A/N: This is two chapters in one! There are several breaks in the story so if you get bored it will be easier for you to read it by parts during the holidays! (Although I hope you don't get bored?)

ALSO. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR since I won't update again until January!

CHAPTER 40

A Leap Of Faith

Merlin was seated on the floor, he was too tired, too exhausted to even try to make it to a chair. After Arthur had left he had just deflated, his raw explosion of feelings slowly but surely had disappeared; all the ire, anger, and tension were gone from his body, leaving him quite empty, only with something heavy crushing him down by the chest.

It's the kind of feeling you get when you envision a plan and you are determined to see it through; you create your best strategy, you wear your best armor, you fight bravely, and yet, deep inside and from the beginning, you knew one hundred percent that you were going to fail.

That's how Merlin felt now.

To think just yesterday he had been training with Arthur in the outskirts of Ealdor, had it been really just yesterday? He felt like a year had passed since then, and a lifetime since he had told Arthur about his magic, and yet they still had to accomplish something. Anything. It seemed they were only going backwards, and the only step towards Albion they had managed to get, one that might actually mean something, Arthur was going to refuse it.

Merlin wasn't even doubtful, he was certain.

Merlin knew Arthur sometimes better than he knew himself. Asking Arthur to give up on Uther had been incredibly selfish, and despite that Merlin realized he wanted this to happen—he wanted the truce with the druids, he wanted Albion—but he knew now that it was an impossible possibility.

It hurt to think that the best thing that could happen to this land was Uther's Pendragon's death, but remembering the crushed look on Arthur's face spelled it for him: It wasn't going to happen.

A big part of Merlin understood, and he will support Arthur whatever his choice, but he deeply wondered if he was ever going to be able to truly forgive Arthur for this. Merlin knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime. Their chance to right all the wrongs that had been committed against magic in the name of Camelot. It meant forgiveness. It meant peace. It meant everything Merlin had ever wanted. Everything magical people had ever needed.

It would really be the beginning of Albion, the end of the darkest night.

And to throw all that away for Uther?

Despite the dislike he had towards the king he had to remind himself he was Arthur's father, honestly, Merlin thought, if this were the other way around and he was in the same position he wouldn't even hesitate. He would always choose his family, so why was he judging Arthur so harshly for doing the same?

A voice inside his head told him that his parents were not ruthless leaders and that their lives and decisions don't impact on thousands of people. Merlin pushed that thought away. If he wanted to keep supporting Arthur he needed to start accepting his decisions.

He sighed as he rubbed his temples, way easier said than done.

He dropped his hands to his lap and tensed when he heard the sound of the curtains being pushed aside as someone walked inside the tent. Merlin didn't bother to look up. He knew exactly who it was.

"Oh, for God's sake Merlin, get up from the floor, you look ridiculous, and that's saying something."

Merlin's shoulders dropped but he was still stubbornly looking down. A moment later he felt as someone swatted him on the head.

"Are you listening to me? No? Well, that's sadly not unusual."

Merlin muttered something unintelligible to himself; however, he did unfold his legs and finally looked up. Merlin blinked amazed, it was incredibly dark inside the tent, night must have fallen long ago. Arthur was there but Merlin was almost barely to see him, after a moment he saw as the prince resignedly dropped to the floor, mirroring Merlin posture as he faced him.

No one said anything for the longest of times, they were just quiet, avoiding each other's eyes. Merlin wondered where Arthur had wandered off all day. He wondered if he even wanted to know.

"Shut up, Merlin."

"I—I didn't say anything!"

"Even your silence is annoying."

"Prat." Merlin spat and Arthur chuckled at the easy banter. It had been a while.

Merlin finally sighed and tilted his head to the side, "Arthur, listen, I—"

"I know what you are going to say and it's alright—"

"It's not," Merlin said. Annoyed with the darkness around him his eyes shined gold. The lonely fire of the single candle in the tent multiplied, and soon several golden lights started dancing softly around them, "Arthur, I'm sorry. It's not—it wasn't alright. I should've never—"

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur sighed, and he said it so quietly, so… well, weak, that Merlin actually did. The silence was not tense or awkward, on the contrary, it was almost welcomed. Apparently, after having hours to think about this they had both come to their own resolutions.

A resolution Merlin thought he could accept, but what Arthur said next he clearly didn't see it coming.

"I talked to Arya, she wants you to meet her in the forest in a few minutes," Arthur finally said as he looked down to his lap, clenching and unclenching his healed hand, "I order you to help her. Hatch the dragon egg or whatever it is that you have to do."

Merlin blinked several times, a few seconds passed before he gasped, looking around as if someone would pop out from nowhere to explain this parallel universe to him, "Wait—Y-You took the truce?"

Arthur didn't say anything, he just nodded.

"But—why? Gods, Arthur, I thought,— I was so sure that you would refuse it! Are you certain of this?"

"…Yes."

Merlin didn't know if he wanted to know about this sudden change of decision, "I'm so sorry for putting you in this position, I—"

"Don't be, you already said everything you clearly think," Arthur said as he looked at Merlin with a steady face, there was something off about Arthur and Merlin couldn't for the first time ever, quite pinpoint what was bothering him. "And I think you might be right. For once."

Merlin's guilt was drowning him, "We should've never—you can't lose your father, Arthur. I was wrong before."

"I'm not losing anything," Arthur said in a whisper before he turned his eyes away and looked at the lights dancing around them, "He's still my dad… even if he isn't aware of it."

Merlin blinked, not liking his choice of words, "Arthur, what happened?"

"I talked with Iseldir," Arthur said, and his voice was laced with confusion, sadness, but most of all, painful resignation. Resignation was something Arthur Pendragon didn't know about so Merlin couldn't understand what was happening.

"He took me to this place in the forest where there's this stupid, really stupid pond," Arthur gave a little hysteric laugh and Merlin thought Arthur had finally lost it, "And… he just left me there and told me to think and meditate—and he said that if I needed help I should look at the pond. Apparently, it's magical. Stupid right? A freaking pond. The tiniest body of water you have ever seen, just…lying there! Throwing predictions to whoever dares to look down!"

"Arthur, what happened?" Merlin placed a hand on top of Arthur's knee, Arthur wasn't looking at him, but for the first tinme Merlin saw his friend crumble a little. It had been quick but Merlin had seen it, and he had seen him this bad before, but that had been when Arthur had been talking about Edmund back in Ealdor. In a place Arthur was safe. Broken Arthur in the middle of a druid camp? Merlin didn't know what had happened or how to deal with this.

"Arthur?!"

"I saw… I wanted to understand," Arthur said quietly before taking a shaky breath, he pushed his shoulders back, steeling himself. "I never knew exactly why magic was banned or what could happen if I refuse magic now. So I looked at the pond and wondered… and the pond… showed me. The most… ridiculous of things…"

"Arthur, what did it show you?"

Merlin was going to kill Iseldir. Arthur was broken! It was worse than with Edmund somehow, Merlin could feel it in the aura around Arthur, in the way his shoulders were slumped down, his quiet, erratic breath and his fake laugh.

"Arthur, what—"

"It showed me Albion," Arthur said with gentle eyes but with the saddest smile Merlin had ever seen, "And I… I have never seen such a beautiful country before. There were magical schools. Kids were running with sticks in their hands. The buildings? They were marvelous. The castle was huge, twice its size, with towers as high as the sky… There were sorceress curing illnesses, there were normal people teaching manual crafts to sorcerers. I was king. You were my adviser. The army of Camelot had brave men, magical and not magical. It was a safe country… the kingdom I always envisioned. I want that to happen, Merlin. I wanted all of it."

Merlin blinked several times as his shoulders relaxed visibly, he gave Arthur a soft smile, "You are talking about magical schools… will they have books? Will I be in them? See? I told you we needed to write our adventures down."

Arthur groaned, "You are impossible."

"Sorry," Merlin gave him his best impish smile but it faded quickly, "You know, if you don't want to do this we don't have to, Arthur. I'm being honest. I'm sure Albion will come to existence, whatever we choose to do. There's always more than one path to do things."

"For once in your life stick to your words, Merlin," Arthur glared, "I know what you think about this, and honestly I don't know if I will be able to forgive myself for this but I know we have to do it."

Not being able to forgive himself for betraying his father or for actually taking the truce Merlin didn't ask.

They were quiet a long time after that, a languid sadness lingered in the air. Both aware of what this truce meant and what this silence entitled.

"I wish I could have seen it too," Merlin finally whispered, "Albion."

"You will, in the future, I'll make sure of that," Arthur promised, all traces of happiness gone from his face, "Merlin, ever since magic entered my life I don't know what I'm doing half the time. I don't know if every choice we take is a step forward or not. But… when I saw it… all the people we helped, everything we did… I realized—" At this Arthur gave a sad chuckle, "I just… kind of understood, for a brief moment… that I was born to do this. You were born to do this. You were born to do great things, Merlin, and I understood that if I don't do this… no one else will. And who knows what the consequences would be."

"What about… what about your father then? About the vase?"

Arthur gave a long sigh, "I'm not giving up. I think I have something in Camelot that Arya might want to take in exchange of the vase once everything here has calmed down, but that might take a few months until things settle down here and in Camelot, we still have Morgana to worry about."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Arthur said as he abruptly stood up, blinking furiously, the lights going out of his way to avoid burning him, "Although I have one thing to ask from you."

"Anything."

Arthur walked to the table and pretended to read the papers lying on top, "You will apologize to Mordred before the meeting with Arya."

"Arthur—are you serious?"

"And you will do it with a smile, you hear me? Give the kid some healing potions and cure him if that's what it takes. Even bring him some pastries if you manage to find some, no, don't make that face, I'm deadly serious about this," Arthur's stare was so strong and his voice filled with so much determination Merlin didn't object right away. "We won't leave this place until you do, I don't care how long it takes. Mordred is an innocent boy and you are Emrys, so you will act your age and position here and apologize. Do we have an agreement?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes, looking to the side.

"Merlin, do we have an agreement?"

Merlin already hated the idea, but it was a small price to pay for what Arthur had just agreed to. He got up from the floor and raised his arms in surrender, "If that's what it takes, I'll do it."

Arthur looked at Merlin's blue eyes for a long time, searching for something and for a second no one moved, only the warm lights dancing around the tent.

"Very well," He said satisfied, "Now go. Arya is waiting for you."

Merlin hesitated on his feet, not sure whether he should really leave or not. Merlin felt like they still had thousands of things to talk about and yet Arthur was cutting the conversation short. He didn't even want to know about Mordred anymore—not that Merlin complained about that.

The vision of Albion had truly moved him that much?

"Just leave already, Merlin,"

Merlin opened and closed his mouth twice before accepting that this was truly happening, with one last thank you and a smile towards his friend the sorcerer left the tent. Mersan was there waiting for him along with Elaine, hidden excitement showing in her green eyes as she hugged a white dragon egg to her chest.

Merlin looked back at the tent for one last moment before he turned and followed the druid child towards the dark woods along the TEnsai, having to leave Arthur alone for now.

The moment Merlin left Arthur lost his bravado, his steeliness, and his pride. He slumped into a chair, letting the air in his lungs go. He sat there, motionless as his eyes prickled with tears. Then one tear rolled down his cheek and the next followed, he cried silently as he so often did nowadays.

A quiet sob escaped him as he pushed the heel of his hands against his eyes. Stubbornly trying to stop crying just by sheer power of will, sad tears mixing up with angry tears. Arthur was angry. Angry with the damned pond. Angry with absolutely everything that had led him to this moment.

He blinked the tears away and looked back at the entrance of the tent, to the spot Merlin had disappeared to.

He had lied.

He had not seen Albion.

He had not seen magical schools and kids running around.

He had not seen any of that.

What he saw he was sure it would haunt him until the day he died.

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

"You mean—?!" Arthur shrieked, although if you ask him he would say he didn't even stutter.

Iseldir just nodded, hands behind his back as he walked around with slow steps. Arthur looked at the pond from his safe place against the tree. Was he really contemplating magical water? A pond capable of telling him his desires, his future… his destiny?

"Usually the pond shows you what you need to see, Arthur, not what you wish. You see, it gives you images, glimpses of what is yet to pass depending on the needs you have, on the thoughts that surround your soul and heart. That's why if you come to it with your deepest fears, it will show you an answer accordingly to them."

Arthur blinked as he took one small step forward.

"But what if… what if I'm not ready to see what I need to see?" Arthur finally asked, trying to recover from his shock.

Iseldir smiled knowingly, "That is exactly what drove people mad, Arthur. Not everybody is ready to see what they need to see. They all want to see, but wanting and needing are two different things, however, the pond is always a great helper in the midst of tough decisions."

Arthur hummed, half listening as he looked down at the water, he was just two steps away now.

"And something tells me, young prince, that you need to make an important one."

And with those last words, Iseldir left.

Arthur took two steps back alarmed when he looked around to find himself alone. He called for Iseldir but he got no response, only the night sounds to make him company… and the light. The bulb of firelight had stayed with him, levitating on top of the water, almost beckoning him forward.

Arthur shook his head, this was ridiculous.

"The future, huh?" He called around, but he got no response from his snarky remark and soon his face grew somber. He took one step forward, he could almost glimpse his reflection.

The future.

He crossed his arms and walked the last step towards the pond with hidden curiosity, and finally, he got a glimpse of something, whoever, he was slightly disappointed when he only saw his reflection staring back. For the first time in a long time, he got a vague glimpse of his dark hair. He did look different.

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, a flash of color inside the water alerting him of an intruder. He looked around, he was sure it had been the reflection of a body, his hands were up and ready to fight but nothing came to attack him. He held his breath to hear better, but besides the lullaby of the leafs of the trees, nothing could be heard. After a few minutes of tense waiting, he realized he was truly alone.

With a knowing feeling and a knot on his throat Arthur walked back to kneel by the pond, not really making eye contact with himself in the water, was he ready for this? Probably not, besides, he had already made his decision, hadn't he? He wasn't going to take the truce.

And yet… here he was. He hummed in ponderation; maybe the pond will show something interesting, something that could help Arthur and Merlin in the future and—

And then he felt stupid. This thing probably didn't even work. The ocean of visions never existed… the mirror of Erised was just a child story. The fountain was just an alibi for Oman's country.

He was being naive and maybe this pond was just some sort of test.

He scoffed, annoyed with himself. He was thinking too much. He had fought dragons, he had made peace with said dragon, he had fought wars and had accepted Merlin's magic… surely he could do this.

"This is just water Arthur, just… do it."

And down he looked.

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

Yells.

That's the first thing that Arthur took the notion of. He knew that kind of yells very well. They were cries of war and the sound ringed in his ears.

For the longest second, all Arthur could see were blurs of movement, unable to identify where he was, or what was he seeing before it all began making sense.

And once it did, he blinked several times, unable to take it all in.

It was chaos, in the most detailed of ways.

He saw war.

He was, in fact, right at the center of it.

He was standing in the middle of a huge valley, not a tree to be seen in yards and yards, all he saw were bodies fighting, knights, civilians, druids. So much movement, so much noise as the warriors fought. Arthur quickly took several steps back avoiding a man riding a horse, stumbling back in his hastiness to get away.

When he blinked again the noise had almost died, the sudden change leaving his head reeling, suddenly there was too much space where the bodies had been once so close to one another. Too much quiet when there had been so many different noises.

A moment later he realized whatever this was… it was already too late.

Arthur had been in enough wars and enough fights to know when a war was over. And this one was. This was certainly nor the start or the peak, it was the end. The fights were scarce now, just a few men fighting here and there for one final blow at the edges of the field. No. Not the middle but the reluctant end. Where people have already retreated and only the stubborn remains to fight, ready to die nobly by the hands of the winning party… in the end, just bodies left behind.

Arthur was standing at a very particular bloody end of a fight.

He didn't know why he wasn't panicking, he should be, he was confused, disconcerted, but he did not feel in danger. Somehow he was painfully aware this was not real and yet he felt it so vividly he could taste it, he could feel it in his bones. He could smell the burnt air and perfectly see the empty lifeless eyes staring back from the ground as he eerily stood in the middle of the bloodied field.

He began walking. He saw dead friends, and he stumbled on his feet when he began having flashbacks. Quick images of information. It blurred his vision and he fell to his knees.

War. A druid he didn't know along with Arya declaring war against Uther.

His Father; dead. They killed them. He has been dead for several years, leaving him with a kingdom he felt too young yet to rule.

Arthur unable to keep his promise to Arya and going into a war against them.

Merlin. Merlin becoming a warrior, hiding his identity until it was safe to announce it.

Leon; he looked so old, however, he still held himself strong, leader of the knights… he died the second year of the war.

Gwaine leaving Camelot; he didn't trust Arthur anymore. He didn't agree with this war, and so, it was a war he was not willing to fight. Gwen, leaving Camelot for another kingdom, seeking protection.

Arthur blinked, and he was brought back to the field. His heart was racing, as if he had just ran a thousand miles, clearing his head he looked up. The field was almost empty now, the bodies still remained, a few knights—his knights of Camelot—were walking around the field looking for survivors.

And then, he saw the most surreal of visions.

He saw himself walking among the bodies, older now… but still him.

"What on earth?" He whispered but no one heard him.

This Arthur looked so different, he hadn't grown that much, just a couple of years, and yet he saw himself moving as if he had lived a thousand instead. He was battered; his clothes stuck to him with blood as he walked. King Arthur, who now sported a few strands of white hair, was tightly holding an equal bloody sword in his hand. He recognized the sword, it was his sword, the sword that at the moment was resting inside a rock. So he had managed to get it out.

And yet the most horrific thing, even worse than the bodies on the field, was the cold, dead blue eyes he was having trouble thinking as his. Arthur noticed that there was no trace of the man he thought he himself was. Or that he hoped one day he could become.

This Arthur looked tired, old... and somehow pitiful to look at. He looked distant. Cold. His eyes passing dead faces as if he was seeing ripped furniture. He looked not exactly brave, but feral.

Arthur followed his other's movement in shock until King Arthur finally stopped his pacing and looked down, finally, King's Arthur eyes shined with something close to sadness. Arthur dared to walk a bit closer and he gasped.

It was Lancelot, he was barely breathing, eyes closed, but alive. For the quickest of seconds, King Arthur began to say something but before he could speak Lancelot's chest stopped moving.

Lancelot was dead. Just like that.

"Lancelot?!" Arthur called, however, no one in the field answered him, not even King Arthur, unable to see or hear him. King Arthur kneeled beside Lancelot for a few moments. Arthur did the same by the other side. Shocked to the bones.

Arthur reminded himself that Lancelot— his Lancelot— was alive so he quickly stumbled away from the sight. "Iseldir?" He called in a whisper, before he yelled harder, "Iseldir! Get me out of here!"

Arthur's legs gave up on him and he kneeled on the ground, neck pushed back to look up at the sky as he breathed harshly. A spark of panic was rising in his chest. How does one stop having visions? When is enough, enough? And more importantly, what this war meant? Why was he even fighting?

Not knowing what to do his eyes swept the field trying to calm himself. It really looked like the battle was over.

He heard the rustle of clothes and he turned just in time to see King Arthur speak, it was soft and yet Arthur heard it clearly. "Merlin?" King Arthur asked to the wind, almost in a daze staring down at Lancelot before looking around, shaking his head and walking away from the body of what was once a friend, "Merlin!"

At the name of Merlin, Arthur perked up, standing up to his feet as both Arthurs looked around the field for him. Was Merlin here? Arthur wondered in panic, the idiot didn't even know how to hold a sword correctly, was he even allowed to use magic?!

A moment later they heard a yell. Both Arthurs tensed, one unaware of the other, however, both perfectly aware of who was yelling. Their blood froze as chilling panic took over them, knowing that voice perfectly well.

"Merlin!" They yelled in unison as they ran up a little hill to look down.

And in this future, or vision, or whatever Arthur was experimenting, what triggered him the most was the sight of Merlin being impaled by the last retreating druid. It was almost surreal, to see the end of the lance stick past his friend's chest and out his back. The bloody metal shining in the last rays of the sunset.

"Merlin!" He gasped horrified as he willed his feet to move forward. "No!"

"NO!", And he saw as the Arthur in this vision ran as fast as his legs could carry him. "MERLIN!"

They both saw as the druid looked startled towards the upcoming king, he turned towards Merlin again, said some last words that Arthur couldn't hear as Merlin gurgled blood out of his mouth, his eyes grew huge, then the druid soldier dropped the body of Merlin unceremoniously—lance still sticking out—to the ground. Even from afar Arthur knew it was too late.

When King Arthur arrived by Merlin's side he was already gone.

Arthur stayed glued to his spot, unable to stare as his friend fought for a few more seconds on this earth. Arthur was seeing red as his eyes watched the druid man that had just… just… killed his friend. The druid soldier was now yards away, he turned one last time to look at his actions before he began running to the woods.

Arthur leaned down to take the nearest bloodied sword and began running after him, running past Merlin and past the grieving Arthur from the future, who was holding Merlin to his chest, asking him to come back.

Arthur forgot this was a vision, a dream, something that had yet to happen.

He felt it. He felt the pain and the sadness of what he had just seen. It was a raw feeling that was eating him alive.

And even worse, he had recognized the druid before he escaped. Those eyes… years later, Mordred will still have the same strange eyes.

The druid soldier that killed Merlin was Mordred.

Arthur was going to kill him for what he did.

And suddenly everything changed, his body felt heavier, his vision blurred, the air felt less stiff, the noise quieted and the sun gave way to the moon. In a second Arthur was back in the present, deep into the woods of the druid camp, but this time, somehow, everything felt more real. His senses were aware of every little detail; the rustle of the wind against his hair, his wet palms from supporting himself out the water. He was lying on his chest, arms bracing himself up, arms tingling with the effort of supporting in own weight as he stared at his face on the crystal pond; he could only see his troubled reflection now, the water now clean of images and eerily still. Arthur quickly rolled to his side, still breathing heavily.

Giving himself a few minutes, lying on his back, trying to decipher the meaning of what he has just seen….he realized that if there was one thing he was sure of; was that this was a future he never wanted to see.

And he will do everything to stop it.

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

"Is it true? I can't see anything!" Saimri whined as she watched from afar as Arya talked with Merlin and Arthur in the open of the field. "I can't believe I missed the hatching last night!"

"Shut up, you don't let me hear anything," Damian grumbled as Shuri by the other side of him rolled his eyes. "Where were you, anyway?"

"Someone had to stay with Mordred, alright? Linorien put me on duty," Saimri sighed as she tried to get a look around their shoulders.

All the ronins were gathered around a tent trying to get a glimpse of The Prince of Camelot and Emrys, apparently, several things had passed overnight, not only had Emrys gone to visit Mordred, but also he had left to hatch the century-old dragon egg. And just a few moments ago Shuri said she had a vision of a great announcement happening today. Something even bigger than a dragon now living in the druid camp, she said.

As for Elaine, she was nowhere to be seen, probably still in the forest, where she would be staying until the newborn dragon was strong enough to be around, seeing it hatch had been a marvelous sight. Shuri was still low-key excited. A white dragon living with the druids! Aithusa, Merlin had named her.

"I see you are all doing your duties, as I commanded."

The ronins turned, their yells frozen on their throats.

"We were just—"

"Nothing," Mersan narrowed her eyes at her ronins before she sighed, resigned, "I thought seeing Emrys yesterday hatch a dragon egg would deter you from sneaking around the camp. I was wrong. Clearly. What happened now?"

"Shuri had a vision, about an announcement, and since Emrys announced he was leaving today we just wanted to know," Damian said not trying to even hide it anymore, "We might not get another chance to talk with Emrys, so…"

Mersan wanted to tell her ronins that stalking wasn't considered talking but she kept quiet, she placed her hands on her hips and looked to where Arthur and Arya were talking with a quiet Merlin in-between.

"C'mon, we all have been called to a meeting," Mersan said as she clapped her hands twice, "Whatever the announcement is you will hear it there. See? Arya is already coming this way."

"Do you think he will say he might be staying to teach us something?" Lyaa asked Mersan, swinging her bow as she walked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I'm sure we will not be disappointed."

She was right.

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

The whole camp grew quiet after the news of a truce.

Arya had her hands behind her back as she talked with a strong voice, explaining in short but quick facts what had transcended yesterday and why she had offered her help. She talked about Albion and about futures and prophecies, about children being free and magic. About how two worlds could perfectly fit.

"And we have, in front of us, the ultimate example," And with a long movement of her arm, Arya motioned for Arthur and Merlin, who were behind her back, side by side, "We have Arthur Pendragon and Emrys. They both come from different worlds, and yet, they fight together as one to bring peace and magic back to this land. They are friends, brothers despite their differences and stronger because of them. I choose to believe in them. In their future. Despite prophecies and despite past sins."

Merlin was quiet beside Arthur, he felt guilty for being so exhilarated about this when Arthur seemed so down, at least to his eyes, however, when Arthur turned to face him he scoffed.

"Smile, Merlin. No one died, you look like you are at a funeral," Arthur rolled his eyes and clapped just in time with the rest of the crowd. Merlin blinked, he had missed the last part of the speech.

Arthur by his side laughed, the noise dying in the thundering applause Arya was getting.

"And you want a book to be written when you are not even paying attention, idiot?" Arthur mocked but at that moment Merlin just pointed behind his back.

Arthur turned slowly and saw that everybody was waiting for him to move. Arthur coughed and walked to Arya's side when she beckoned him to the center, dozens of eyes following his every movement.

Arthur was wearing some fresh clothes, nothing as luxurious as what he usually wore but enough to make him look every inch of the prince he was. Face unreadable but kind as he faced the crowd.

Everybody was holding their breath now.

"Are you ready to make history, Arthur?" Arya whispered only to him, even behind all the bravado Arthur could still see her tension and uncertainty, just as he knew she could feel his.

"I don't know about history," Arthur said, "But I do know enough about you, Arya, and your people. Enough to make a change and take a leap of faith. If that will be part of the history or not… only time will tell."

Arya didn't smile but her eyes did as she turned to her people, "This truce will hold until the last breath of Arthur Pendragon, may we honor our words and actions, so they can speak for us from this moment forward in hopes to bring peace and magic back to this land. May Emrys and Arthur be blessed to follow their own path, and always be enlightened in the darkest of times."

With those words, Arya turned towards Arthur, a ring between her hands.

"This ring belonged to one of the first druids and the last one to have a cordial alliance with a king," Arya explained as her eyes grew gold. Already words of excitement and gaps began to be heard around the crowd. Arthur watched as the rusted and almost black ring lifted slowly and peacefully in the air, merrily swirling around as the dark stained gold turned bright one again and the blue stone in the middle shined in the light of the morning. Arya took it with such reverence Arthur wondered if it could break.

Her eyes turned back to gray after a moment, and when she opened her hands Arthur could barely perceive that the blue stone inside the ring had something swirling inside it. Water? No. Not water. He almost gasped. Magic.

And before his eyes the high priestess of the druids took one step back and kneeled, head bowed to the floor as she raised her hands to him, the solid ring staring up at him. Everybody else around the field kneeled too. He realized that they did not do it to honor him, not in the slightest, they did it to honor Arya. There were still sore looks around the crowd but as any great change Arthur knew he would find resistance.

Arthur's eyes quickly surveyed the crowd before he looked back to Merlin, who was grinning with unshed tears and nodded in approval when their eyes met. He was starting to kneel when Arthur shot him a glare.

Merlin blinked confused, but once he understood he just nodded and in the midst of a crowd kneeling Merlin and Arthur stood tall. Arthur just couldn't think of Merlin kneeling before him any longer. This trip, this adventure, these past few days, and this alliance had broken that taboo between them.

They both had changed.

Merlin was not a servant anymore, he was his friend, his ally, and even though this alliance was being sworn to him and had cost him dearly, he realized that this was a path they were both destined to walk.

"I gift this ring as a token of our alliance, King Arthur, King of the druids, and yours will it be for as long as you live."

There was silence for a few seconds until;

"Long live King Arthur!" Arthur didn't need to look to know who had yelled. He smiled against his will.

A small chorus of 'Long live King Arthur' followed. Arthur smiled inwardly as he helped Arya to her feet.

CHAPTER 40.

A Leap Of Faith ll

Merlin and Arthur were in the cave by the edge of the lake that functioned as the secret entrance to the druid camp. Only Iseldir, Arya, Mersan, Linorien and the twins had accompanied them to bid them goodbye. Arya had invited them to stay longer for a celebration, however, Merlin and Arthur knew time had run out for them long ago, Camelot and Morgana were their priority now and so they needed to go on with their plans.

"I hope you have a safe trip home," Mersan said with kind eyes, "Despite the, well, troubles we encountered I think it all worked for the better in the end."

"I still can't believe all this just happened in two days though," Linorien said quietly as she turned towards Arthur, "You came inside our camp as just Emry's friend and you leave as King of the Druids."

"Those are some goals right there." Saimri whispered and Linorien and Mersan both sighed.

Merlin managed a smile while Arthur was trying to not look as sad as he felt, leaving the vase behind was still a weight in his shoulders and despite the truce, he felt like he had just lost some big battle. He has still not giving up hope. He was getting his Father back, one way or the other. But without the vase, he just hoped Merlin could find another way, as he promised.

"It certainly made the camp a bit more interesting," Iseldir said, "This means a new beginning for our people, one we all should be grateful for, how that happened is beyond discussion now."

"It's a new beginning to all of us." Arthur nodded.

"I hope one day you will be able to visit us again, my students are a bit disappointed with your sudden departure," Mersan said to Merlin who began a talk with both the Tensais about future plans of coming back to teach the ronins and he asked Linorien some quick questions about healing magic, offering her a place in Camelot if she ever wanted to go and meet the royal physician.

Arya and Iseldir were discussing with the twins, both looking very disappointed that, apparently, no 'Alliance celebration party' was going to be held.

Arthur stared down at his ring curiously. Now, in the darkness of the cave, he could see the blue light shining brighter than in daylight.

"It's condensed magic," He was startled when one of the twins answered while the other looked at him up and down, like searching for something she could not quite see, "The light grows stronger when you are near a druid camp. It's like a map— if you know how to use it."

Arthur nodded stiffly, lowering his hand that somehow felt heavier after that information, "Thank you… Uhm, "

"Saimri," The girl said raising a hand.

"I remember you both, you were in the… talk with Arya," Arthur said and the twins exchanged a look.

"I think I owe you an explanation for that," Arya sighed as she placed herself behind the twins, who looked low key nervous, the conversation the Tensais were having with Merlin behind him quieted, "Shuri and Saimri have a set of powers than even I find quite exceptional. Saimri can tell when one person is lying, while Shuri can see the future five or ten minutes in advance."

"Not all the time," Shuri said quickly, "Just… it just happens."

"They are two of my greatest allies in this camp," Arya said proudly, "They were the principal reason we all druids decided to trust you, Arthur, they both saw your true intentions."

Arthur looked at the girls as he tried to process what he had just been told. Could they really see the future?! His eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he looked towards Saimri, who could tell lies apart from truth.

Could that… was that even possible?!

Saimri smirked, "We can test it, if you want, It's alright I'm used to it."

"I—uh, I would rather not." Arthur said.

"And you just lied." Saimri said with a smirk.

"It's alright, Saimri," Merlin interceded, "He's just stubborn but deep inside he's always like a curious student, once you get him to talk he won't stop."

"Shut up, Merlin. I do not do such thing," He glared over his shoulder but by the way Saimri smiled Arthur knew she knew he was lying.

It was amazing.

And Arthur had never wanted to leave this place more than ever.

"Can I ask a question?" Shuri interrupted quickly, Arthur nodded gratefully, "Can we visit Camelot one day?"

"Shuri, you can't—" Arya began

"Of course, if Arya allows it you can stay at the castle to visit Merlin. This applies to all druids who wish to visit my kingdom."

At this everyone looked his way, even Merlin, and Arthur found himself explaining against his best judgment, twirling the ring around his finger.

"This truce we made today goes both ways. We are allies and I want you to consider Camelot a safe place to visit. We are still a long way to bring magic back and create Albion, I'm afraid. I need to work with my people, my father— it might take a few years but I can assure that as long you look for my help, help will be given."

"I'm glad we made this truce, Arthur Pendragon." Arya nodded proudly as she turned towards Merlin, "You were right about him, Emrys, he's a trustworthy man, a good friend. I'm sure he will be a fine leader and ally."

"Meh," Merlin did a so-so sign and chuckled at the betrayed look on Arthur's face. The twins laughed and the adults smiled; it was a strange sight, the pair of them.

At that moment Lyaa came running inside the cave, everybody turned towards her.

"Arya, you are being called by the elders, they want to discuss some things… about, well—" Lyaa turned towards the prince and the sorcerer and grimaced, "Today's events."

Arya nodded as she had been expecting this. "Very well. Mersan, Linorien, gather the rest of the Tensais and order a meeting by the woods."

Both Tensais nodded, and after their quick farewells, they left the cave along with Lyaa, who gifted Arthur a very nicely crafted arrow.

"What for?" He asked confused taking the arrow gingerly with one hand as he twisted it to see it better. It was beautifully crafted.

"That's the arrow I almost impaled you with," Lyaa stated as if she was saying how was the weather today. Merlin spluttered a laugh, "They say it's good luck to own a weapon that almost killed you."

And with a last wave , he left along with a very confused Mersan. She would never, ever, truly understand her ronins.

Arthurs shot Merlin a shrug and placed the arrow around his belt.

"Well, we have entertained you long enough as it is. I'm truly sorry that you can't stay any longer, but I understand the needs of a country better than most," Arya said with a slight smile on her face as she placed a firm hand on each of the friends' shoulders, "May we meet again, allies."

"Likewise."

With one last nod she turned and left.

Finally, only Iseldir and the twins were in the cave. Even though Merlin was a magical creature he wasn't druid so wasn't able to move the boat across the water even if he wanted so the twins were in charge of transporting them to the other side of the lake so they could continue their way.

Both friends turned to the boat as the twins climbed inside it.

Emrys, I would want to speak with you

Merlin shuddered involuntary, still not used to being called that way. He turned back to face Iseldir. After a moment of confusion Iseldir beckoned Arthur forward too.

"Did Arya ever tell you how the vase worked?" He asked impassibly.

"You mean she actually managed to find a cure?" Merlin asked marveled but Iseldir shook his head.

"No, only how it functions. It's quite amazing how a magical object can change through the years, very strange and difficult topic to understand…" Iseldir pondered more to himself before he clasped his hands behind his back, "You see, the vase works with the same payment, however, instead of healing, now it deteriorates."

"What do you mean, deteriorate?" Arthur asked with crossed arms.

"In the past it was used to heal people's bodies, now it destroys them starting from the most fragile part of a human body; the brain. I'm afraid the vase it's not a blessing anymore, but a curse."

Merlin grimly thought that the name Vase of The Death now fitted it perfectly.

"You mean… it gets worse? " Merlin asked not daring to look at Arthur.

Iseldir nodded with a grim face, lips pressed into a thin line, "It might take a few months, but—well, we can't be sure of the effects since it's the first time we have analyzed one. May I ask, Arthur? What was the first sign that you noticed on your Father? Did he do anything out of ordinary that made you realize he was sick?"

Arthur hesitated for a long time, "He began… he began forgetting things he loved."

Iseldir nodded, humming in comprehension, "Then I must warn you to expect worse as the months go by, Arthur Pendragon, he will not die, not suffer any pain, but his mind and memories might began to fade, I don't know what power the vase has now, if he will have physical repercussion only time will tell."

Even if he was talking with Arthur his eyes were fixed on Merlin's.

The king might begin to lose sight of who he is, Emrys, losing yourself is the worst kind of punishment, however, I must warn you; a King is always a King, even if he's mad. I'm afraid that if the case gets too extreme your actions should rise to the needs of your people.

Arthur gave a shaky nod, oblivious to the mental conversation between sorcerers, "I thank you, for the advice."

Merlin looked sideways to Arthur before he looked to the ground; I know…

Iseldir nodded, finally looking at Arthur, "I thought you deserved to know."

"Then how does the vase works?" Merlin asked out loud, "What do you give in exchange? Can many people be affected by it? Or can it only have one victim at a time? Can it be broken in any way? Can the spell be reversed to be what it once was?"

Iseldir chuckled at the river of questions, "Emrys, reverting a spell this old will take the same amount of time, I'm afraid. Longer than you and I will live. As for the payment, as long as Arya could tell, it did not change. The one that puts the blood in the vase loses half his life, while, of course, the one on the other side loses their mental health. Although she thinks the vase can only have one victim at a time."

Iseldir could see as Arthur's brain began working and he stopped those thoughts from being uttered, "It's not that simple, Prince Arthur, even if you put inside the blood of someone else it might don't work. The vase, just as most druids objects, have their base on emotions. The vase must feel that your intentions are true for it to work."

"I want to save him!" Arthur said in a loud voice, startling the twins on the boat while his voice echoing around the small cave, "Isn't that enough?"

"But who do you hate so much, that you will willingly give half your life?" Iseldir asked. The silence was long after that, "You said Morgana did this? Was she the one who placed the blood of Uther inside it?"

"No, no, she's too clever, too smart." Merlin sighed as he crossed his arms, "It was Agravaine, I'm sure the idea was hers but the one putting the blood inside it? Agravaine. Definitely. He hated Arthur and Uther enough to for it to work."

"And where is he now?"

"Dead," Arhus answered stoically, "So you mean to tell me he died because of the vase?"

Iseldir shrugged, "I'm afraid that's a question I can't answer, if he died because of the payment or other reasons, or if it was faith that this was meant to happen or not is one of the many things we might never know."

Arthur crossed his arms in deep thought. So his father could be saved… with a price. He sighed, feeling a new burden on his shoulders. It was too late to think about this now, the vase was with Arya and so it will be for the time being. He sighed as he passed a hand through his hair, his arms feeling empty without the reassuring weight of the golden object.

"Rest assured that the vase will be well protected, Arthur, now, I'm afraid you must depart if you want to arrive at Camelot before nightfall."

Finally, both friends climbed inside the boat as the twin's eyes began shining gold.

"And Emrys…" Iseldir called from the shore. Merlin turned as the boat began floating away.

Don't forget where your loyalty lies now.

"May we meet again."

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

"Have a safe travel home, Emrys," they twins waved as Arthur and Merlin disembarked, it was then when one of the twins handed them a bag that looked heavy just by looking at it, "And here, a present from all the ronins. It's a satchel filled with food, I would warn you not to open it right away," She said when Merlin carefully took the thing away from her hands, "It's really heavy but we hope it will last you the rest of your trip."

Clearly, these kids had no idea where Camelot was but Merlin was not complaining.

"We hope you can come and visit us soon," Shuri smiled softly, "Sadly, I can't look that far into the future."

"I will, I promise," Merlin said quickly, a bit flustered with all the attention he kept on getting, "I'm sure Arthur will give me some free time… eventually."

"Eventually," Arthur grumbled good-naturedly as Merlin turned to talk with the girls.

Arthur softly smiled at the interactions of the sorcerer and witches. Watching Merlin die had moved something within him, and even though he would die before telling Merlin what he saw in the pond, Arthur was content with his decision, Merlin deserved to live for as many years as he could get.

Life would be a very dark place without Merlin.

"Thank you, really," Merlin smiled brightly to the twins, however, it vanished a little when he saw the silent pledge in Shuri's eyes, he turned towards Arthur who shot Merlin a glance that clearly said; 'Don't you dare leaving without saying something!' Merlin dropped to his knees to be at her level, she was still sitting on the boat.

"I know you have many questions about your powers, both of you do. I'm sorry I didn't stay as long as I should have but whenever is safe for Linorien to travel to Camelot tell her to bring you both, that way we may be able to study your talents and maybe work a way for you to be able to manage them better," Merlin offered, "Your magic it's not a burden."

"Would you really do that?" Shuri asked quietly and Merlin nodded, "T—that would be great."

"Your powers are a blessing, please don't forget that," Merlin said as he awkwardly patted her hands before he rose to his feet.

"It's hard at times," They said in unison.

"We live in a cave, away from the real world," Shuri stated, "There's a reason for that—"

"Magic it's not evil," Arthur interrupted, taking the heavy satchel from the floor and passing it around his shoulder. "So neither are you. Just because people can't understand it doesn't mean we have to fear it, or undermine you."

The twins looked at Arthur again, surprised, "You are not lying," Saimri stated.

"Of course I'm not. Magic doesn't make someone evil; the same way me holding a sword doesn't make me a bad person, it's the wielder, not the weapon, that is important."

The twins nodded in quiet amazement.

"C'mon Merlin, we need to get going," Arthur said looking up at the sun, "It's almost midday."

The twins waved as the boat started to make its silent way to the waterfall again.

"Emrys, careful on the way home!" Shuri yelled as an afterthought. She was far enough already, making it hard to understand, "—turn right!"

Merlin and Arthur waved at them and in silence before they began making their way home.

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

They had not even made it five minutes into the forest when Arthur complained about being hungry.

Typical.

"Well, good thing those kids thought about us!" Merlin said as he grabbed the satchel from Arthur and began looking inside the bag himself, maneuvering to not spill anything on the floor; "Look at this! The girls were not kidding! A couple of apples, bread, some cheese… wow, there's more food in here than what we can eat. Well, maybe."

"Merlin, quiet," Arthur raised a hand, he didn't know why, but something was unsettling him. He looked around but didn't hear or see anything in the woods. Merlin kept on babbling. He forced himself to relax. Was his imagination playing with him? The war he saw in his head just the night before was still playing with his emotions whenever he remembered it, he barely slept that night, whenever he tried to he saw the emotionless eyes of Merlin and he would wake up.

He scrubbed his face with his hands, ignoring what Merlin was saying.

"Merlin, did we leave the horses by the right side or the left side of this path?" Arthur finally sighed.

"Left," Merlin said automatically as he followed Arthur out of the path and inside the forest, head half inside the satchel, "Look, strawberries! It's not even season yet! Give them to me and I will do my chores for a week in Camelot without complaining."

"Just help me find our horses and we can call it even," Arthur turned around a few bushes when he heard the loud thud of something hitting the floor followed by Merlin's loud yell. He turned on instinct, ready to fight whatever and whoever was attacking Merlin—the vision playing vividly on his mind— when he saw the reason why Merlin had yelled.

The bag that Merlin had been holding was lying on the floor, food spilling out of it. Neither of them cared about that, though, because there, buried between fruits and bread…

Was the vase.

The golden vase was merrily shining from between a loaf of bread and a pile of apples.

Arthur thought that the world had stopped for a second.

"Arthur did you—" Merlin looked at him in wonder.

"No!"

Merlin nodded, believing him in an instant, before he kneeled, a childish smile taking over his face.

The vase was here, he touched it in reverence, it was solid, and he felt the magic surrounding it. It wasn't a copy. How? Who did this? He wondered if they should take it back. Was this a test? He doubted it… and yet who would risk their loyalties to the druids for them?

He couldn't understand it.

"Arthur?"

Silence.

Merlin looked up, in hopes to hear what Arthur thought this meant when he saw the reason Arthur was so quiet. He felt his blood run cold.

A shining knife was pressed against Arthur's throat; a man behind him was pushing it to the border of almost cutting Arthur's neck

Everyone froze for a second.

"If ya' don't want your friend dead you will slowly raise to ya' feet, boy, hands where I can see'em."

Merlin didn't move from his spot on the floor, for a second doubtful of what to do, old habits kicking in; hide his magic, think a sneaky way out of this. Arthur had his arms raised in front of his as a quiet surrender but Merlin saw no trace of fear in Arthur or whatsoever. Arthur shot Merlin an almost cocky grin and Merlin gasped, finally understanding.

This was just one man, one normal burglar. And, well, this one had just decided to attack the most powerful pair in the history of Camelot.

"What are you smiling at, boy?"

And he was about to find out.

"Merlin, if you please?" Arthur said with a strained voice.

But destiny, apparently, decided that having a truce was enough luck for one day, so before Merlin could do anything with his magic, not even process the fact that he was allowed to use it freely in front of other people now, someone jumped from the tree above him, crashing into Merlin and knocking him out cold with one punch.

"Merlin!" Arthur said as he moved forward, the knife making a slight cut on his neck.

"And you are following, pretty boy-"

Arthur felt the explosion of pain as the hilt of the knife hit his temple, his world crumbling black even as he tried to fight it. His knees gave up on him and he crashed against the floor.

His last thought was of Shuri, yelling at them to turn right… and finally, her words made sense.

Well, he thought grimly, she should've been more specific.

-o-o-o-o-o-o—o-o-o-o-o-o-o

When Arthur regained consciousness his head was still throbbing, he groaned as he took several painful blinks, willing the blurriness to vanish. His first instinct was to use his hands, however, he was tied by the back against a tree, capturing his hands roughly between them. He threw his head back as he took several calming breaths, panicking would not help. He needed to keep a cold head, he closed his eyes and strained his ears, he heard nothing.

He quickly remembered what had happened and tried to grow more silent, not wanting to drag attention if the burglars were nearby. He felt the comforting heat of a body beside him so he assumed Merlin was still with him. Once the dizziness and panic died he opened his eyes. One look around confirmed that they were still in the woods, and by the sun shining through the trees, Arthur knew sunset was coming. He twisted his neck to the side; as he supposed Merlin was there, still knocked out cold, with an ugly cut on his temple that had dried blood but alive nonetheless.

Arthur willed himself to relax. The second Merlin was up he could free them with magic and be out of there in no time. Merlin's magic was indeed his greatest weapon now.

"Well, well, well," A voice said. Arthur fought the urge to stand up as he quickly swept the field. There was no sight of the burglars, forcing his body to the front, he looked past Merlin and finally saw a pair of men tied to another tree.

"It took you quite the time to wake up, Pal, and—are my eyes betraying me?! Who would've thought that our prince would dye his golden hair!"

"We are tied to a tree and you are joking?!" Said another voice and Arthur felt his heart thundering against his chest, he could not see the man but he recognized the voice.

"Sorry, I have waited for two hours to say it, mate."

"Gwaine?! Owen?!" Arthur hissed, afraid the burglars were somewhere outside his vision.

"Fancy finding you here, Arthur," Gwaine grinned easily as he leaned his head back against the tree oh-so-casually he made it look like he himself had chosen to be tied up against it with how comfortable he appeared to be. As best as he could the knight crossed his legs by his ankles and awkwardly moved his hair out of the way with a movement of his head, "So! Now that the party is all here…let's cut to the chase— how do we get out? All ideas are welcomed, except breaking my wrists to get out, have done it before, not again, way too painful."

A/N: GWAINE AND OWEN ARE BACK. MY BABIES.

So the arc with the druids is over. I wrote this story in three huge arcs. This was the second one. Now we are finally going back to Camelot to see this story over! I hope you all enjoyed your little parts in the story.

AND NOW THE VASE IS WITH THEM. There are little parts of the story that explains how the vase managed to get to Merlin in the end, but what do you think that happened. Should they return it? Was it a hidden gift from who, exactly? Arya? Iseldir? The druid kids? Is this a test to prove they are worthy? (Like Thor?) WILL ARTHUR USE IT?!

And well what do you think of my theory of visions? As I said I intend on moving forward and fast on this story, otherwise I'm terrified I won't finish it. Destinies are changing, Arthur and Merlin are changing and so is the future. What Merlin saw— Arthur being killed by Mordred— is just one of the many possibilities that the future can bring. Arthur dies because he refuses magic back into the land for the sake of saving Mordred.

Well, now Arthur saw another possibility. What would happen if he refuses magic for the sake of his father?

I wrote about five different scenarios that could've taken place at the pond, however, none of them seemed strong enough for Arthur to surrender the vase, Arthur loved his father so none of these options seemed plausible. Who would Arthur do anything for besides his father? So there. Merlin dies. In his vision.

And Merlin did apologize to Mordred but I decided to keep that part out…and save it for the future. (:

Anyway! Hope to hear from you soon! Reviews are what keep me going, if you have ever liked this story pleaseeee let me know, it will be like a Christmas gift of sorts! 100% of the times I sit and write it's because I receive a review that triggers me into writing.

I love you all! I send you all lots of hugs and good wishes! Hope you had an amazing Christmas and hope it was cold there since where I live it was terribly hot! ): and I wish you the best for the new year that is just around the corner!

-Juliet'lovestory-