A/N: long long long long long chapter.

Long.

Thank you for all the reviews, all of them were very interesting from the last chapter. Every time I post a chapter I kind of expect to come back later and find nothing, but you always surprise me.

The time Arthur thought he was saving Merlin.

Merlin was trying—and failing—to stifle a yawn as he wished he had learned a spell to make his sleepiness go away. The meeting with the King had come sooner rather than later and so far he hadn't got a chance to sleep as much as he would have wanted to. He had stayed awake all night on his bed trying to come with a solution and now he only prayed his sacrifice would pay off.

Arthur and Merlin were just outside the meeting room and even when they didn't even share a word they shared the same anxious face and overall tired appearance, although the two of them in different aspects. Merlin had dark rings under his eyes and his hair was messy—and Arthur kept throwing him glances every time he yawned— but other than that he looked like his bubbly-normal self; Arthur on the other hand, looked fresh from a bath, pristine in his clothes, his red shirt without a winkle and his boots laced perfectly, however, his hands twitched, he was sighing way more repeatedly than normal and it looked like every time Merlin breathed Arthur just got more itchy. Then as Merlin reclined against the wall Arthur began pacing.

Merlin opened and closed his mouth twice, trying to come with something to say to appease the look on Arthur's face, however, Merlin was sure than even Gwen herself couldn't be of help right now. A minute later they were called inside the room by Gaius himself and the three men shared a here-goes-nothing-this-better-work glance before Arthur stepped in the familiar room with Merlin in tow.

The king himself was sitting at the end of the large meeting table in his usual chair, looking royal with his elegant ironed clothes and his shining crown on top of his head—and if Merlin was seeing right he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of amusement in his eyes as he watched Arthur enter the chambers but that just might be him. Said Prince was now standing by the closed wooden doors rightfully waiting for the King to call him with Merlin a step behind him with his hands clasped dutifully behind his back as usual. Gaius had walked and sat on the right side of the King and lastly, Agravaine was pacing slowly by the windows just behind the chair of Uther, he stopped to acknowledge them before resuming it in apparent tranquility.

Merlin had to fight the urge to just kill the man where he stood.

"Sir Arthur, please, take a seat," Uther said in a commanding voice as he motioned to the chair on his left, then his eyes landed on Merlin as he walked to stand behind Arthur a good few feet away and to the right, the place he usual occupied when he accompanied Arthur to an important meeting. The brow of the King rose so high it almost rivaled Gaius's. "And who exactly are you, Servant?"

Merlin blinked a few times before he bowed sharing an anxious glance with Gaius. Uther had not forgotten him, had he? He had just never cared much for him in any aspect he figured, or maybe he had forgotten everything that was intricately linked towards Arthur. God if the Great Dragon could see them now…Two sides of the same coin right?

"Servant," Uther commanded, annoyed that Merlin had not yet retired and had just settled to stand behind Arthur's chair like if it was of his competence to be there. "Do you need to deliver a message of great importance to me, boy? If that's not the case please take your leave."

The more Merlin watched Uther the more he was starting to think Uther had indeed forgotten him, after all how many times had Uther talked to Merlin without Arthur in the room? If Arthur had been erased from his memory… could that mean—?

"Merlin, Sire." Merlin corrected him and in other circumstances he would had been terrified to correct the King but he wanted to test his luck. For all he knew this was the first time him and Uther were exchanging words…. If Uther turned to Gaius to reprimand him on his guard's behavior then Merlin would be wrong—however, at the aghast(but silent) reaction of the King Merlin confirmed his suspicions; Uther had no idea of who he was and unlike Arthur he liked it better this way. "I'm Pri—uh… Sir Arthur's manservant."

Uther looked towards Arthur with something close to polite curiousness. "You have a manservant? That's… mostly unheard of."

Arthur closed his eyes and even while Merlin couldn't see his entire face he knew the glare he was giving him was something close to the sorts of 'Knights don't have manservants, you idiot!' but Merlin began to feel really worried when Arthur turned his attention back to Uther with something close of a smirk on his face and—did he just square his shoulders? Merlin tilted his head to the side in quiet doom, he wasn't to like this. "I—yes. My manservant, I won him on a bet—a sword fight, very interesting story— against a prince of a faraway land four years ago, been serving me ever since then, however, when I was knighted I had duties to attend to so he became servant of Gaius's on his free time and he would help around the castle occasionally. Isn't that right, Merlin?"

Arthur crossed his arms smugly. Merlin sighed annoyed but had the decency to nod.

"A fight?" Agravaine asked intrigued. It was clear to Merlin that he was extracting important information out of this, would he tell Morgana that Merlin had been forgotten too? What would Morgana make out of this discovery? Merlin didn't even want to know.

"Arthur is a good sword fighter, Sire." He managed to mumble when Uther looked like he wanted confirmation on Arthur's words.

Gaius controlled his amusement as he stared at the Prince of Camelot who looked contrite and royal at his statement as he had just said the sky was blue. Gaius, however, was more focused on the fact that every time Arthur glanced at Agravaine his shoulders sank a centimeter.

Uther didn't notice any of these exchanges as he boomed with a laugh and patted Arthur's shoulder startling him. Arthur managed to smile nervously.

"A bet—you heard that Gaius? A bet! These kids." Then he looked seriously towards Gaius, his laugh dying a little. "I hope you don't plan on doing a bet on my kingdom Gaius."

"No, of course not Sire," Gaius said and then clasped his hands in top the table. "But I guess this brings us back to the topic at hand, isn't it?"

"Of course, " Uther said soberly, for a few seconds he was silent and Merlin wondered if he was thinking of his dead wife and—definitely not—dead son. "Let's begin this session then. I assume you all know why you were convoked here, am I right?"

There were general nods of approval.

"Very well, then," Uther looked towards the physician first. "Gaius, you have come to me with a plan, have you not? Although may I say that you were incredibly fast at coming back with a solution, and even if I say so myself, it was quite a bold move from your part involving a knight into such serious matters,"

It was clear that King Uther was not pleased with this.

"Yes, indeed Sire, but I believe it was a wise decision to make," Gaius explained himself, exchanging reassurances with the king before he nodded to Arthur who had been left behind in the background for a moment. "I myself Sire was at a loss of what to do, however, I was informed that Sir Arthur here knew something that you will be particularly interested in" Gaius nodded to Arthur in front of him. "Arthur? Why don't you explain this? You will do so much better than me I'm sure."

"Uh—correct," Arthur mumbled and then looked at the King as his eyes trailed a bit over his left shoulder were Agravaine had stopped pacing and was looking with interest at what Arthur had to say. "So... Well—the plan…" Merlin sighed internally. He knew it would be hard for Arthur to talk to the King like he wasn't his son, furthermore, like he was no prince but a knight, and on top of all with Agravaine a few feet away, however, Merlin had to refrain himself from kicking Arthur on the head. For all the times he had to be an obnoxious Prat 'I-do-what-I-want' and 'I-say-whatever-I-want-To-Say' and 'I-don't- babble-Merlin!' Arthur had to forget to be one today!

Uther raised a brow at the behavior and Arthur clamped his mouth shut, it was the same stare his father would give him every time Uther couldn't understand something Arthur was saying—either vocally or the mere idea of something.

"Well since the boy is clearly not functioning this early in the day… may I present you my proposition first, my king?" Agravaine asked and Arthur grounded his teeth. "In the meantime… Sir Arthur can regain his thoughts. Have a moment to... concentrate on his ideas. You know how young knights are, my lord."

Uther patted Arthur's shoulder once, a bit of disappointment on his stare but otherwise amiably before he nodded. "Very well, Agravaine, enlighten us."

Arthur shared a look with Merlin.

Uther was treating Arthur best than most people; actually better than his most respected knights, that they had counted on. Yes, Uther didn't remember him one bit but Merlin had said to him that love was not easily killed or erased, even with magic. Despite his father having no memories, Merlin was confident that at least his mind and body—unconsciously—will try to protect him or react to Arthur as he used to. Merlin had been right apparently; if the amiable pat on his arm had been any indication. Arthur began to suspect that Merlin was highly never wrong.

Gods, he hated that idea.

On the other hand, neither of the two friends missed how Agravaine had shifted to the 'Lets play along that Arthur is no Prince' quite in stride. Merlin clasped his hands on his back tightly already dreading the 'ideas' of Agravaine to find an heir.

He wasn't going to like this. At all. And Agravaine hadn't even started talking.

Agravaine talked and talked for several minutes that felt like centuries to Merlin. He talked about the importance of a rightful heir (blablabla) how hard it was going to be to find one, (Merlin made a sign with his hand like a duck nose on his back). What people on the court and the other royals will think of his future decision... (Merlin counted how many times he could spot the birds passing the window just for fun). Pros and cons of such a decision (Yadda yadda ) Merlin had actually begun to drift off while standing and finally Agravaine said:

"Luckily, Sire. I thought of a solution."

Uther was immersed in the whole conversation—monologue, really— as Agravaine paced around the room with slow strides.

"We need someone strong, brave, Intelligent and cunning on his actions." He listed. "Loyal to the crown and to you Sire, someone with the values of a knight."

Merlin literally pointed to Arthur but Uther wasn't watching and Gaius glared at Merlin to stop his boyish behavior. Arthur appreciated the gesture with a roll of his eyes and a 'can you please be still for once, Merlin?' kind of stare.

Merlin was starting to think he was getting better at understanding the different glares Arthur would send in his direction and he vaguely wondered if that was good or not.

Then Agravaine started another lesson on what a knight represented and this time when Agravaine turned to the window Arthur made a movement of cutting his throat in boredom as Uther nodded and said several 'Yes, Certainly, of course.'

Gaius shot both of them a serious look and Arthur and Merlin straightened and coughed.

"So I had come to the solution that the best thing we can do, Sire, from my point of view, is quite simple." At this Arthur and Merlin listened with the most silent appreciation. Merlin actually held his breath. "Let's cast a fight to the death. A tournament! All knights will be allowed to enter all of those who want to, of course. The bravest, most noble man standing last will be your rightful heir. We will do it publicly, so anyone can witness it."

"A Tournament?" Uther said and Arthur fought to keep a straight face. Uther loved tournaments of all kinds. He loved bloodshed and believed that the force of a knight strived from his thirst to survive and for the need to stay loyal the crown.

"That's your idea? Kill half the knights of Camelot in order to get one of them?" Gaius asked bewildered and turned aghast to the King. Arthur let a breath go that he didn't know he was holding, never in his life so glad that Gaius was on his side at least. The king—who had looked quite fascinated with the idea—suddenly looked stricken as Gaius spoke with his calm voice. "Seeing this from a logical view it would be a fine idea since you would find the bravest and the strongest of your knights— loyal to the crown of course, however, that won't prove their intelligence or their good heart, by the end of this tournament half of your knights will be dead."

Uther nodded taking it all in and then—surprisingly—he eyed Arthur before he nodded. "You look like you have something to say, Sir Arthur, please do, after all, we are all here with one purpose and it's to find the best solution, whatever that might be."

Arthur gulped but Merlin was relieved to see that he apparently had shoved his sadness and nervousness apart with what Agravaine had proposed; apparently, his instinct for justice and politics which he had been born with had resurfaced for a moment.

"As a… as a Knight, my King, I'm sure most of your knights will deny such an honor, however, if it's you who requested it and it's a tournament you would want then we would follow your wishes." Merlin wondered how many times Arthur had followed Uther wishes without question and he figured out that it was a fact he didn't want to know. "It's true you would find an heir but at what cost? Who would take care of Camelot? We—the Knights— are the protectors of the realm… after the tournament our numbers will decrease immensely, and there's also the royal families to take account of, you will be killing their sons to get one of your own, isn't that the case? If something managed to go wrong… who could say that the tournament was fair indeed?

"My lord—" Agravaine tried to interrupt but the King raised a hand and everyone in the room didn't utter a word. Merlin could swear he could hear his heart thumbing on his ears. If Uther agreed right away… God, only thinking about his friends—Elyan, Lancelot, Gwaine… and the list could go on and on—dead because of this… and not only that but his heart stopped at the thought of what Morgana could do with a weakened Camelot. A Camelot with less than half his knights—the hatred that would be born in the hearts of the families that would lose a son fighting for Uther… It would be chaos. He knew it wouldn't come to that, if Uther declared a tournament he would have to do something that maybe Arthur wouldn't forgive him for…just the thought unnerved him to no end.

"I listened to your opinion, Agravaine," Uther finally said as he looked up from the table. "Of course, there are more details to be talked about and other things to consider, however, I can't rule it out. Certainly the casualties will be great but the destiny of Camelot is even greater I'm afraid. We are not talking about a few lives, but thousands when it comes down to find a rightful heir to inherit, train and see for this kingdom. As much as I would want to refuse it's a possibility that we all have to keep in mind."

Agravaine nodded appeased and Gaius pressed his lips together, after a moment he found his voice. "We still need to hear what Sir Arthur has to say."

Agravaine laughed softly. "That is if the boy has recovered his knowledge in English?"

Uther eyed Agravaine sternly. "Now, now, Agravaine, didn't he just stand his ground on his beliefs as a knight? Let's give Sir Arthur a chance to explain his idea, then we will debate."

From behind Arthur Merlin saw as the real Prince of Camelot took a big breath. Arthur turned just slightly to see Merlin from the corner of his eye. Merlin nodded encouragingly before Arthur turned back towards Uther, resolution set.

"Milord I do have an idea, a proposition of sorts." Arthur placed his hands on the table and looked to the man he knew was his father. Just because he didn't remember him didn't mean he had to forget that fact. "One that your entire kingdom can witness so it will not be a decision to be questioned later. After all, we are talking about an heir. No doubt—no matter how little, can remain in the minds of your people if you want to succeed. If you want an heir by force you will create a fake peace, people will remember that their Prince was selected under bloodshed, violence, mistrust. That is not what we knights or what a future king should stand for."

Uther nodded already captivated by what Arthur was saying in less time that it had taken Agravaine to even get the attention of the king. Love definitely cannot be erased. Arthur's memories had been erased from Uther's mind, however, Arthur had been raised by Uther himself and if anybody knew what Camelot represented it was seating right in front of him.

Merlin and Gaius exchanged a proud look. Merlin could see Arthur already winning without even trying and he dared to look at Agravaine—who looked contrite but his eyes showed a hatred Merlin had never quite seen before.

"Camelot represents justice…" Arthur failed for a brief moment but he kept on talking as Merlin was astonished as what he was hearing. They had not planned this in his speech that morning. "Represents peace. Represent all the good things in the kingdom. It's family, it's a warm feeling to travelers, a secure name for children, a great place destined for great things. A place people can call home. Camelot is all these and more, Sire. In order to find a man worth the title we need to think what we are seeking for. The man that will sit on the throne has to be all these things and more, he needs to think for his people before anyone else, before himself. Be devoted to this land and be ready to commit to such responsibilities."

Merlin almost smirked—almost. Morgana had not thought of everything it seems. Morgana had made a fine plan even if Merlin couldn't grasp it in its totality. She had bet on Uther's desire of bloodshed and fight—his wicked sense of strength. Merlin was sure that the 'victor' at the end of the tournament would be someone she could manipulate so eventually, she would have the throne for herself and at the same time she would arrive to an unprotected Camelot, divided by mistrust and harsh feelings towards the crown.

She had forgotten one thing though; the fact remained that Arthur was still Uther's son, memories or not, so the person who knew Uther the best was not the one hiding in the woods but the one sitting in front of him.

Merlin had the urge to laugh at his discovery and he wondered if Arthur could read his mind—or most probably gotten to the same conclusion— because he noticed that as Arthur kept speaking his voice grew steadier, royal and finally adapted and sounded like he used to do: His back straight, his hands open in front of him, his shoulders set and his whole demeanor showed what he was born to be.

Arthur looked like a Prince.

"Certain, Arthur, certainly." Uther was saying. "So what is this that you have in mind?"

Merlin saw as Arthur took one last breath.

"My King. Have you ever heard of the 'Sword on the stone?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There was silence for a beat of a butterfly heart.

"I had certainly never heard of it." Uther said with furrowed eyebrows as he looked towards his advisers for any reaction.

"Neither have I." Agravaine said from his spot by the window looking at Arthur with a glare.

"I have," Gaius said amiably. "A very interesting story indeed, a myth from past days that lives to these days, you might know some of it, Sire." Gaius nodded. " Let Sir Arthur enlighten us all."

Uther motioned with a hand as Agravaine kept pacing more briskly this time around.

"Many years ago, Sire, before the birth of the five kingdoms, this land was in an endless cycle of bloodshed and war but one man was determined to end all that. He gathered together the elders of each tribe and drew up plans for the lands to be divided. Each would respect the others' boundaries, and drew it over the land as they saw fit. That man was Camelot's first king, ancestor to all that followed, including yourself, my King."

Uther nodded but he couldn't see where this was going. "Bruta. I know the story, everybody in Camelot does. My Father told me about this long ago, however, I don't see how this helps with my predicament, Sir Arthur."

Arthur nodded. "Well, here's a piece of information that had been passed generation past generation in my family and one I believe you will be eager to listen." Uther nodded as he casted an amused glance at the boldness of the young knight. "When Bruta was on his deathbed, he asked to be taken deep into the forest. There, with the last of his strength, he thrust his sword into a rock. If his lineage was ever questioned, this would form a test. Only a true king of Camelot could pull the weapon free."

"I had never heard of this stone before." He said in a quiet voice after a few moments and then he looked towards Gaius for advice. "The legends I had read had never mentioned it before."

"I had, Sire, and it does not surprise me that you had never heard of it, it's a story as old as this kingdom itself, however…" Gaius turned to Arthur with his brows raised. "This stone had never been found in all these centuries. It's true that there are books that picture the amazing sword and the story it holds it's quite the legend: A sword embedded on stone fit for a king—but the whereabouts of such sword is still unknown, I'm afraid. No one had ever seen it, nor have I ever heard rumors about it." Gaius said and neither Arthur or Merlin were surprised by his answer, after all, they had planned this speech all morning and they had agreed that Gaius acceptance of their idea would look suspicious in front of Agravaine and Uther, after all, Gaius was known to be the most suspicious man besides Uther in the whole Camelot.

"Then it cannot be done." Agravaine said quickly as he came to finally sit in a chair by the end of the enormous table, he looked towards Arthur with a fake smile that now Arthur knowing what he knew couldn't help but hate.

"A sword on a stone…" Uther murmured and Arthur snapped his head at his Father to be able to see his reaction and Arthur almost choked at the sight. Uther had the faintest of smiles on his face. It was almost invisible to an ordinary eye but it was there.

Uther would always give him that smile whenever Arthur pulled one of his known 'I know we are doomed but I think I can solve it' speeches. It had been a tactic that Arthur had developed over the years—where he first stated all that was wrong and how it could not be resolved and then he would say 'but I come here with a solution that I'm sure it will work'—he did it unconsciously and Uther had been the one who had finally brought it to his attention.

'Its quite the spectacle, Son. When we all hear that there's nothing to be done, that even I had done everything in my power to assess this problem you come up with a solution that even wasn't even a possibility in the first place.' Arthur had been barely twelve when his Father had told him that and it was the first time in a long time he would hear the words: 'Im proud of you'

Arthur shallowed and then gave himself the right to nod and smile on the inside. Pulling out his strategy quite flawlessly "Then I guess is very lucky indeed that I know where this stone is."

Gaius deigned himself to look astonished as Uther leaned back on his seat speechless. Agravaine was the one who was having a hard time to not look angered.

"A Stone? Sire." Agravaine said with a movement of hands. "We certainly can't base the future of Camelot on a stone."

"And can we base it on a tournament that would kill dozens of very good warriors, skilled knights, loyal protectors of the realm?" Arthur counter-attacked angry beyond belief that he had to share all this important information with the same man that was betraying him, furthermore, he was angry at the fact that he had to fight for his right to the throne when he had worked for it all his life.

People were wrong, he had not only inherited it—it was partly true, that is undeniable—but he had worked of it day and night since the moment he had been born. Sometimes it was more of a burden than a benefit but he did it because there was nothing else he would rather be. He trained every day to be the perfect politician, and then being the bravest knight, being the best warrior. He knew everything that concerned the laws of Camelot, he knew the books by heart and every law that was placed in his kingdom he probably knew the page it was written on. He did all these things as a Prince, so when once he becomes King everyone will see him as the right decision, the best option, a relief for its citizens. It had taken him years to become the man he wanted for his people and here was Agravaine, trying to push all his hard work with just a flick of his hands and a series of words.

He would not have that. He wouldn't stand for it.

"You are saying. Agravaine. That people should die for the sake of one man? To put so much pain and sacrifice for one life? There has to be another way. I don't believe in a kingdom or King who would do that to their people."

Uther shot Arthur a warning look and Merlin coughed behind him. Arthur put his lips in a thin line and averted his eyes to the table. He had gone too far. Arthur was not only losing his patience but he had begun to lose sight that here, right now, he had no right to speak to Agravaine like that.

"Sir Arthur. May I remind you who you are talking to? Agravaine and Gaius are my most trusted advisers and they deserve the upmost respect!" Uther boomed and Arthur tried to cover his mistake quickly.

"Please, m'lord." He said to Agravaine and Merlin could almost hear Arthur's neck snap as he bowed in his direction. "Forgive me. Whenever Camelot is in danger I tend to step out of place. I only wanted to speak my mind and I was out of place."

Uther seemed to take the apology, however, he still looked gravely towards him, his anger still not quite tamed and Arthur feared the worse.

Agravaine played his part as a loving uncle for the first time in the whole day. "It's alright, Sir Arthur. I understand. We both want what is best for Camelot, even if we…differ in the methods to achieve it."

"I'm sure." Gaius and Arthur said with a grave voice.

After a moment, Uther rose from his seat and Arthur prayed to old and new gods that they worked with him one last time. The king looked down the courtyard and into the city for the longest of times before he dismissed them.

"I will take into consideration both propositions." He turned around assessing every man in the room minus Merlin of course. "You will hear my verdict tomorrows night and we will make a decree the second I had decided on what to do. It is not a matter to be taken lightly, but I'm afraid it's not a matter than I can take much time to think about. I'm getting old and sadly preparing an heir it's not a task than can be achieved in just a few days."

Arthur couldn't help but sigh, tell him about that.

"If no other resolution comes from either of you two by the end of the next day..." He looked towards Gaius and Agravaine. "I will choose the best option and start at once."

Everyone in the room nodded solemnly.

"Very well, you are dismissed."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It took Arthur all his power will to just stand up and leave the room, after all for years he was always the last to leave any room that Uther was in, he could always talk and discuss with his King —his Father— in private when he had doubts over any decision. Uther valued his opinion— even if sometime he would be a tyrant and not hear anything even from him— but even then Arthur always had the privilege to speak his mind freely. This time though he had to nod, rise from his seat and let Merlin steer him to the door hating every second that Agravaine got to stay behind.

Arthur didn't miss the triumphant smile that showed on his face when the guards closed the doors behind him, leaving Gaius and Agravaine alone with the king to speak and debate.

Arthur walked briskly towards his room, every cell on his body was boiling, he was glad that Gaius was on his side, however Agravaine wasn't on his, if he had doubts about his suspicions the whole attitude of his so-called 'Uncle' had been clear as day in the meeting and he just wanted to pull his sword out and kill him.

It wasn't like Arthur but he felt like everything was tumbling way too fast around him and the barely recovered peace he had found yesterday in the tower died in a second. He wanted to kick something, to kill someone. He felt so enraged. What had he done? What had he done to deserve this?! He had lost his Father and his Mother, cursed to never have a sibling and the only 'sibling' he had, wanted him dead. Don't even make him start about Agravaine.

He wondered where on earth he had gone wrong.

He didn't notice when he reached his room he just knew when he realized he had run out of space to walk. Sighing he turned to close it only to find Merlin already doing so and when his eyes flashed gold to put a spell on it Arthur's almost launched a punch to Merlin's face. The golden look on his eyes reminded him the very reason of his problems, so he briskly walked to the window and placed his hands flat against the windowsill his forehead against the coldness of the glass trying to find some peace in all this.

But his mind was wild and his thoughts were erratic.

Lies. Everything was a lie.

Not for the first time he wished he could have his mother back, he was sure that out of all the people in his life she was the only one who was truly good hearted.

He blinked and furrowed his eyebrows, out of nowhere—when he was trying to keep his anger in check— a golden goblet appeared near his hand. The goblet was linked to a hand and the hand to a shoulder, for a moment he found weird that the shoulder was connected to a face he knew very well.

The blue eyes staring back were sad and then Merlin crossed his arms over his chest, a few feet away eyeing Arthur with the most… was that sadness? Pity?

Arthur wanted to just kick Merlin. This—al this was his entire fault.

"It's fine Arthur, we will find a way. If you ask me I think you did a pretty good job. I think that Uther might—"

Arthur snapped. "It's fine? Wha—Merlin, how is this fine?!"

"Arthur—"

"This is not 'Fine'." Arthur spat and he let it sink for a few seconds. "This is definitely not a definition of being fine! Bloody hell. That Agravaine. Why is it Merlin, that every time I trust someone, every time I think, 'this time, just this time around it won't backfire' that someone just—" He yelled in frustration and walked away from Merlin scared that he would actually hit Merlin if he let all his anger lose. He needed time. He needed space. He just needed everyone to go away. He sat heavily on a wooden chair, cradling his head in his hands and cursed once again under his breath.

Merlin watched with sadness as Arthur tried to keep control of his emotions and looked away.

He had not seen Arthur cry the other night when they were high in the ceiling of the tower—but he knew he most probably had— however, right now Arthur looked like he was about to brake once again. It must be hard. Merlin thought. Morgana, Uther, Agravaine. All of them had lied to him, betrayed him, and if Merlin was being honest he had to be on that list too.

"Arthur, don't despair." Merlin said where he stood. "Not right now. You have things to do. Arthur, you are forgetting that you are a Prince… Camelot depends on you right now. You are the rightful prince don't let anyone say otherwise—"

Merlin stopped when Arthur quietly raised his head from his hands and glared at Merlin, aghast and what Merlin had said.

"This—This isn't about if im a prince or not, Merlin!" Arthur snapped. "This is about my Father, the King. That forgot his own son. Trust me, no one knows better than me that I am the prince." There was silence and Arthur lowered his voice, however, the accusatory look didn't leave his eyes. "I know what you don't want to tell me but I didn't sleep last night thinking about it. If my Father goes for the tournament… tell me, in what mind as a Prince of Camelot I could let it happen."

"Arthur, there has to—"

"No. I saw it in your face and Gaius basically told me in the morning. 'Measures will have to be taken if Uther doesn't remember you' Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not going to let my Father kill half my knights. I'm not going to just let Morgana saunter in by the front doors. If this gets out of our hands—I will have to face my Father… I will have to take the throne before time—" Arthur looked to the other side, his face a clear vision of despair. "I will have to declare in front of the royals, the court, in front of my knights, that my Father had lost his mind… that magic had stricken once again and that this time it's irreparable. How can I do that?"

Merlin didn't know what to answer that so he stayed silent.

"Do you even know how much this hurts?" Arthur kept talking in an angry whisper. "Trust me I didn't know it would hurt this much—Merlin…he forgot about me. He forgot that when I was five I broke my leg when we had gone hunting the first time ever and he carried me all the way to Gaius. We were two hours away! He forgot that he used to read me stories at night, and he forgot the first time he taught me how to use a sword. He forgot that he once told me I was the best thing that ever happened to him." Merlin felt terrible for thinking that Arthur had only been scared because of the future of the throne. If they didn't figure out a way to fix this Arthur would lose his Father and said Father wouldn't even know. "This—this isn't about bloody Camelot. I know that worse come to worse no one can deny I am the Prince. This is about the man that is in that throne planning to find an heir! This is about my Father forgetting who I am. Am I even a bad person for thinking that way? To just—"

Merlin kept silence as Arthur took big breaths to calm himself. After a few moments, Arthur managed to talk but he wasn't looking at Merlin at all.

"Answer me one thing, Merlin. Have you found a way to cure my Father?" Arthur asked with a controlled voice. "A cure? A spell? Anything?"

Merlin sighed. "Not yet, but—"

Arthur rolled his eyes as he chuckled darkly. "So much magic and tell me what good has come from it? Uh? Can you even do something with it? You didn't kill Morgana and see what that has brought us, for pity's sake from the moment you told me you were a bloody sorcerer everything had become worse! Cure my Father, kill Morgana, find where the hell she is hiding so I can kill her myself just- DO SOMETHING!"

"Im trying!" Merlin yelled back in despair, now tears in his eyes that he just refused to acknowledge. Merlin nodded and kept his back flat against the stone. "And trust me Arthur I do understand how you feel, I do but—"

Merlin knew at once it was the wrong thing to say.

"You don't!" Arthur said in a low but acid voice. "Tell me, is it you who will have to betray your Father? It is you who has a sister who wants you dead? Tell me Merlin! Just tell me on which part can you relate! You didn't even meet your Father so stop pretending you understand anything about me! I damn well not understand anything about magic but right now magic is the only thing I wish didn't exist! You know what goods have I gotten out of it? Nothing but liars and broken promises!"

Arthur and Merlin were still in the room a few feet apart and even the silence that followed was too loud on Merlin's ears, even louder than Arthur's yells. Merlin finally sniffled and nodded, Arthur had not even taken a step closer but Merlin looked like if Arthur himself had kicked him on his stomach with brutal force.

"You are right. Of course, you are right. I don't understand." Merlin mumbled before he fiddled with his hands, his eyes focused on an invisible spot above Arthur's left shoulder. "I… will go and talk to Gaius. See if Uther said anything else. You have training in a few minutes, then a meeting with a faraway lord before sunset."

By the time Arthur had realized what he had said Merlin had been long gone.

Well Just so you know this was 20 pages long on word so I decided to cut it by half (Sorry?) but the next part its already written!

PLEASE tell me what you think? I think Arthur had been behaving bravely as off lately but man, he needed to snap and break, we are starting to get inside the arc! wuju! And can only hope you like what comes next. Poor Merlin, my baby, in the series he was always the one hurt by Arthur, hey at least this time he knows he did wrong! and give poor little Arthur a break, after all, his Father forgot him.

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Mersan123: I'm always waiting to hear your point of view from the chapter, whenever I get the first review I make a bet with myself if it will be either you or NerdGirlAlert tbh.

Aaronna: Sad to hear such news about your sister truly, and your reviews are the most giddy ones, I always laugh at them because you just put the blunt feeling you got from the chapter and leave me like that.

NerdGirlAlert: I already began reading your story! Didn't know you had one!

CrossoverAddict : Who corrects my grammar and encouraged me to take time to see after my work. Last chapter was a mess, really, after re-reading it I cringed and corrected over forty mistakes besides the ones you told me about, so I'm forever grateful. English is not my first language but that is no excuse, I really, really put a lot of work into this chapter, so I'm waiting to see what errors you find.

You guys are basically the only people who had ever reviewed this story, but I love your reviews even more for that J I hope I cant keep you around till I finish it!

To the rest of you out there who had favorited and followed thank you, It makes me happy to see that the numbers go up each day! When I finish this story I expect a full lengthy review though!

-Juliet'lovestory-