Hey! I'm super excited for this chapter. I've got a ton planned. Hope you enjoy!

Once they got back to the house, the weight of the whole encounter seemed to hit Merlin all at once.

They were barely across the threshold when Merlin's legs buckled. If it hadn't been for the hand Arthur had steadily kept on his shoulder, the boy would have hit the floor.

"Woah, woah. Hey, easy. You're okay," Arthur said quietly as he sank to the floor with Merlin.

"Merlin!" Gwen cried. Hunith looked on worriedly even as she got up to retrieve a bowl of water and a cloth.

"Arthur? Merlin? What happened?" Morgana asked. She hurriedly got up from where she'd been sitting at the bench and came towards the pair. She stopped suddenly when Arthur held up his hand.

Merlin was trembling, staring at the dirt floor beneath them in a wide-eyed expression. Arthur squeezed his shoulder gently. "Merlin? You're safe. They're never going to bother you again, especially if I have anything to do with it."

Merlin lifted a shaking hand to his mouth as he choked out a sob. His azure eyes filled with tears. Arthur's heart shattered in his chest.

"Oh, Merlin," he murmured. His manservant collapsed against his chest, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around the boy. Arthur had to marvel at how perfectly he fit into his arms, almost as if he had been meant to be there all along.

"Shh," the prince whispered into his raven locks. Morgana was there, too, softly running her hand up and down Merlin's back. Merlin had one hand tightly fisted into Arthur's tunic, the other tracing frantic patterns over his arm as he shook and cried.

Arthur glanced down. "What's he doing?" he quietly asked Hunith, who had crouched next to them with her supplies.

Hunith didn't even have to look to know what Arthur was referring to. "He's trying to say something. When he was very small, especially after the accident, he was sick often. He was usually too weak to sign, so I figured out a way to communicate. It takes a while, but he traces the letters of the words into your skin. In this case, I think he's too overwhelmed to even sign, let alone speak."

She brushed her fingers against his neck. Merlin flinched but didn't look up. She sighed and gently took the hand tracing inane patterns on Arthur's arm into her own. Carefully, she began to trace letters into the palm of his hand.

Arthur watched quietly. He knew it wasn't his place to intrude on the moment between the mother and son, as did Morgana. They both sat and comforted Merlin in their own ways. Gwen hovered somewhere nearby, just in case she was needed.

After some time, Merlin lifted his head to reveal skin as pale as snow and puffy, red eyes. He was still clinging to Arthur with one hand, whether he was aware of the fact or not, and gazing in wonder at his mother.

"That's it, darling," she said, "Nothing to be afraid of now."

While the raven was distracted, Gwen moved in with the wetted cloth and carefully began to wipe away the evidence of the events that had transpired that evening. Merlin gave no sign he even felt her wiping away the crimson trail.

"There we are," Hunith said brightly, stroking Merlin's cheek.

Merlin gazed around dazedly. Slowly, he removed his vice-like grip on Arthur's shirt. "I'm sorry," he whispered, ashamed.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Morgana said. Arthur ruffled Merlin's hair affectionately, happy when it earned him an indignant squawk and a side-glare.

"'Gana's right, Merlin. You've nothing to apologize for."

"You should get some rest," Gwen said softly, leaning around his back to let him get a look at her face.

Merlin gazed at the floor. "I am a bit tired."

That admission in itself was enough to tell Arthur just how much the entire ordeal had taken out of his manservant. Merlin was as stubborn as a mule and would be the last one to admit to defeat, especially to something as trivial as being tired. He'd work until he physically couldn't any longer and had many times before.

"Alright, up you get," Arthur said. He slipped his hands under his arms and pulled the raven off the floor in one go.

"I'm not a child, Arthur!"

"That's debatable."

"Bring him here," Hunith said, pulling back the quilt on the bed.

Merlin's eyes widened as he frantically began to shake his head. "No. Mother, that's your bed. I won't-"

"Oh, hush. I can survive one night on the floor."

Merlin planted his feet, only struggling more when Arthur tried to literally drag him to the bed. "I won't let you. I've slept on the floor my entire life. There's no need to change that now. I'm fine, see?" He gestured vaguely towards himself.

Arthur scowled and opened his mouth to retort that he was absolutely not fine, but he was stopped by Morgana's hand on his shoulder and a small shake of her head.

"Alright. I suppose I can't really tell you what to do any longer. Not that I ever could to begin with." Hunith smiled to herself. She went to a chest on the other side of the bed and pulled out a stack of blankets, handing one to each of them.

"I'm sorry I cannot offer better accommodations. This certainly isn't fit for you, your majesties."

"Oh, Hunith, you've done more than enough. This is more than we could have possibly asked for," Morgana said sweetly. Hunith sighed.

"Well, I suppose I'll speak to all of you in the morning."

"I'll make sure this halfwit gets some sleep," Arthur said with a cheeky smile in Merlin's direction. Merlin glared.

Hunith chuckled quietly. "That would be much appreciated, sire."

0000

In the days that followed, Arthur never saw even a glimpse of the boys who had been there that night. They weren't with the rest of the men as Arthur trained them for the upcoming battle. They weren't at the village meetings or speeches Arthur gave.

Maybe they weren't as stupid as Arthur had thought. Or they were at least smart enough to know that should Arthur see them again, the consequences would not be in their favor.

Arthur was holding true to his word. If they ever touched Merlin again, if they ever spoke to him like that again, they'd find themselves at the bottom of the well. And Arthur would be sure to finish the job.

0000

The morning of the final battle with Kanen, Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. He had been working with the men in the village for days, and he had seen firsthand the kind of fighters they were.

Their odds didn't look great.

Sure, there were some good fighters amongst them, Will being one, but when you got down to it, their entire existence revolved around planting and harvesting, producing enough merchandise to appease both Cenred and Kanen while keeping enough to barely scrape by winter after winter.

They weren't soldiers, but Arthur could tell they wouldn't go down without a fight. This was their land, the only life they had ever known. They would defend it at all costs.

No matter how much Arthur despised them, he had to admire their dedication.

Ducking inside Hunith's home, Arthur saw Merlin in his chainmail, fumbling with the clip on his gauntlet.

Merlin practically swam in Arthur's spare chainmail, but the prince found it adorable. Not to mention he felt a strange, almost possessive fire burn through him at the sight of Merlin wearing something that belonged to him.

Arthur watched as Merlin's shaking hand failed to clip it once again when he finally took pity on the boy and stepped forward to help, gently taking his wrist in his own hand.

"You know, it's okay to be scared, Merlin."

His manservant looked up sharply. "I'm not."

"Of course, you aren't."

Arthur finished buckling the gauntlet and looked up, meeting Merlin's azure eyes with his own cerulean ones. The prince could stare into the other boy's eyes for all of eternity. He felt like he was drowning in them, but strangely, he wasn't lost. No, he felt right at home.

Arthur's eyes trailed down to where Merlin nervously chewed on his pink lips, eyes flicking around the small hut. His hand drifted up as if to touch the raven's cheek, similar to the way he had on that night, but pulled back at the last second.

"You ready?"

Merlin pulled away, a look of disappointment flitting across his face for the briefest moment. "Whatever happens today," he whispered, "please don't think any differently of me."

Arthur searched Merlin's soft features. "Don't worry, I won't." How could he ever think any differently of Merlin?

Merlin played with the bottom of the chainmail. He looked as if he didn't know what to say. He chewed on his lip again, the simple action sending flames of want to every nerve ending in Arthur's body.

He could die today. He woke up every morning knowing that, but today was different. It may be his last chance standing there with Merlin. He'd been a coward for nearly a year. Arthur Pendragon was not a coward.

"Damn it all," he sighed under his breath as he stepped forward again and took Merlin's hands.

"Arthur, what-"

The prince cut him off with his lips on his. For a moment, Merlin stood stalk straight, and Arthur briefly feared that he had misinterpreted everything for the last year. He was just about to pull back when Merlin practically melted into him.

Merlin was kissing him back!

If Arthur's mind hadn't been bursting with color, he would have been jumping up and down with joy in a very unbecoming manner.

Everything around them drifted away as Arthur zeroed in on the feeling of Merlin's lips under his. They were slightly chapped, yet warm and unbelievably safe. As he kissed the boy who owned his heart, he felt as if they could take on the world. Kanen and his men wouldn't stand a chance.

Arthur gently pushed Merlin back until his legs bumped the table. For the briefest moment, they broke for air, but Arthur didn't allow it to go on for long. Now that he'd experienced it, he thought he'd never get enough of kissing Merlin.

Arthur easily lifted the raven on to the table. One of Merlin's hands was on Arthur's chest, the other tangled into his blonde locks in the most wondrous way.

Arthur's hands traveled down to Merlin's waist. His calloused and battle-worn hands brushed the exposed skin where Merlin's shirt and the chainmail had ridden up slightly. The boy shuddered under his touch.

Merlin sighed happily as Arthur explored with both his mouth and his hands. One hand travelled up to rest on Merlin's stomach beneath his shirt, the other squeezing his hip with just the right amount of pressure. Not enough to bruise, of course, he would never hurt Merlin, but enough to keep the raven grounded. The skin-to-skin contact sent sparks of electricity through Arthur until it felt like every last nerve in his body was positively on fire.

Arthur broke away and began a trail of kisses down Merlin's jaw, stopping briefly to leave a tender kiss right behind his ear, before finally making it to his neck.

The prince gently worked a line of kisses and small nips down his pale neck, Merlin making small noises and gasps all the while, until he finally got to where lithe body became offending clothes.

With a sigh of resignation, knowing they could no longer avoid the inevitable by staying in their little bubble of paradise, Arthur pulled away. Merlin whined softly at the loss of contact.

Arthur chuckled. He stroked his cheekbone, taking in the sight before him. Merlin's eyes were bright and dilated, his cheeks blooming with color. His hair was mussed, more so than usual, but Arthur found the sight absolutely beautiful. Merlin was breathing a bit heavier than normal through slightly swollen and red lips.

Arthur rested his forehead against the other boy's, allowing his eyes to flutter closed as he just took in the scent that was indescribably Merlin.

"Merlin," Arthur whispered because he had no other words, knowing that the boy wouldn't hear it.

"I suppose we have to go out there now, huh?"

Arthur swallowed against the lump in his throat, nodding mutely. After what they had just shared, after everything they had been through, the last thing in the entire world Arthur wanted to do was go out there and look death in the face.

Merlin softly stroked down his spine. Arthur had never felt so comforted by a single touch before. Merlin took the prince's face into his hands. "No matter what happens today, Arthur, just remember this moment, yeah?"

"Always."

Merlin laughed and lightly smacked his back. "Sap."

Arthur nuzzled Merlin's neck and smiled into the skin. He reached up and traced "yes" into Merlin's chest without looking.

The moment was effectively broken when Morgana appeared in the doorway of the house. "They've crossed the river."

She paused, gaze flicking between Arthur who was gazing anywhere but at his foster sister and Merlin who was half off the table, cheeks tomato red with embarrassment. A knowing grin spread across her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" She asked innocently.

"Get the hell out, Morgana," Arthur muttered. She giggled in a very un-Morgana-like way.

"For your sake, Merlin, I hope he's a good kisser. The gods know he doesn't have much going for him in the intelligence department."

She disappeared before the mound of hay Arthur threw could meet its target.

"Time to go," Arthur said quietly. He led the way outside.

Hunith was waiting for them across the street. Merlin strayed away to speak with Will. Hunith smiled kindly at Arthur. He briefly wondered if this was what it felt like to have a mother's love.

Her eyes watched Merlin speaking animatedly to Will with his hands. The deepest love Arthur had ever seen in a person was in her eyes as she gazed at her son. The prince's heart ached.

"I would lay down my life for him without a moment's hesitation," she said, "I love him more than life itself. No matter how old he is, he will always be my little boy."

She turned back to Arthur. "However, I believe it is time for me to allow someone else the privilege I've had all these years. Knowing Merlin. Loving Merlin." She watched him carefully.

Arthur felt his cheeks heat with color, and he shifted from foot to foot. It was such a foreign feeling for him, embarrassment, that he didn't know how to handle it. He was the Crowned Prince of Camelot; he didn't get embarrassed.

He was beginning to believe that statement was a load of crap.

"It's alright. If it had to be anyone, I'm glad it's you, sire."

His gaze softened as he looked at the wonderful woman who had taken them all in, who had raised Merlin alone and struggled through so many hardships, who had sent her only son away so he could have a better life than she could provide him with.

"Thank you, Hunith. But please, call me Arthur."

"Alright." She smiled. "Arthur."

She patted his shoulder as Merlin wandered back over. They spoke quietly for a moment, backs turned to Arthur. When they were finished, mother and son embraced.

Then Arthur got slammed with a revelation unlike any other.

"I love you, my son," Hunith murmured. She held up her hand, sticking out her thumb, pointer, and pinky fingers.

Arthur was suddenly sent back many months to a time when him and Merlin were much less acquainted, yet the prince had still risked everything to save the life of an easily replaceable servant. Just before said servant had drunk from a poisoned chalice, he had made the same exact sign towards him.

Merlin had thought he was going to die. He had been trying to tell Arthur he loved him!

All this time, all these many months, Arthur had been trying to suppress his feelings, trying to find any excuse to ignore them and dance around them with the fear of rejection looming over his head like a storm cloud. In reality, Merlin seemed to have been waiting on him for a lot longer.

Why Gaius had never taught him that sign was beyond Arthur. Maybe the old physician thought he had no use for it. Maybe he had simply forgotten. Either way, Arthur couldn't help but feel resentful. If he had just learnt the damn thing, they could have realized their feelings months ago and saved both of them a fair amount of heartbreak, not when they were both about to enter a fight that would surely be suicide.

That was something to be dealt with later. Because just then, Kanen's army broke through the tree line.

0000

Everything had been going splendidly, despite Merlin's little stunt to try and help Morgana light the fire.

All the villagers had stayed hidden until Arthur's signal just as he had said. Gwen and some of the others had pulled up the spiked barrier at the last second, effectively spooking some of their horses and causing them to have to turn around and go back the way they had come. Eventually, Morgana and Merlin managed to get the fire started.

Everything erupted into chaos. All around Arthur, there was fighting. Some, like himself, Morgana, and Merlin, were armed with actual swords, but most had nothing but wooden staffs and what gardening tools they could scrounge up.

Still, they were holding their own.

Arthur tried to keep track of Merlin in the midst of it all, but there were simply too many people. Every so often, he would catch a glimpse of raven hair or the glint of chainmail, but it would be gone, lost into the sea of bodies, just as quickly as it had been there.

Somewhere behind him, Gwen and Morgana were holding strong just as he had expected them to. He had to admit, having the women there had been the right call. They knew how to fight, and they added power to their numbers. He'd have to apologize to them later.

That was a conversation he definitely looked forward to.

Suddenly, almost like someone had flipped some sort of switch, everything went to hell.

The people began to get overwhelmed. They tired and weakened, not used to all the fighting even after a few days of training. When it came down to it, they weren't knights; they were simple farmers, and Arthur needed to keep that in mind.

People were screaming. Some of the townsfolk began to fall. Morgana got knocked to the ground behind him. Hunith got struck across the face.

Just ahead of him, Arthur could see Merlin and Will standing side-by-side through a break in the crowds. They each gripped a bloody sword, bodies of raiders littered around them.

Arthur couldn't help the swell of pride that filled his chest.

That's when he noticed something was off. The wind had picked up unnaturally, swirling dirt up from the ground in a small whirlwind. It grew and grew right before his eyes until it towered over every building in the entire village.

People everywhere were blown off their feet. Kanen's men fled, some being drug along the ground by their horses, others running for their lives on nothing but their feet.

Arthur couldn't even appreciate the victory because of what was in front of him.

That tornado had not occurred naturally. Things like that didn't just happen. Besides, Arthur had seen strange things enough in his life to know what they usually entailed.

Sorcery.

And the only two people close enough to be the culprits were Merlin and Will.

No. It couldn't be. There was absolutely no way that Merlin would consort with a sorcerer. And it was even more impossible that Merlin himself could be the sorcerer. Arthur's heart shattered. No matter what, Merlin would never forgive him.

"Who did that?" he demanded, stabbing his sword into the packed earth.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Wind like that doesn't just appear from nowhere. I know magic when I see it. One of you made it happen." It sounded like an accusation. It was an accusation.

The words tasted like acid in his mouth.

Merlin and Will shared a look. "Arthur…" Will trailed off.

"Arthur, look out!" Merlin cried, throwing himself into the prince just as the sound of a crossbow bolt being launched echoed through the air.

Sorry for the cliffhanger!