find out who he was outside of his family. He needed to see if he could survive without their support. He found he could, he just wanted their support regardless. He is upset at himself that he traveled around so much that he missed Gwen's letters. Then when they finally caught up to him, he felt too ashamed to come back home, until that fateful day he was kidnapped.

Merlin wheeled the dog statue into Gaius' Chambers.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Gaius.

"I'm going to let everyone see the snakes for themselves," said Merlin.

"You did what?" says Arthur.

"I had to practice a spell to bring the snakes to life, I had to do it," says Merlin. He knows that in the beginning, he had a lot to learn about procedures and the right way to go about saving the day. But he did learn a lot through Valiant's stay.

"We needed everyone to see the snakes. It was supposed to get you out of the fight, but I didn't get the spell right in time, plus after what I learned about court opinion, I figured we needed to prove Valiant was lying regardless because we couldn't have people, you wouldn't have wanted people to think you a coward, because you aren't Arthur," says Merlin.

"Well thanks, I guess, though I don't know if I could count this as saving my life if you almost got me killed doing it," says Arthur with a huff.

"He still uncovered the plot sire," says Percival.

"Well, that's true I guess," says Arthur relaxing.

Merlin put the statue in his chamber and pulled the magic book out from under a floor board.

"You can't be serious. You've hidden your book of magic under your floor this whole time?" asks Arthur.

"Yes. It's really convenient to keep it there and no one else would get the blame if it were found. Plus, I made sure it was as flush as possible so no one would notice," says Merlin.

"You must have moved it around a few times though or we would have found it," says Arthur.

"Not likely, I hate to say it Arthur, but the searches could use some work. I mean your knights, present company excluded, always end up trashing rooms and don't find anything. You first of all need to magically search because a lot can be hidden with magic anyway," says Merlin.

"Leon please add that to the list," says Arthur with a sigh.

"If you would like," says Pahoren walking into the room with a flourish, "I can bring some spare parchment so you can write things down that you would like to."

"That would be lovely thank you Pahoren," says Gwen, ever the polite Queen.

"Please allow me to go grab that," says Pahoren.

Pahoren quickly exits the room and reappears moments later with loads of parchment paper. He passes them to Gwen and Leon and Arthur who reaches out for one as well.

"I'll set them here if anyone else wants any," says Pahoren as he set them on the table.

"Bebay odothay. Bebay odothay arisan quickum," chanted Merlin.

Merlin tried out the spell.

"Bebay odothay arisan quickum. Bebay odothay arisan quickum," chanted Merlin again.

"Merlin your one job is to be our magical protector and you cannot do a simple spell? We are all doomed," says Arthur.

"Hey, that is not a simple spell. I had to create a life, hello that statue wasn't alive before. It's extremely complicated and like I told you I never studied spells before I came to Camelot. I had no idea what I was doing," says Merlin.

"I mean obviously I used my magic before, but it was more I knew how to encourage it forward. I knew how to make things move when I wanted to and relight a fire if I was cold, but this was using my magic for something more complicated, it required more than just wishing it," says Merlin. "It required visualization which I'd never had to do before. I needed to picture the dog in my head before it finally came to life."

"Thanks for the information. I'm just glad it worked out, eventually," says Arthur.

"It always does," says Merlin.

Morgana had a nightmare about Arthur fighting Valiant and jerked awake in her chamber.

"Arthur!" Morgana whispered in the dark.

Morgana got up and went to the window. She watched Arthur practice in the Square below.

"She was so worried about me. All those times she tried to warn me about what was going on, I just thought she was hysterical," says Arthur shocked. He hadn't realized just how much Morgana's magic affected her, especially this early. He thought the magic didn't start affecting her till much later. He remembers distinctly now all those times she tried to warn him about things going on and he didn't believe her and even told her she was crazy. He always turned out fine, so he put no faith in her speeches and dreams. He cared about her of course back then, he just put no basis behind her words. Arthur wishes things had been different and that Morgana had trusted him but he understood why she never told him if even this early he didn't trust her warnings.

Merlin tried the spell over and over in his room, but nothing happened.

Merlin entered Arthur's open chambers.

"How long did it take you to get this spell? You look exhausted already," says Arthur.

"A while," says Merlin.

"I thought I told you to get out of my sight," said Arthur.

"Don't fight Valiant in the tournament tomorrow. He'll use the shield against you," pleaded Merlin.

"I know," said Arthur.

"Then withdraw. You have to withdraw," said Merlin.

"It seemed the easy and logical conclusion at the time but again now that I understand more about court opinion and procedures, I understand why you had to Arthur. You publicly accused Valiant of cheating, and he basically publicly called you a coward. After that, you couldn't withdraw without at least losing face in front of a few of the knights and advisors. Not to mention your father," says Merlin.

"Thank you for understanding Merlin," says Arthur. He knew even at the time that it was stupid, but he hadn't seen another way out. It was a fault of the court of public opinion and politics that forced him into that position and seeing it play out he wants to make sure that something like that doesn't happen again, especially to someone else who may not have a magical best friend to help them.

"Don't you understand? I can't withdraw. The people expect their prince to fight. How can I lead men into battle if they think I'm a coward?" asked Arthur.

"Retreating or backing down isn't always the sign of a coward," says Leon. "It is sometimes a sign of wisdom."

"I need to remember that," says Arthur.

"We know your heart sire, it is not the heart of a coward," says Percival. "The opinions of those closest to you and who know you the best should be what matters most. Those who don't know you can and will miss things that are important and can't judge your character correctly. I know how you are perceived as King matters, but your life matters more."

"I promise to take that to heart Percival thank you," says Arthur.

"Valiant will kill you. If you fight, you die," said Merlin in exasperation.

"Then I die," said Arthur calmly.

"I may understand, but it was still stupid," says Merlin.

"Arthur please promise me you won't do something like this again. It's not just you anymore, you and I are a team, we are married. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you," says Gwen.

"You are right Gwen I promise to be careful and not undertake things like this again," says Arthur.

"Don't worry Gwen now that my magic is out in the open, I won't let him," says Merlin.

"Thank you, Merlin," says Gwen smiling.

"How can you go out there and fight like that?" asked Merlin.

"You just do," says Arthur. "It's all I ever knew before you came to Camelot. I was constantly fighting for my place with the knights, for my father's approval, for the people's approval. I couldn't go a day without questioning myself and whether or not I could be King one day. But then I started to see that I didn't need to, and I decided I wouldn't fight for people's acceptance who didn't deserve it. I fight for the protection of my people and those I love, if someone has a problem with it, they can deal with it."

Gwen smiles, "And that's why you make a wonderful King."

"She's right of course," says Elyan. "You fought for me and my sister to be released in the Castle of Fyrien against what your father would have wanted. You care about all of your people, and you never have to fight for our acceptance. We give it gladly."

"You fought to make me a knight though I wasn't a noble. I never forgot it even though I lost my way for a few years before I found Percival. We don't need to see meaningless acts of bravery for us to know that you have true courage," says Lancelot.

"Thank you, Elyan and Lancelot," says Arthur warmly.

"I don't wish to speak ill of the dead sire, but your father was ruled by fear. Fear of what had hurt him and what he didn't fully understand. You will be a better King because you are ruled by what is best for those you care about including your people. These days rushing off like that isn't what's best for anyone," says Gaius.

"We would hate to have to rescue you again because of your own foolishness, wouldn't we Merlin?" asks Gwaine. He smirks at Merlin and raises an eyebrow. He is talking about their rescue of Arthur in the perilous lands. Throughout the last few years in Camelot Merlin and him had grown a little bit apart. They are still close, but he misses the closeness that he and Merlin used to share when they went on their adventures together. He hopes that through watching the memories they will remember those good days and regain that closeness. He is also wondering now if there was more to the trip to the perilous lands than he knew.

Merlin smirks, "I've done it too many times already it's gotten a bit boring. Give me a good villain any day."

Gwaine laughs. They will get there eventually.

"Because I have to. It's my duty," said Arthur.

"Your duty is to the people sire, you and the Queen must stay alive for them," says Leon. "While of course we admire your bravery, you cannot rule with just bravery alone. It will not help your people."

"Your duty is to live Sire," reminds Gaius gently.

Merlin, early the next morning, was trying to cast the spell. He spoke drowsily with the book in his lap.

"Bebay odothay... arisan quickum," said Merlin.

"I thought you looked exhausted before, were you up all night?" says Arthur. This had been toward the beginning of their friendship, and he is shocked because he definitely hadn't liked Merlin much at the time. He appreciated the fact that Merlin had come to him with information, but it had blown up in both their faces. He is surprised by the loyalty Merlin showed early on.

"Yes," says Merlin. "I could feel that I was close to casting it, and I didn't want to give up."

Valiant sharpened his sword near the tournament grounds. Arthur stood in the arena and looked around.

Arthur's old serving boy, Morris, helped him with his armour. Morgana entered Arthur's Chambers and assessed the situation. Morris quickly bowed and exited. Morgana put her hands on Arthur's back, and he turned around.

"Let me," said Morgana.

She fixed the strap for the gorget and tightened the vambrace.

"I used to help my father with his armour," said Morgana as she handed Arthur his helmet.

"She lied about that you know?" says Gwen quietly. "I taught her everything to do with armor because she asked me to. She did help her father by checking the armour for dents and scraps, she was always very observant, but he never really let her learn about it much, he was too worried. She was still pretty young before he died, and he didn't want her getting any crazy ideas or damaging it."

"Why would she lie?" asks Arthur.

"Well, I supposed she didn't want either of us to get in trouble. Me for teaching her and her for wanting to learn about armour. I mean women aren't supposed to learn specifics," says Gwen.

"I think it's silly," says Merlin. "Being a woman doesn't stop ruffians from messing with you, and women can be great at fighting too, look at Morgana, Morgause, and Gwen is good too," Merlin says.

"I'm no great fighter but your right Merlin. It's silly she had to lie about something so small," says Gwen.

Arthur made a note to let Gwen learn more about fighting. It definitely wasn't proper but with all the fights they'd been through he wanted Gwen safe and he could teach her himself.

"Thanks," said Arthur.

Arthur turned to leave.

"Arthur, be careful," said Morgana.

"She really did care about you at one point princess," says Gwaine. He is still weirded out that this version of Morgana was so different from the one he knows.

Arthur nodded.

"See you at the feast," promised Arthur.

Arthur entered the arena. Arthur and Valiant put on their helmets prepared to fight.

Merlin was in his room and mumbled the spell with his eyes closed.

"Bebay odothay arisan quickum," mumbled Merlin sleepily.

"Merlin did you rest at all?" asks Hunith with a frown.

"Er a little bit, I mean I needed to master the spell," says Merlin.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of yourself mate," says Gwaine.

Lancelot is glad someone else is saying this. He'd long given up on trying to convince Merlin to rest and relax. He knows that Merlin needs it but he figured it was best to be there when Merlin needed him then be pushed away because Merlin didn't want to worry him.

Gaius is glad the others noticed. He knows from now on he won't be the only one on Merlin's case making sure he got sleep and made time to eat. It had been exhausting being the only one who knew about all that Merlin had to deal with and trying to make sure he took care of himself as well. It had only gotten worse recently too, just after Lancelot sacrificed himself to close the veil. Merlin had nearly withdrawn from everyone, including him. Merlin came to him less and less for help and stayed away from their room when Gaius was awake to avoid being told to eat or rest. Gaius really had tried to stay up and wait but he was an old man and could only hang on so long. Now things are changing and Gaius is thankful. Even though more painful memories are to come, he believes it will be for the better.

There was a growl, but Merlin kept repeating the spell.

"You didn't hear that?" asks Percival. He knows Merlin is actually quite observant, more than others gave him credit for.

"I kept picturing the dog in my head. It's a key component of the spell and because of this I just thought that sound was part of me picturing the dog come to life. I was also just a little tired," says Merlin.

"Bebay odothay arisan quickum," said Merlin again.

The Rottweiler barked. Merlin is startled awake. He blinked and looked around for the sound before his eyes found the dog in the corner of the room.

"I did it!" Merlin shouted happily.

"I had tried nearly all night I was worried that I wouldn't get it at all," says Merlin.

"Modest again Merlin," says Pahoren. "In the interest of transparency, though this is due to Emrys's unfortunate lack of official magical learnings, a spell like this is incredibly complicated. It typically takes months to do correctly for the first time, let alone consistently."

Merlin looks as shocked as everyone else. He turns to Gaius who also shrugs.

"Emrys?" asks Elyan "Who is that?"

"Or er that's me in a way. It's the Druid's name for me for some reason. I was born Merlin though you can ask Mum," says Merlin. "But Gaius you seriously never gave me a scale or anything to judge my magic I just did things."

"The druids have a name for you?" asks Elyan baffled.

"Er yeah it was pretty bizarre when they called me it the first time," says Merlin.

Arthur gets the sense there is more to the name than Merlin is letting on but he also learns quickly and when Merlin acts like he is right now he doesn't want to talk. Arthur, though very curious, decides to let it go and writes down the name though he isn't sure he spelled it correctly.

"I told you that you were something special. Are you really just realizing this?" asks Gaius.

"I mean I knew I had a lot of power but I didn't think it affected me that much..." says Merlin.

"Your sheer power is how you all got through your many um shall we say adventures. Many of the spells you had to learn were similar to this, complicated and only your sheer will and power together forced them to cooperate for you," says Pahoren.

Everyone is taking in this information. They all understood from Pahoren and the prophecy that Merlin was powerful but to them its really hard to understand without real world applications. They didn't understand magic much in the first place, so scaling magical powers wasn't something they could easily do. Hearing these comparisons helps put Merlin's power in perspective and it is something they all needed time to come to terms with.

The dog started lunging at Merlin, he rushed out of the room and shut the door. Gaius entered the Physician's Chambers.

"Can cast spells to bring things to life but doesn't know how to deal with a dog," says Arthur shaking his head.

"Hey, we didn't have any dogs in Ealdor, at least none that I interacted with enough to know how to deal with them. Only when people passed through did we ever see any and those were typically trained," says Merlin.

"Arthur's fighting Valiant!" said Gaius worriedly.

"I know. I'm on my way. Oh, whatever you do, don't go into my room. We'll deal with it later," said Merlin quickly before he dashed out of the chambers.

"That was a pain to deal with later let me tell you," says Merlin shaking his head. "I tried to undo the spell for days and had to keep him away from pretty much everything. He chewed through one of my blankets and he never stopped eating. Though in the end I didn't have the heart to undo the spell and just gave him to the dog trainer and told him you wanted him trained but that you were busy so please don't bother you or ask any questions."

"That's how we ended up with a new dog and a missing statue?" asks Arthur. His father had been annoyed at the missing statue for weeks before finally letting it go and chalking it up to someone accidentally destroying it somehow.

"And you never said anything?" asks Elyan to Gwen.

"Well, I knew Merlin had taken the stature of course but I never found out why and around this time there was a lot going on in Camelot so I quite forgot to ask what happened. I figured it was for a good reason and didn't want to cause any issues. Then everyone seemed to forget about the statue, so I just let it go too," says Gwen.

"Thank goodness, you did I had no explanation as to logically what could have happened or why I needed a statute. He made a great royal pet though," says Merlin.

Gaius poked his head into Merlin's room and the Rottweiler barked at him.

"Gaius! You're no better than Merlin! Poking your nose everywhere, your lucky the dog didn't escape," says Hunith.

"I was just worried is all," says Gaius. "It's not a great excuse but I had no idea what he was up to or anything. He didn't tell me the plan."

Arthur fought Valiant on the tournament grounds. Arthur knocked Valiant's helmet off. Arthur removed his helmet and they both pulled down their mail coifs. Valiant knocked Arthur to the ground and stepped on his shield. Valiant disarmed Arthur, but Arthur caught him before he could strike. Valiant pinned Arthur against a wall, but Arthur shoved him off and Merlin took the opportunity he needed.

"Bebay odothay arisan quickum ," said Merlin with his hand pointed toward the shield.

"Lucky you did that Arthur. I had no idea how to simultaneously bring them out and make sure you were at a safe enough distance for them to show themselves. I'm not sure when I would have gotten another opportunity. He also liked to keep his enemies close because of the shield," says Merlin.

The snakes came out of the shield. The crowd stood up in surprise.

What are you doing? I didn't summon you!" shouted Valiant.

"Arthur did you not hear that?" asks Lancelot curiously.

"No, I guess not. I was so focused on the fight and trying to keep the shield away from me. I was also trying to block out the crowd, so I wasn't distracted by their cheers," says Arthur. Arthur is glad he hadn't heard it if he was honest. He's not sure it would have changed anything as the snakes came out of Valiant's shield, it was proof beyond doubt that he was cheating and had used magic, but just the idea that he would have investigated it further worried him. Only one other person besides Arthur had known and believed in the shield, if he'd thought about Valiant's words too much he would have realized what happened. He's not sure what he would have done back then. Just the idea of what could of happened scares Arthur more than anything.

"He is using magic," said Uther surprised.

"No really? We had no idea!" says Gwaine.

"He really did not believe you," says Hunith in shock. A father treating his son with such disbelief without provocation was astounding. She always listened to Merlin and took him for his words and would never have accused him of lying without reason.

"Yeah, I guess he really thought I was lying," says Arthur shocked at his father's reaction. He thought maybe his father had just been unable to do anything without proof and hadn't wanted to look like a weak kingdom because he accused the knight of cheating to get out of the fight. But the look on his father's face, while one of regret, spoke for itself. His father hadn't believed him. What must he have thought Arthur was doing accusing Valiant of magic? Did he simply think him mistaken or worse, a coward until this moment.

"And now they see you for what you really are," said Arthur.

"And that's thanks to you Merlin. If you hadn't shown everyone those snakes, no matter what ended up happening, he might have gone on to do worse, as it wouldn't have been honorable for me to kill him, but also, I would have lost some credibility with my knights and father. Showing them the truth fixed the disaster of a court meeting," says Arthur.

"No problem. I learned a lot through this and as I said before it really helped me understand you better. You had a lot of expectations on your plate and had to worry about your public appearance and it wasn't anything I ever understood before this. I'm just glad things got better for you over the years. You stopped caring about what your father thought as much and started listening to your heart. In cases like this it saved your life and the life you wanted for yourself," Merlin says gesturing to Gwen and the knights.

"And I know there are likely more cases to come," says Arthur.

Valiant chuckled.

Valiant sent the snakes to the ground.

"Kill him!" Valiant commanded.

"I supposed he had nothing to lose at this point though he just sealed his fate further by trying to kill you in front of everyone," says Percival.

"Your right. No way my father would have let him live after this, he killed the knight and tried to kill me, that's way past a death sentence," says Arthur.

Arthur backed up toward the stands and Morgana grabbed the sword from the knight sitting next to her and threw it to Arthur.

"Arthur!" shouted Morgana.

Arthur caught the sword. He turned and swung at Valiant. He switched directions and then killed the snakes. Arthur twisted quickly and disarmed Valiant. He pushed close to Valiant and ran him through.

"Whoop! Go Arthur!" says Gwaine. He jumps up in excitement.

The knight claps Arthur on the back before getting back to their seats.

"Arthur there is something I'd like to say about this. Besides the fact that there was magic involved and your father's a prat, you beat Valiant on your own. I helped, but I just leveled the playing field. It's just in watching all of these memories back you're going to notice that I contributed to a lot of your victories either because I helped or just flat-out fixed things. But that doesn't negate who you are or your bravery or ability to rule people. I just level the playing field when I can," says Merlin.

"Merlin. What are you babbling about?" asks Arthur.

"I don't want to get too into it right now but when we fought against Morgana and Morguase you went through a rough time and didn't believe in yourself. I don't want the same thing to happen here just because you weren't always the only hero in the story," says Merlin.

"I think I understand Merlin but I'm not that fragile. I know you have magic now I realize there must be more to the stories over the years than I thought. We will talk about them as they come up, alright?" says Arthur.

"Alright," says Merlin.

"It's looks like I'll be going to the feast after all," said Arthur.

Valiant dropped and the crowd cheered. Arthur slapped Merlin's shoulder on his way out of the tournament grounds.

The banquet hall was bursting with activity. Courtiers mingled. Uther spotted Arthur as he entered and gave a small smile.

Arthur escorted Morgana to the feast.

"My honourable guests, I give you Prince Arthur, your champion," said Uther proudly.

The court applauded and Arthur offered Morgana his arm.

"My Lady," said Arthur.

Morgana curtsied.

"My champion," said Morgana.

"See, I told you he gets all the girls and the glory," said Merlin.

"And he owes it all to you," said Gaius.

"Partly to me, I wouldn't say all of it," says Merlin.

"Has your father apologised yet for not believing you?" asked Morgana.

"He'll never apologise. I hope, uh, you're not disappointed Valiant's not escorting you," said Arthur.

"He should have been begging for your forgiveness," says Hunith. "It was something my mother taught me. Being a parent doesn't excuse you from occasionally being wrong. It teaches your kids maturity and shows them that you value them if you can admit your mistakes to them and learn from them."

"I agree," says Gaius. "Admitting your wrong isn't a sign of weakness it's a sign of strength."

"He nearly got you killed and you're telling me he didn't even apologize," says Gwaine indignantly.

"No although he said he was proud of me for winning the fight though," says Arthur.

"Arthur you must see how wrong of him that was," says Gwen pulling at his arm.

"I guess it's easier to see now in retrospect. I just thought that he was King, and he only did what he thought was best. I didn't get the proof we needed to prove my point or show he was guilty, my father couldn't convict," says Arthur.

"Even so," says Leon, "You had no history of making up stories like this. He should have at the very least, investigated further. He could have made Valiant use a different shield or something similar to make sure no ill deeds happened. He could have had Gaius inspect the shield, he was too lax and too eager to blame you. It makes no logical sense what he did. He didn't take your servants word, who had nothing to gain, against Valiant's, who had everything to lose."

"I guess you have a point he could have investigated or something," says Arthur though he trails off towards the end. He thinks about how he would have handled this situation and it doesn't make him happy.

"Turns out he wasn't really champion material," said Morgana.

"That was some tournament final," said Arthur.

"Tell me about it. It's not every day a girl gets to save her prince," said Morgana with a laugh.

"Uh, I wouldn't say I needed exactly saving. I'm sure I would've thought of something," Arthur scoffed.

"Mate I think you needed a bit of saving," says Gwaine laughing.

"He's right," sighs Arthur. "I didn't want to admit it at the time, but you and Morgana saved me. It's crazy to see where we all are now. Though I also have a feeling I'm going to have to admit to being saved more than once after watching these memories."

"You would be correct" says Merlin.

"So, you're too proud to admit you were saved by a girl," said Morgana in disbelief.

"Because I wasn't," claimed Arthur.

"Nope. You were saved by a girl AND Merlin," says Gwaine.

"I'm certainly glad you and Morgana both knocked sense into me about how strong women can be. Obviously, my father had these ideas on how women should be and act and I never thought otherwise until I really got to know you better and saw you and Morgana in action in Ealdor," says Arthur fondly to Gwen.

"And don't you forget it," says Gwen giving him a quick kiss.

"You know what? I wish Valiant was escorting me," said Morgana.

"Me too. Then I wouldn't have to listen to you," mocked Arthur.

"Fine!" said Morgana loudly.

"Fine," said Arthur petulantly.

"You were right Merlin, even before we knew we were siblings we still acted like siblings," says Arthur with a tight smile.

"I'm mostly always right," says Merlin shrugging.

Morgana stormed off to talk to Guinevere. Arthur walks up to Merlin.

"Can you believe Morgana? She said she saved me. Like I needed any help." He turns to face Merlin and seems to pause for thought. "I wanted to say I made a mistake. It was unfair to sack you," said Arthur.

Everyone went quiet.

"You apologized? To Merlin?" asks Gwaine in shock. "All the way back then?"

"Yes," says Arthur shortly. "I knew I was wrong and also I appreciated his honesty with me, I wanted to make sure he knew that."

"No, don't worry about it. Buy me a drink and call it even," said Merlin.

"Uh, I can't be seen to be buying drinks for my servant," said Arthur.

"Your servant? You sacked me," said Merlin.

"Now I'm rehiring you," said Arthur.

"Plus, I still needed a manservant," says Arthur with a smirk.

"You needed a friend, a friend who had your back," says Gwen knowingly.

Merlin snorted.

"My chambers are a complete mess. My clothes need washing. My, uh, armour needs repairing. My boots need cleaning. My dogs need exercising. My fireplace needs sweeping. My bed needs changing.

And someone needs to muck out my stables," said Arthur.

Merlin stares blankly at Arthur.

"And of course, you cover it up with jokes," says Gwen knowingly.

"It makes sense," says Hunith sadly. "Your father didn't teach you how to communicate well with others. He especially didn't teach you how to treat those whose opinion you cared about in a way that made sense to you. Your father, from what little I've seen, always spoke down to people with unquestionable authority. That isn't how you naturally wanted to speak to people and so when you needed to talk to someone you weren't sure how to, especially to those whose opinions you care about. Communication is a skill that needs to be taught and while I think you've learned a lot it probably still isn't easy for you and that's a tragedy. For someone who has a lot on their plate and people to rule it's essential that you are able to communicate properly, and your father did you a disservice by not helping you. Though I don't think he knew how either."

"It's true I have always been terrible with words especially when I was a younger prince and even now sometimes it's hard. It's thanks to Gwen and Merlin and everyone around me that I'm better than I was. Merlin always calls me out when I act a certain way but won't tell anyone why and Gwen helps me evaluate my emotions and talk them out. I'm still learning but I'm grateful for all the help all of you have given me just by being around. Especially at this time, I had a lot to learn, and I couldn't have done it without all of you," says Arthur.

"Glad to be of service Princess," says Gwaine with a smile but Arthur could tell by his tone he was genuine.

"I guess I just never realized how bad my relationship with my father really was. I mean of course at times it was horrible I mean he almost killed Gwen just because I loved her, but I still thought he cared about what I cared about or at least wanted me to be happy and was just misguided on what he thought would make me happy or a good ruler. But watching this with all of you pointing it out, it's harder and harder to deny that he didn't seem to trust me or believe in me. I mean he's my father, he should know me better than anyone and that's just never been true. I think I kept trying and trying to have the relationship I thought we had or keep up the relationship I thought we had that wasn't real. And yet I still miss him and occasionally wish he was still here," says Arthur confused.

"Arthur it's still okay to care about him and feel these things. Your love and grief for him can be there simultaneously with any other feeling you have, relationships are complicated. I just want you to know that going forward," says Gwen.

Arthur gives Gwen a kiss on the forehead and a hug.

"Thank you, Guinevere. I needed that," Arthur says.

Elyan coughs and says, "It looks like the next memory is Mark of Nimueh according to the canvas over there."

"Ugh," says Merlin. "Here we go."