A/N: Hello guys! Guess who's back?! After one month away that seemed too short and too long at the same time I'm back and ready to write! Whole A/N at the end!

To write this I had to re-read a few chapters and remind myself where I was going. I kind of lost track of the story but with my notes I think I got the handle of it again. So! If you feel a bit lost as I was here's a very, tiny summary of the story so far (also a quick briefing of the new characters):

RECAPITULATING. If you don't need it, don't read it and skip ahead :)

In Camelot we have our favorite knights; Lancelot and Gwaine, who are dealing with Uther, a king who has forgotten his son, due to Merlin and Arthur's idea there's going to be a contest (The sword in the stone contest) that is happening in a few days. Agravaine is dead. (It's old news, but hey, it's always good to hear). Arthur needs to be there to pull the sword out before the contest comes to its end so he can be called the rightful heir of Camelot. (In hopes to win more time for his father 'illness')

Elyan is being controlled by Morgana. Gwen is getting suspicious about something fishy going on in the castle concerning Arthur and his decision of leaving his brother (although with a good excuse) alone to die in the forest.

Arthur and Merlin have been training for a week, getting ready to face Morgana for once and for all. Arthur met Kilgharrah (It went funnily well) and Hunith (Aka: The Best TM). Then Merlin had a dream and now they are on a quest to find the druids that will help them to figure out the way to break the spell of the vase and have Uther back. Arthur changed his name to Edmund in order to hide is true identity, however, will Iseldir recognize him?

And of course, we have Mordred, who is now a grownup teenager and to Merlin's dismay is in the same camp as they are.

Characters: We have the twins, Saimri and Shuri. Shuri can see the future and Saimri can tell when someone is lying. Lyaa is the blond druid archer. Linorien; Tensai (teacher) of Herbology. A Druid Healer, she's a red hair. And Mersan, she has no magic but she's a weapons expert and the most important Tensai in camp. Also, we have the girl, Eliane, who has a dragon egg.

Last chapter Mersan left to find Iseldir and Arya to the forest. (Iseldir is cannon in Merlin, the druid men who appeared once or twice to help. And Arya is the high priestess of the druids.

And that's what you missed on Merlin! (Glee voice)

Change of Rules

Part l

"I'm just saying that if Mersan finds us here she's going to kill us,"

"She won't… I mean… she wouldn't right?"

"I don't know, you are the one who sees the future."

"And yet I do not know that…" Shuri said with a tired glance towards his sister. The twins were hidden behind the last tree in the field before it opened in front of them, however, still several yards away from Mersan's tent. They knew now that Merlin and his friend— Emmet, Edward, whatever his name was— were inside the tent, however, getting there was another story. As they were trying to figure out which was the best approaching route they were interrupted by someone coughing behind them rather loudly.

"May I ask what this means?" The twins froze before looking behind their backs, there, with a knowing smile, was Linorien, holding her medical satchel to her chest. The twins didn't answer, "Well?"

"We uh— we were just… hanging… around." Saimri very eloquently said as she patted the tree. Shuri rolled her eyes.

Linorien raised her brows from above her glasses and nodded, "Uh—uh." She said dryly, "You know, Ronin Saimri, for being able to tell lie and truth apart you surely don't know how to lie. You both have five seconds to start walking the other way and get to my tent, there are potions vases that are in need to be cleaned."

"Are you saying you won't take us with you?" Saimri asked bewildered, "You are about to meet Emrys—probably the greatest sorcerer on earth—and you won't take us?"

"That's exactly what I'm implying," Linorien said seriously, "This is Emrys we are talking about—"

"Exactly, it's Emrys—" Shuri half yelled half whispered to avoid being overheard, "Surely we have a right to meet him! There are so many things he could teach us! So many questions I want to ask. I'm sure he's no stranger to prophecies or visions. He could help. He could help me."

Linorien sighed somewhat sadly, it wasn't up to her to make such a decision, but she could kind of understand the need of the twins to meet Emrys. All druids kids had heard stories of him. It was only natural that the twins were eager to meet the person they had read about for so long. Even Linorien was lowkey excited. Who wouldn't?

"No, you are not coming with me and that's final. But I do promise I'll talk to Iseldir and Arya, obviously having Emrys here will not stay a secret for too long. Maybe he will be honorable enough to agree to meet the campers and some of our most capable students? Stories say that he likes teaching." Linorien shrugged hiding a smile, "Maybe he will agree,"

"Really?" Shuri asked with her brows raised. "You will talk with Arya?"

"She's not lying," Saimri said quite stunned herself but that was enough. "She's actually saying the truth."

"Of course I am. Alright, now off you go or I will tell Mersan about this."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

This was bad.

And that was just putting it mildly. Things were beyond chaotic. Or at least that's how Merlin felt at the moment. All thoughts Merlin could have; about the camp, about kids being free to learn magic, about finally finding someone who could help them with the vase… all thoughts eventually drifted to Mordred.

Mordred was here. Probably just a few yards away. And worse; Arthur was here.

And that was a combination Merlin had sworn to himself to never see again.

Merlin blinked and realized they were inside the tent now and he numbly watched as Arthur managed to close the drapes of the tent to give themselves a sense of privacy. That meant Arthur had questions, of course he had questions, but at the moment Merlin didn't know if he was ready to give him answers. Without thinking Merlin's eyes shined gold to place a silent spell around the tent. Better to not be overheard.

After that, the sorcerer turned to stare at the inside of the tent keenly avoiding the glance the prince was giving him in hopes to earn a few moments to think.

As Merlin walked a few wobbly steps inside he realized just how deep in trouble they were, Arthur wasn't stupid, he had probably caught up, but how to explain to Arthur that literally the doom of his existence was walking somewhere in this camp? That Mordred, the boy Merlin had nightmares about, could instantly barge inside the tent and kill Arthur?

Alright, maybe he was overreacting, but Merlin had seen the knives and the swords that kid could expertly use and sadly, Kilgharrah had told him before leaving; prophecies are not meant to be ignored.

Merlin moved blindly around the tent which was filled with fluffy cushions, a few worn but elegant chairs, a pair of shelves with books were aligned by the left side. At one corner he could spot a huge but impeccably made bed, then occupying most of the space, was a large table placed right in the middle of the tent, which was filled with maps, books, and papers that Merlin couldn't care less about.

The sorcerer pressed his hands firmly against the wood to think for a moment.

"Merlin, will you tell me what is going on?" Arthur finally demanded.

During the past hour or so Arthur had been observing Merlin and his subtle changes; from the moment they found the druids in the forest to this moment in time, and the tension on his friend's shoulder's whenever Mordred had been near was noticeable. Merlin had told him he would tell him about Mordred when the time was right, well, Arthur thought drily, this might not be the right time but it definitely needed to be done.

Merlin turned his eyes towards Arthur who had his arms crossed, his blue eyes a bit cold and his demeanor demanding but Merlin remained stubbornly silent.

"I can't help you if you don't let me, wasn't it you who said we needed to trust each other?" Arthur said firmly, "Or let me guess, is this one of those things I'm better off not knowing?"

There was a tinge of warning in the voice of the prince that let Merlin know that he better not answer that question with a yes. Merlin shook his head and found a chair at the same time the prince began to pace around the tent.

"So you are not going to say anything?" Arthur asked after several minutes as he stopped his pacing. Merlin faked deafness and Arthur fought against his impulse to throw something at his friend.

Arthur wasn't stupid, he knew Merlin was not only nervous but afraid, of what exactly he didn't know. The druids? Mordred? Or the fact that Arthur, a person the druids probably hated, was hiding underneath a fake name and dyed hair. Arthur waited but after he realized he was not going to get any answers about Mordred, at least not right now, he decided to move on to the next important topic:

"Alright, Merlin, just tell me how much deep in trouble are we in?" Arthur finally sighed.

That got a reaction from the sorcerer who chuckled against his will, "Glad to see you have already gotten used to it. Thinking about it, this is how my life pretty much runs daily. Trouble, way too much trouble—It's fun."

"Not that fun… trust me," Arthur said dryly but easily. Mordred was there at the back of his head, however, his hopes of figuring out the vase beat everything else, "So druids, I take it this wasn't what you were expecting? At least I figured that much, you still think they might be able to help?"

Merlin didn't say anything, instead, he raised his brows high as he watched Arthur, apparently, Arthur's thoughts had –against all odds— drifted away from Mordred but Merlin knew Arthur would demand an answer later, but for now that was enough.

Merlin sighed before taking the vase out his satchel, "Able to help? Definitely, the druids are one of the most ancient and wisest magical people that I have ever known….willing is another thing entirely. When we came here I never expected Iseldir to be here."

Arthur dragged a chair and sat facing Merlin.

"You are afraid he will recognize me." Arthur didn't ask as he leaned back on his seat and huffed, "I saw him four years ago for a minute, Merlin, chances are he might not remember me. Besides with these clothes and the current state of my hair I doubt even my own knights would recognize me," He said utterly annoyed.

"Yes. It was four years ago but we can't take any chances." Merlin said quietly, "Things could backfire at us any moment, because what if he does? What if he realizes it's you? He's old but not stupid. And he's wiser than the two of us put together. He would know we were lying and that would be the worse start ever to try to get their help. And not just that, if they find out I'm trying to help Uther… "

Arthur pressed his lips on a thin line realizing his mistake. He was jeopardizing everything just by being there. He should have let Merlin come alone, however, it was too late for that now. And a strategist couldn't mourn a wasted opportunity. He had to move forward. Always.

"Very well, when he comes to meet you I will make myself scarce. In this… camp, or whatever this place is, I'm not important, not as important as you anyway. (What parallel universe is this? Seriously?) So we will stick to the plan."

"That could've worked before I just found out they have a high priestess!" Merlin said raising his hands, "Seriously?! I didn't know they had one!"

"And what's wrong with her?"

"Everything! I came here for advice, Arthur. Just… someone to tell me what to do. A high priestess? They have some powers even I can't have. They can detect magic and do certain spells that not even I can do. And most importantly: they are trained. Some of them can see the future. How do I know that hey were not expecting us, uh? How do I know that they don't already know about you here?"

Arthur really wanted to make a solid strategy but Merlin wasn't being helpful.

"Mersan didn't know we were coming." Arthur said after a moment, "So maybe they truly don't know." Arthur could see that Merlin was still not convinced, "Very well, you have always been an honest fool. Right? And druids are pacific people. We tell them the truth. Maybe we could try and make them see things our way." Arthur pondered, "Even your dragon said that they were nor cruel people."

Merlin sighed sadly,"You need to understand, Arthur, that these people we are going to deal with were hunted, tortured, and killed by your father. This vase—" Merlin tapped the golden object firmly, "is the beginning of the end of their problems. I don't know if they would cooperate if they knew who they would be helping."

Arthur's face grew somber, "And what do you suggest we do?" Arthur said slowly, "Drop the matter? Let my father die?"

"No!"

"Then what?!" Arthur said after a moment, "I don't know what's gotten into you but I need you to snap out of it. We need a solid plan before Mersan comes back. Do we lie? Do we say the truth? I'll do whatever it takes to bring my father back just tell me what to do. This is not my people,"

"I don't know, give me a minute,"

"We don't have time to think Merlin. You said coming here was safe! You said you had a plan!"

"That was before I knew Mordred and Iseldir were going to be here!" Merlin finally exploded, "If I had known I wouldn't have come here either!"

Arthur's eyes hardened before he sighed, pressing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. It was already too late to go back and now they will have to face the consequences.

Arthur wasn't exactly thrilled.

Thugs? Weapons? Politics? He knew all of it. He knew how to fight and how to command. However, now their roles were reversed, if Arthur were the one demanding things in Camelot people wouldn't even question him, they would—

Arthur's head snapped up. He had a plan. A foolproof plan.

His eyes settled on Merlin, who had his eyes closed as his hands lazily tapped the vase. His leg going up and down in anxiousness. Even Merlin could pull it out.

"Merlin—you are such an idiot." Arthur deadpanned and Merlin opened his eyes to glare at Arthur.

"What—"

"You are Emrys," Arthur almost laughed and Merlin shook his head, not exactly following. "You are Emrys, the greatest sorcerer to have ever lived."

"Uh… is this… supposed to make me feel better? Because it's not working."

Arthur rolled his eyes histrionically before slapping Merlin on the arm "No, no, think. Right now our roles are reversed. You are important here. ('I guess?' Merlin said unsure) For god's sake Merlin. Mersan stopped her training to bring us to the camp personally. Then she gave us one of the three best tents in the camp and left to bring you their leader before commanding someone else to bring a healer. When you asked for Iseldir she didn't even blink she just left to do it."

Merlin shook his head, "So what? I needed help. I told you—"

"Merlin, you fool," Arthur almost felt sorry for his friend.

After so many years to be looked down and being a servant Merlin didn't know the first thing about being important. Sure. Arthur knew Merlin was important. Arthur considered him is equal, even if he doesn't show it that much, even before knowing about his magic Arthur considered Merlin his closest friend. But in the eyes of his Father and the rest of his people? Arthur will always be the prince and Merlin the servant. So, of course, Merlin didn't understand his status now, how could he? Merlin thought all these was part of the druid culture. He thought they were being kind and Arthur felt like laughing and slapping Merlin at the same time.

"Merlin, all they had done so far they wouldn't have done if it weren't you. You think people can show up in Camelot and ask to see me and my father? No. They have to make an appointment and even then the issue has to be important. We don't just take everybody in and give them a room and then send a knight or two to come and find us for us to come to them." Arthur explained and Merlin started to understand where this was going, "I know you don't think of yourself that way. Is one of the things I like about you, you idiot. But right now that is going to get us killed."

Merlin opened and closed his mouth before narrowing his eyes, "Did you just praise me?"

"Focus!" Arthur slapped him again in the arm, "Did you understand anything I just said?"

Merlin nodded as he massaged his bruising arm, "Yes. I… I think. So here… in the camp… I'm like you? I'm… I'm a prince?"

Arthur nodded gravely, "For God's sake Merlin. Here you are the King."

Merlin gulped. "So… so what? What do I do now?"

"Demand," Arthur said easily, magic wasn't his forte, but demanding things? Well. He was a prince, wasn't he? He noticed the horrified look on Merlin's face, "No, you don't have to… be a horrible person to get things, Merlin. I know that's what most people think of royalty but that is not how it works. You just have to ask for things with enough confidence and they are going to be given to you without questions. That's all we want." Arthur turned his eyes to the vase, "We just want a bloody answer."

"So I should demand for their help with the vase?"

Arthur hummed and titled his head before shaking it, "No… not exactly. Asking for help is the correct way, but you can take control of the situation. You were telling me before that you are expecting a bunch of questions; how did you get the vase? Who did it hurt? Who is your friend? Well, you have the power to not answer when you don't wish to answer. Understand? You don't have to lie if you don't want to, but you can cut the truth in half. No one is going to question you. Take advantage of that."

Merlin felt quite scared now. Is this how Arthur was taught to rule? Arthur gave him a small smile.

"You always think I'm a terrible person whenever I start talking like this."

Merlin shook his head, "No, I… I was thinking that is very impressive, actually. All the power you and your father have… and yet you turned out to be a good leader. Well. Most of the time," Merlin grinned and Arthur shook his head.

"I swear to God that in all my years being a prince no one has ever questioned me—"

"Except me." Merlin grinned impishly and Arthur had to agree with that.

"Except you. But let's hope this Arya woman knows better. Anyways, you will be fine. Just focus on what you want and work your way through their requests. For what it looks they all expected you to have an air of significance in your words and actions, well, let them," And yet Merlin looked unconvinced. Arthur understands that he couldn't give Merlin ten years of experience in just fifteen minutes but he just needed Merlin to grasp the idea.

"Merlin, you are not doing anything evil so you don't need to be nervous. If you think it will help promise something in exchange for their help. That shows loyalty and commitment," Arthur said methodically, "Just don't mention me or my father and you should be fine. It's not that hard Merlin. Trust me. Just… try to act a little less you and more like me."

Merlin snorted, "And that's supposed to make things better?"

Arthur was about to reply when they heard the rustles of clothes and steps outside the tent. Arthur feared it was Mersan as they saw the silhouette a woman behind the curtains.

"May I come in? Mersan sent me here, I'm the healer you requested,"

Arthur and Merlin shared a glance before Merlin called her inside. The curtains parted to show a tall red hair with green eyes and glasses holding a satchel in her hands. For a moment she looked unsure of how to proceed as she waited for Merlin to say something.

Arthur raised a brow.

Oh, right. King… power… benefits… Merlin was having trouble with this.

"Of course, please, uh… come on in," Merlin said trying to imitate how Arthur acted and talked whenever he was at the palace. Arthur controlled himself not to laugh, the girl was already in for pity's sake. "You might be the, uh, healer."

Arthur didn't move a muscle but internally he sighed. Brilliant Merlin. Just brilliant.

"That would be me, Linorien, a pleasure to meet you Emrys." Merlin managed a quiet smile. "We have learned and heard a lot about you." Merlin's smile came a bit more strained. So Arthur was right. They were expecting things from him. Linorien could feel the awkwardness in the air but she decided it was not her place to comment on it, "I was told someone was injured?"

"Oh—oh! Right, Ar—Edmund! Edmund is injured." Merlin said as he closed his eyes and stuttered. "His wrist is injured."

"How did that happened, If I may ask?" Linorien said as she walked to the table to open her bag.

"We were training, he landed badly on his arm and he sprinted it." Merlin cringed, still traumatized by the event.

Arthur took a seat after Linorien indicated him. He had been a second away from refusing but if Linorien was anything like Mersan she would make him sit anyway. After that, she took a sit in front of him and started to pull vials out of her bag while Merlin stood a few feet away watching curiously.

"There was really no need… it's not gravely bruised," Arthur sighed and looked at his wrist again, it did hurt but with everything that was going on it was easy to forget he was injured.

Linorien hummed but otherwise ignored him, once she was ready she raised her brow in quiet inquiry and Arthur nodded. She then expertly examined the wound with her hands, pressing here and there before she furrowed her eyebrows. She gently dropped his hand on her lap as she opened a little glass container, it looked like some kind of salve that smelled of mint. "You had this accident how long ago?"

Arthur and Merlin shared a quick glance.

"Why is it important?" Merlin asked unsurely as Linorien finished applying the salve with a frown.

"Because I feel magic lingering around the injury," She said simply.

"I—we have a healer in Ealdor, he's a friend and used his magic to heal him," Merlin didn't know exactly why he had lied but he did.

"He didn't do a good job," Linorien said before looking up at Arthur. Linorien observed his strong posture and she smirked. A fighter. Fighters and warriors hate to be treated, however, this was not as stubborn as to refuse her healing. So he was smart too. She wondered how this Edmund and Emrys came to be friends but again, it was not her place. "It does feel like an easy kind of injury to fix, do you mind if I use magic, Edmund? Or you would rather heal naturally?"

"He's used to magic," Merlin answered for him, "If it will heal properly…"

Before Arthur could talk against this, Linorien's eyes flashed gold. Arthur almost pushed his hand away from her grasp but Linorien didn't let him. Linorien hummed, had been right, the muscles were pulled in wrong directions, "As I said, the magic and spells were badly applied…."

She turned his hand slowly and Arthur kind of forgot she was talking as he could see his muscles move underneath his skin. As always, he couldn't help but stare.

He had been right. Magic felt different depending on the user. While Merlin's magic felt warm and cautious and just… bright. Linorien's felt, for a lack of a better word, accurate. Her magic moved around in quick but expert motions, and instead of lingering it moved and retreated fast. It wasn't uncomfortable, it was just different. But so far he liked Merlin's better.

He came back to reality when Linorien stopped using magic and just as fast the tingling sensation he had gotten used to went with it.

"When you say it was badly applied… what do you mean?" Merlin asked as Linorien finally wrapped a long piece of cloth around Arthur's wrist just in case.

Linorien smiled at her work before looking up at her patient. "Better?"

"Its… uh, it feels good." Arthur said but it felt better than good. It felt as he had just been given a new hand. Every crack was fixed and he could feel it. Very aware that probably this was a punch to Merlin's ego Arthur decided to keep his face solemn. "I—uh, thank you."

"You are very welcome, after all, everybody who is friends with Emrys is a friend of ours," Linorien said easily as she packed her things. "And what I meant with badly applied was… well, whoever healed your friend does not know the first thing about muscles and bones. The wrist would have healed but not properly. He would have felt pain from time to time in cold environments. Besides, there were still cracks in the bones that the sorcerer clearly overlooked. It's true his wrist wasn't broken, but it could have if he had gone back to training," Linorien said expertly as she closed her bag, "All in all, it wasn't a bad work, but well, if you know this friend and he ever needs any help this druids camp always welcome other sorcerers. And if he comes under your recommendation I'm sure Iseldir won't mind."

Merlin nodded but said nothing. Arthur shot him a pitiful look. Merlin had told him several times he wasn't the best healer but Merlin tried his best.

"Thank you," Merlin said instead and the tone was honest, "I'm glad Mersan sent you. After out long trip it was good to have someone who could attend him."

Linorien smiled before making her way to the exit but stopped. "It was no problem at all. Well, I do have some ronins that are up for a class, so if you need anything, please send a guard to find me. Or if you have some other lousy healed injuries I'll be glad to help too,"

"We will," Merlin nodded and Linorien turned to leave.

"It wasn't a lousy job," Arthur spluttered after a moment as Linorien parted the curtains, she turned, eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me?"

"The sorcerer who healed me before you. He didn't do a lousy job." Arthur said firmly as he raised his healed wrist, "But I'm grateful," Linorien stared at him for a long moment before she nodded unsure, leaving the tent.

They heard Linorien walk away and both friends relaxed.

"Seriously, what's with the attitude?" Arthur said a bit angry. "Lousy job… well, I guess her expectations in magic are quite high because what you did wasn't—"

Merlin smiled reassuringly and patted Arthur's back, "It's alright, no need to eat the woman alive just because she hurt my feelings, Arthur." Merlin smiled wider, "You do it all the time."

Arthur grumbled but finally he shrugged, "I'm being honest. You did a fine job, Merlin."

"Thank you." Merlin said honestly as he shrugged, "But unlike you, I accept the fact that she is better than me. And I'm glad she fixed your wrist better than I could have ever done."

Arthur nodded, another thing Merlin was not: proud. At least, not when it comes to helping other people. He definitely got that from Hunith. Arthur vaguely wondered what she might be up to today. He turned his attention to the maps and papers on the table. "Two coins with the same side or how goes the saying?"

Merlin rolled his eyes but smiled. "Two sides of the same coin. If you are going to use wise words, please at least make an effort, sire."

"Shut up, Idiot."

"Prat."

And unlike other times, this time Arthur cracked a tired smile.

They were in big trouble, alright, but at least they were in trouble together.

A/N: The chapter was going to be longer, but it would take longer to correct and blablabla and this was ready to post, so here's a little more of the druids! Next chapter starts with Merlin and Arya. Exciting things ahead! I will post soon since I can't stop writing. Which is good. After coming from the trip I felt a little lost, I mean, I have every chapter written down, at least the idea, but that doesn't mean I know how to write it… but this morning: BOOM. Inspiration hit! And I loved the outcome. Although I hope you didn't get bored as nothing really happened in the chapter, did you notice? x)

Mordred will show up really soon, he was supposed to come here but I decided I wanted some bromance before the action began.

I hope you liked Arthur and Merlin's interactions. I missed them deeply during my trip! When I was in England I had a stroke every few seconds like I was walking down a street and I was saying… Arthur lived in this country. Who knows, maybe he walked this same street centuries ago! Or I will think: The actors live here… probably somewhere nearby?! And stuff like that. (And Harry Potter. I bought the whole store and cried as I did. Happiest day of my life. I bought the new book. I finished it in a seating in an airport.) And Sherlock. I went crazy with Sherlock. Im such a british at heart.

And Praha, have you been in Praha? I loved Praha. It was cheap and beautiful and I want to move there. Also, I have a French reader! Well, let me tell you I loved Paris. And the food. It was amazing. British don't have food. I'm sorry but it's true. Just the tea. Tea was good!

Anyways! I loved my trip. Wish I could go back and relive it but since I don't own a time-turner I will concentrate in other things, like writing. Since I'm not working at the moment and won't be until a month from now I have lots of time to write!

Thank you for all who reviewed or sent me tips to do during my trip. I did all of them. And thank you for your patience! You are all amazing! Lots of hugs, can't wait to hear from you.

-Juliet'lovestory-