Closing his eyes Merlin sighed, resting his head on the table in front of him.
What had that all been about?
It sounded like Balinor had actually wanted to protect him? Or maybe the prince just wanted to lull Merlin into a false sense of security?
No, Merlin was a good judge of character and something deep within him was telling him that Balinor was a man of his word, that the prince had actually meant what he said.
Staring down at his hands, Merlin frowned. This was so new to him. As he had told the prince, he had never really met another sorcerer who wasn't interested in killing Arthur, and it felt… weird. To actually have someone here that Merlin knew had magic, and not him actively trying to stop, it felt… like a taste of freedom in a sense. He could talk openly (well as openly as one could talk about magic in Camelot) with Balinor about it, and have someone who actually understood what Merlin was going through. He might actually learn more about magic! This olive branch that the prince had extended to Merlin was a tantalising offer, one which he was thinking of accepting. The idea of learning more about his magic, and magic in general, even if the prince meant to do it only to get closer to Merlin and in extension, Arthur, it had piqued Merlin's curiosity too much not to accept it.
And yet, there was something familiar about the man. Like, Merlin had known him in a past life?
No, that wasn't what it was.
Merlin had felt it, the feeling inside his chest, a warmth, which spread throughout his body, and pulled him towards the man. It was almost like his magic was trying to tell him something, but he just couldn't understand the message. It was confusing, to say the least.
Sighing, Merlin stood up. He had no inclination of waiting until Gaius came back, just so he could be questioned on this impromptu visit. But Merlin needed to talk to someone about it. He needed advice, and when he didn't want to be questioned on his actions, or have a very one-sided conversation about destiny, there was only one person he could go to.
Lancelot. Lancelot who would always provide a welcome ear to Merlin's troubles, and an unbiased opinion on the world around him.
Decision made, Merlin cleaned up the rest of his dinner stuff and made his way to the door.
If Lancelot couldn't help Merlin solve his conundrum, then no one could.
Lancelot was getting ready for a long day of meetings on the morrow, when a rather harassed, and confused looking warlock showed up at his door. Letting Merlin slip inside, Lancelot assessed him, it looked like this wouldn't be a social call then.
"Is everything all right?" Lancelot started off with, watching as Merlin began to pace the floors of the knight's chambers.
Merlin laughed, brushing his hand through his hair, which Lancelot knew to be one of Merlin's agitated gestures, when things weren't quite right, and Merlin wasn't sure what to do.
"Has it got anything to do with the Deaestidrians?"
At this question, Merlin slumped on the next available surface, Lancelot's bed, and sighed a deep sigh. Walking over to his friend, Lancelot slipped an arm around him, and let the warlock relax into his body.
Sometimes, Lancelot thought Merlin took on too much. Which is why he would always be here for him, to help him and support him in any way possible.
After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Merlin pulled away from the embrace, and rubbed his hand wearily on his face.
"The Deaestidrians, or at least, Prince Balinor, has magic," he began. Lancelot felt a lump form in his throat, poor Merlin! But, before he could begin to respond, Merlin continued. "And that's not all. The prince knows that I have magic. And he knows that I know that he has magic."
Silence. Lancelot could feel the tension in the room. The lump in his throat threatened to choke him, as his worry mounted for his friend.
"He offered to teach me magic."
The next words came as a shock to the knight. Perhaps Balinor only wanted to teach Merlin magic so as to get closer to Arthur? Or maybe he would try and get Merlin on his side, turning him against Camelot?
"Do you know what he wanted?"
Merlin's lips pursed in his standard facial expression of frustration, "I don't know, Lance, I don't know."
As Merlin continued, Lancelot could hear the desperation in his voice, and fear, which had come from years of living in Camelot, "I just, I want to accept, to learn more about magic, to be able to talk with someone who understands what it's like to have magic. No offence to you, Lance, but sometimes I wish that I had someone to talk to who actually has magic. And not Gaius, he doesn't really understand, does he? He gave up his magic to stay in Camelot."
Merlin's breathing was coming out in rapid gasps, the tears welling up in his eyes, as he buried his face in his hands.
"I don't know what to do, Lance. I thought I would be happy knowing someone who has magic, and doesn't want to harm Camelot and her people. But, it just confuses me."
Lancelot once again wrapped an arm around the warlock, and pulled him into his arms.
"Well, the Deaestidrians will be here for a while, won't they? You can always wait for a little bit, see whether this prince is trustworthy, and then accept."
The sniffles stopped, as Merlin looked up at the knight. Lancelot watched as Merlin's brow furrowed as he thought about his friend's proposition.
For the first time that night, Merlin smiled up at Lancelot, "Thank you, Lance, I don't know what I would do without you."
Laughing, Lancelot shook his head, and, in a mock tone of voice, said jokingly, "Probably crash and burn, my friend."
A/N Soooo... been a while. Sorry 'bout that. Life got in the way of things, but I finally managed to complete this chapter. Hope y'all enjoy it.