Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Chapter Seventeen

"Look who it is," Gwaine said with a grin, and Merlin looked up to see two figures on horseback on the road up ahead. His head was still foggy, and it took him longer than it should have to recognize Elyan and Gaius approaching them. Gaius's face was drawn tight with worry, and he vaguely realized that the summons had probably terrified his guardian. Merlin would have to be pretty sick to be unable to travel and for Arthur to send for a physician instead of just waiting it out for a few days.

Of course, thinking about it now, it was strange that they all stayed with him. It would have made more sense for everyone to go back with Elyan and Leon and just have one or two people stay with Merlin, instead of the other way around.

Maybe Arthur wasn't willing to let Merlin out of his sight now that he knew the truth? Maybe he felt he needed the knights nearby, just in case Merlin was dangerous?

"Merlin seems a bit better today, so we thought we'd meet you halfway. This way we can all be back in Camelot tonight." Arthur took a quick glance around. "This is as good of a place as any to take a break. We can eat something and Gaius can check him."

Merlin stumbled dismounting, and Percival reached out a hand to steady him. "Got it?" he asked, and Merlin nodded.

They kept doing things like that. Being nice. All of them. He wasn't sure how he expected them to treat him, but he expected…something. Nervousness, at the very least, if not outright fear. Instead, they all seemed worried about him.

Gaius had Merlin sit on the ground a short distance from the rest of the group, far enough that they wouldn't be heard if they kept their voices low. He leaned against a large rock, too tired to stay upright on his own after the past few hours on a horse.

"How are you feeling?" his guardian asked, checking his forehead. "It seems the fever has broken, at least. And you must be stronger, since you can ride."

"Did Elyan tell you what happened?" Merlin asked, unsure whether to hope he had or hope he hadn't.

Gaius frowned. "He's been oddly evasive, actually. He said you had a fever, and that you were disoriented and weak. But he didn't say much else."

Of course – Elyan didn't know that Gaius already knew about his magic, and Arthur wouldn't want word of that to spread.

"I wasn't feeling great the morning we left, but I don't really know if it was illness. I might have just been tired. And then when we found the temple…" he paused, knowing how Gaius would feel about his recklessness. "There were words carved on the wall in the old tongue, and I touched them."

Sure enough, Gaius gave him a withering glare. "What did I tell you about being careful with the magic of the temple? I warned you it might be cursed. Why would you touch anything?"

"Arthur touched it first!" Merlin protested, knowing the excuse would get him nowhere.

"You should know better than Arthur when it comes to questions of magic," Gaius scolded. "What happened when you touched it?"

"Yes, Merlin, what did happen when you touched it?"

Merlin looked up to see Arthur walking over to them.

"Don't mind me," the king said. "I'm just curious to hear your version of events. Especially since according to that Deilen priest, you should be dead."

Gaius's eyes widened slightly. "Sire, perhaps it would be best if I treat Merlin first, and he can fill you in on those details later?"

"Gaius," Merlin broke in with a sigh. "He knows."

His guardian seemed confused at first, then shocked as he read the truth on Merlin's face. He turned in alarm to Arthur, and Merlin noticed that he leaned forward a little bit, as though to move between Merlin and the king.

"It's fine," Arthur broke in. "Well, not fine exactly. I don't know what it is. But right now I mostly just want to know that Merlin is okay and understand what happened."

The physician looked dumbfounded. "Give an old man a moment to process this," he said slowly, sitting down on the rock behind Merlin without taking his eyes off Arthur. "Sire – will you give me your word that I do not need to fear for his safety?"

Arthur didn't even hesitate. "You have my word."

Merlin was too tired for strong emotions, but Arthur's response did cause a kind of pleasant warmth in his chest. He hadn't really been worried that Arthur might kill him, not after their conversation the previous day. But it was good to hear Arthur say it so directly.

Gaius nodded shakily, then turned his attention back to Merlin, although he kept darting quick looks at the king. "All right, Merlin. Tell me what happened."

"I touched the wall. I had to. The whole temple felt…I don't even know how to describe it. Sacred and powerful. It was like that wall was calling to me, almost like I was in a trance or something. And when I touched it, I think it recognized that I had magic, somehow. I think that's why it responded to me and not to Arthur. I could feel the magic from it moving inside of me. I could feel it attacking my magic." He scowled at the memory. "My magic was stronger – I could tell that pretty quickly. But it's taking a long time to fight it all off and get it all out of me. There's much less of it now though. I only feel bits of it, like a splinter."

"A curse that attacks someone's magic," Gaius murmured. "That's powerful indeed."

"I honestly don't know whether I was getting sick anyway, or if it was all the temple," he concluded. "But I feel better than I did. The other magic…it's not totally gone, and it's uncomfortable, but I don't think it's dangerous. Not anymore."

"Hmm." Gaius frowned. "If you were already getting sick, an attack of magic like that might have pushed it along. Your body wouldn't be able to fight against the magic and against illness at the same time. For now, I think we can just treat this as a normal illness, as long as you feel like the magical side is under control and healing on its own, but I want to keep an eye on it for anything unusual. Who knows what manner of magic that temple might have contained? Despite how it may have felt, I think it's safe to say that it was indeed cursed, not sacred."

"I thought it felt creepy," Arthur offered.

"It would be powerful magic indeed for it have fooled someone with Merlin's magical instincts. I'm curious though," Gaius said, glancing back and forth between them, "how all of this resulted in Arthur finding out about your magic?"

Merlin glanced at Arthur. "I don't remember much," he admitted.

"That's okay," Arthur said darkly. "I remember it well enough for both of us. I doubt I'll ever be able to forget it."

Merlin cringed at that. "I'm sorry," he muttered, but Arthur waved him off.

"That's a conversation for another time." He turned his attention to Gaius. "We got caught in a rainstorm after we left the temple…"

Merlin tried to listen as Arthur described the events. He really, really wanted to know what happened. But despite his best efforts, he fell asleep to the sound of Arthur's story.

Arthur was not entirely surprised when the physician pulled up beside him on the trek back to Camelot.

"What all did he not tell me?" Gaius asked without preamble, and Arthur couldn't help but laugh.

"So he's in the habit of keeping secrets from you too?" he said before he could stop himself. Gaius looked alarmed, then bemused as he realized that Arthur was joking.

Arthur was a little surprised about that himself.

"You're taking this well," Gaius observed skeptically.

"It's shocking, but at the same time, not nearly as shocking as it should be." Arthur frowned, trying to find the words. "I never would have guessed it, but it makes sense. It makes perfect sense. And honestly, there's almost an element of…relief? Part of me always knew there was something about Merlin I wasn't seeing, and something about the world around me I wasn't seeing. And now that I see it…" he trailed off, shrugging. "There are pieces of this that worry me, and I have no idea what I'm going to do about all of it. But it feels strangely right."

Gaius chuckled in astonishment. "Of all of the reactions I imagined, I never pictured this."

"What did you imagine?"

"Anger mostly, to be honest," Gaius admitted. "It would be an understandable response."

"I might still get angry." It was a thought that had occurred to Arthur a few times now. "Once it sinks in, I mean. But it's hard to be angry when he's this pathetic." He glanced over his shoulder at Merlin. Arthur had proposed stopping for the day after Merlin fell asleep during their break, but Merlin had insisted he wanted to sleep in his own bed that night. He was well enough to stay on his horse so far, but he was pale and mostly seemed to stare distractedly at the ground right in front of him. Lancelot was riding next to him and had promised to let Arthur and Gaius know if it looked like he needed to stop.

"How bad has he been?" Gaius asked, the worry evident in his voice.

"Honestly?" Arthur shook his head. "It was scary. He seemed completely detached from reality at times. He ordered me at one point not to tell myself that he was at the tavern." He eyed Gaius questioningly, and the old man looked guilty. "He never goes to the tavern, does he, Gaius?"

"Only when Gwaine drags him," Gaius admitted apologetically. "I'm sorry, sire. You know, keeping you alive requires much more effort from him than you would think. And I couldn't very well tell you he was off doing magic to protect you."

"No," Arthur acknowledged. "I suppose you couldn't. Anyway, he's doing somewhat better now, it seems. Regarding the fever, at least." Arthur stared at the physician thoughtfully. "Gaius?"

"Yes, sire?"

"How has he been doing? In general, I mean, with this whole destiny thing?"

It was Gaius's turn to struggle for words. "Sometimes better than others, sire. He takes his responsibility to you very seriously. And usually that means he stays too busy to think about it much, I think. Although sometimes I think he stays that busy on purpose because he doesn't want to think about it too much."

Arthur nodded, stowing that away to think on later.

"Can I ask you something that isn't about Merlin?"

"Certainly, sire," Gaius answered, looking curious but wary.

"Do you still practice sorcery?"

Gaius went very still, and it took him several seconds to answer. Arthur could make a guess at what thoughts were going through his mind, but Gaius gave nothing away until he replied. "As a rule, no. But there has been a time or two of dire need when I felt I had no other choice."

Arthur nodded, unsurprised. "Are you powerful, like Merlin?"

Gaius laughed loudly at that, then composed himself when he saw he'd caught the others' attention. He waited until they were distracted again before answering. "No one is powerful like Merlin, sire. But I'm afraid even compared to your average sorcerer, I am rather weak. I was only moderately talented at best, and I am sorely out of practice."

"Who teaches Merlin then?" Arthur asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"I do my best, but I admit, it is difficult when the pupil's talent so greatly exceeds the teacher's."

"I'm sure."

Arthur did not rule as his father had ruled. He knew that. He'd learned much from Uther, both good and bad; yes, he emulated him in any ways, but he'd also made deliberate choices that he knew went against his father's beliefs. He could walk the road already marked for him, or he could choose to deviate.

But Merlin?

Merlin was alone in the woods. No path to follow. No path to reject. No one who had gone before him who could guide him.

Whatever he chose to do with his power, he had to figure it out alone.

And Arthur thought that sounded terrifying.

AN: Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter! It sounds like I probably made the right decision in cutting the previous chapter, although some people expressed interest in reading it even though it wasn't essential. I'm thinking I'll add it as a bonus chapter at the end of the story. I appreciate everyone who provided their thoughts!