Raging emotions. Literally.

Notes:

Hello!

Just wanted to say a quick Thank you.

Thank you so so much for reading and commenting on the story- It really means a lot to me and my motivation.

This story couldn't be what it is without you guys keeping me on my toes with those comments. So, much much love to all those who have favourited, followed or (my favourite)- commented on this story.

Disclaimers.
This is a dramatic chapter. Very Dramatic. Like a soap opera where the camera zooms on the actor at least three times.
Well, I hope you enjoy it 3

Chapter Text

Merlin banged open the door to the Physician's chambers and sat down heaving on the table. He opened the wine-skin he had nicked from the feast table, poured himself a drink which he took in one go and waited.

The door to Gaius's chambers banged open and in came the lady Morgana, looking almost as furious as the Morgana in the past had- the one who was so filled with hatred and darkness. For a second the look made Merlin feel hopeless for the future that was about to come.

Was he always going to be the cause for Morgana's darkness? How was it that a person she hardly knew, could affect her in such a way- because that is what he was, it had only been 2 days since he had entered Camelot and already he was affecting Morgana to this extent. God forbid if he actually became friends with her and then betrayed her... wait- he had already done that.

"Morgana-," Merlin started but Morgana interrupted him and spat, "It's Lady Morgana to you Witchfinder." Merlin closed his eyes for a second, his heart breaking slowly… he had been making a good progress with Morgana but now it seemed like it had all gone to… shit.

But, Merlin continued... he had to try.

"My lady, if you will give me a chance to explain, I will-,"
"There is nothing to explain, Merlin! You fooled us all with your fake kindness and your sympathetic stories." her voice was low, but to Merlin, it felt like she was shouting, "Answer me one thing, Witchfinder. Is that what you did to the Druids that saved you? Did you kill each one of them… since that is your job? Isn't it, Merlin?"

She said his name in the same way that Arthur did but it was the tone that made all the difference. Arthur's had always been filled with fondness, infusing Merlin with warmth every time the Prince said his name… but Morgana's was completely opposite. It was cold and sharp and it cut into Merlin's flesh leaving only jagged remains of his heart. He was drunk, tired and angry... he really couldn't handle anything else right now. Especially not this Morgana, she looked too much like the high priestess he had killed.

Merlin opened his mouth to speak but no sound came. How could he explain that he was not evil when the Morgana in front of him kept reminding him of his past mistakes. Even if the situation that she was mentioning hadn't happened- he had been the cause of many druid deaths in the past- he hadn't killed them himself, but... he kind of had... he had led death straight to them. Didn't that make him their murderer?

Everything had turned against him so suddenly. This Morgana was now the one he had betrayed and killed and not of the sweet woman she had been this evening. Her face much like the moment when Merlin had fed her poison, when she had pushed him- the traitor- away, even in the time of death.

Since Merlin didn't answer, Morgana took his answer to be in affirmative. Her face showed her disgust as she shook it, only to huff out a bitter laugh, "I can't believe I actually thought that you were a decent man, that I actually liked you-,"

"Morgana..." Gwen interrupts the lady only to glared down into submission.

Morgana turns back to him and asks him yet another question that he doesn't have an answer to.
"What would your mother think? How would she feel knowing that her precious son is a murderer? Huh?" Merlin gritted his teeth.

Yes, he had made some damn mistakes in the past but he had repented them too. A life like his was no life at all. He was an immortal left to burn and think about his own mistakes for a millennium... But in all that time, he had been sure of only two things.

One that he was going to see Arthur again, no matter what and another was that his mother had loved him, that Gaius had loved him. He had been glad that his mother had never known how many deaths he had caused... if she had, Merlin wasn't sure if she would have liked him very much.
To hear that thought just be almost confirmed by Morgana was a stab to the heart, especially with all that alcohol in his system, everything just seemed so much more emotionally amplified. He shouldn't have drunk so much.

Arthur had been listening from outside, the door had been left open when Morgana had entered. He was going to support Morgana in whatever she was saying because it was true but then she had mentioned Merlin's mother- By now, Arthur had started peeking into the room and that is why he saw whatever he saw next.

At the mention of his mother, Merlin's face- that had been more impassive than his father's when he was sentencing children to the stake- broke. It was like all the buried emotion came to the forefront. His face resembled of a person who was so broken on the inside that all he could do was try to collect the pieces… his electric blue eyes which were the most beautiful eyes that Arthur had ever seen, became dull and lifeless.

From the first time Arthur had seen Merlin, he had always envied the man- for the love he received, for having a mother and Gaius… for being so perfect that it had irritated Arthur to no end…. But now he saw a side to this man that showed the more vulnerable part to him, the one that called to Arthur.

Merlin was not perfect… he was just a man who loved his mother probably more than anyone in the world. And Arthur could feel it… he had felt the love Merlin held for Hunith- with just a few words he had spoken about her over breakfast.
That was why Arthur thought that Morgana had gone too far with this comment.

He should probably step in before this escalates.
"That's enough, Morgana." Gwen and Morgana whipped their head to look at him enter the room but Merlin… his eyes didn't even lift from the floor.

"Arthur… I suppose you were right. You always felt something off about this man."
Arthur tries to stop Morgana, he had said many negative things about Merlin in his anger and jealousy, but he had never meant any of them, "Morgana-,"

But she doesn't let him finish, instead, she starts circling Merlin. "I can see now why you hated him from the start, Arthur... I would too."

Merlin's head jerked at those words and he turned his eyes at Arthur. He saw as the man swallowed and rapidly blinked away a look of hurt from those blue eyes… Arthur had never regretted anything more than saying those words. He hadn't meant them… he wanted to tell this to Merlin but the man was already looking at Guinevere.

His voice was defeated and tired when he asked, "Do you something to say to me as well, Gwen? Might as well get it out there now…" Gwen… Arthur turned to look at her. With her silence, he had completely forgotten that she was there in the room as well, he saw that she had streams of tears running down her cheeks.
She pursed her lips in order to stop the sobs and shook her head vigorously.

Arthur wanted to clarify to Merlin, he wanted to remove this… lost and defeated look from the man's face. He wanted to make Morgana apologize to him.

But Arthur did none of these things… if he was the King he would have never allowed a Witchfinder in Camelot. It went completely against the Kingdom he wanted to build. That was why he supported Morgana in this act more than he could ever support Merlin in his job of killing innocents.

Still, he gave the man one chance, hoping that this was all a huge misunderstanding and nothing else.
"Do you have anything to say to… us, Merlin?"
Cold blue eyes flicked to him and for a second Arthur felt a chill run down his spine.
He stood stock still because he could feel that they were now dealing with a wounded tiger. Merlin would lash out if anyone said anything else. Somehow even Morgana felt that but just as suddenly as danger had come, it left too. Merlin straightened and breathed in a mouthful and released it before saying in a cold and indifferent voice,
"No."

Merlin was getting pissed- he had done nothing to warrant this verbal group assault. If they wanted to form wrong ideas about Merlin- or even correct ones, then they could go ahead and form them because he couldn't tell them the truth. He couldn't risk anyone but himself in his and Gaius's plans of the things they were going to do with Merlin as a Witchfinder.

He was also emotionally drained. Feasts were always tiring- that was the reason he hadn't wanted to go, then from the shock from the King's announcement to the words that Morgana said just minutes ago and the knowledge that Arthur despised him... it was more than Merlin could take- He could take anything the world threw at him. He could take a hundred Morganas and thousand Morgauses. He could even battle a dragon and still not get hurt. But no one, No one… could hurt him as Arthur could.

No matter how much Morgana said that Hunith wasn't proud of him- he could take it because at the end of the day, somewhere deep within he knew that his mother loved him even if she wasn't proud of him and that would suffice for him. But to know that his own other half hated him…. Well, then why did he travel back in time?
Arthur was his purpose, the reason he lived, the reason he still had hope- but the way Arthur was looking at him now… he was starting to question his destiny.

He knew that if he told them now that it was all a misunderstanding and that Merlin wasn't really a Witchfinder…. It still won't be a truth. Because the truth was that Merlin was much worse than a murderer. He was a betrayer. He had betrayed his own kind in the past life, betrayed his friends, especially Morgana, betrayed... Arthur.

So, he couldn't say anything… So that was why he replied in a negative to Arthur's hopeful question.

He now wanted them out of the Physician's chambers and wanted to sleep for a month. He was drunk, hurt, tired and worst he was wanting to hurt something right now, his magic itself was feeling dangerous.

Arthur must have seen it in his eyes because he soon gathered Morgana and Gwen and left the chambers.

After the 3 people- that probably meant more to him than he meant to them- left, Merlin started making his way back to his chambers. Too tired, drunk and emotionally de-stabilized to do anything else.

It was only on the last stair did Merlin feel someone call out to him.
He became alert... thinking that it was a druid but then relaxed, realizing who it really was. He was tired but not that tired that he would ignore this call.

He went to his chambers, washed, changed into clothes that didn't smell like mead, put on his cloak and started making his way outside.

*
Arthur had been unable to concentrate on anything since leaving the Physician's chambers. After walking Morgana and Guinevere back to Morgana's chambers, Arthur had retired to his own. The sheets had been changed, the room long cleaned by Morris and the window had been opened to air out the smell of sex that still lingered the room after his and Gwen's altercation. Arthur walked over to his window, hoping that the air would clean his head too.

He then thought about this evening.

He knows he should probably be ecstatic that he and Gwen had finally 'done the deed' to say, but all he could think about was ... Merlin, surprisingly.
Everyone remembers seeing a confident Merlin, stand and bow to the King with a smile on his face when the King had announced him to be the Witchfinder.
But only Arthur had seen what no one had and only because he had been looking at man consistently all night- making even Morgana comment on his ...staring.

He remembers looking at Merlin's face as soon as the King had said his name and declared him the new Witchfinder. Arthur had seen the multiple emotions of shock, panic and acceptance sweep over his face before an impressive impassive mask had appeared on his face, exuding confidence and charisma just like he had the whole evening, but now with the mask on he had also looked more intimidating.

Some people had been shocked- that how could such a genuinely nice and kind person be a Witchfinder, whereas some people had cheered and clapped- Yes, Merlin had become popular among the people in Camelot in a very short time, just like Arthur had thought he would… Merlin was like a piece of jig-saw, that had fit perfectly amongst the people in Camelot.
The only people who had taken this news in a negative way had been Morgana, himself and Gwen, everyone else had seemed rather neutral about it.

He did think though that Morgana had taken it a bit too far with Merlin.
They didn't know Merlin that well and to claim the right to say those things to him when the man was only doing what the King commanded, had been wrong on their part… he knew though that Morgana had taken the news of Merlin being the Witchfinder the hardest because she had genuinely liked the man… in a love interest sort of a way. But now that the same man was one of the things she despised… well, he could see why it all had been a shock to her.

He hadn't been standing there long when he spotted a figure cloaked in deep blue making its way hurriedly towards the forest. Judging by the way the person was walking- with confidence and grace, Arthur already knew who it was.
But where was Merlin going at such a late hour?
Arthur frowned and without waiting a second- ran to Gaius's chambers… he already knew who it was but there was no harm in confirming that it was Merlin.

The Physician's door was open, he entered and saw Gaius looking around the chambers. He had Merlin's chamber door open and was calling out Merlin's name repeatedly.

Gaius looked up to see him standing in the entryway and asked, "Sire, have you seen Merlin somewhere? I was sure that he had come back to the chambers."
Arthur looked down at the floor once, feeling guilty for Gaius's concerned face. The Prince made his way into the room and walked into Merlin's chamber which- he saw- were in a complete state- an opposite scene from the morning.

The cupboard door had been thrown open as if in a hurry, there were clothes and a towel strewn across the room, watery footprints lined the floor too...
Wherever Merlin had gone, he had been in a hurry to leave. For a second, Arthur couldn't stop himself from worrying too, what if… what if Merlin was putting himself in danger because of what they said to him before. Being in the forest alone and so late in the night was dangerous in itself.

Arthur looked at a confused but worried looking Gaius and told him about what had transpired after Merlin had left the Great Hall.

"…. And I asked him Gaius's if he had anything to say, but Merlin just looked… tired of everything suddenly and... angry." Gaius sat down on the chair heavily, looking more and more sad and hopeless with every passing second.

Arthur went and flagged down a servant outside the physician's chambers and commanded, "Go and call the lady Morgana and her maid Guinevere. Tell them that the Prince requires their presence in the physician's chambers."
The servant bowed and hurried to do as the Prince had ordered.

Arthur went back in and felt even more worried when Gaius said to him, "It was all my fault. I shouldn't have forced him to take up this job or duped him into attending the feast."

Gaius was worried about Merlin. The words that Morgana had said to his boy were more than hurtful- people think that Emrys was impervious to anything, but the truth was that though Merlin was unbeatable in his magic and an immortal, his emotional state was still that of a human who had seen and been through too much.

The words were aimed at Merlin's emotional insecurities.
That boy always felt guilty for whatever had happened in the past… all the deaths, Morgana's change of heart, Mordred's betrayal and Arthur's betrayed face always hung-over Merlin's thoughts. Even in Merlin's memories, Gaius had felt the sadness that the warlock had felt in some of his most depressed years. The blame he had forcefully claimed as his….the people he thought he had killed, how he sometimes woke up drenched in sweat from nightmares as he saw Arthur dying, druids dying, his friends dying- over and over again.

But the worst thing in all of that was Arthur's words that had been reiterated by Morgana.
Merlin didn't realize it yet but his feelings for the Prince had the power to build or break the world.

His love for Arthur was deeper than any ocean and more powerful than any force on this earth- even Emrys's magic. Arthur was the sole reason for Merlin's existence and his return. The passion behind such love could make or break the man that felt it.

In this case, it was Merlin.

That boy loved with his whole heart and the best part about Merlin's love was that it was unselfish… it always had been.
Gaius felt his heartbreak for the warlock… even in the past, he had seen a tear fall from Merlin's eyes and the warlock had wiped them confusedly… not realizing that Arthur's marriage to Gwen was causing his heart to hurt and his tears to fall without him even realizing.

Gaius had let Merlin remain ignorant to his feelings… thinking that destiny had planned all this- Arthur's marriage to Gwen and it would only have caused his nephew more pain- than he already was in- to only then realize the truth of his feelings... so Gaius had let it be. But the Physician was now realizing, that letting things be had been a mistake in the past- a mistake he was going to correct now.
The old man was shaken from his thoughts when the door opened.

The lady Morgana and Gwen entered the room and both Gaius and Arthur looked up. The lady was looking uninterested, while Gwen's eyes were still red from the event that had taken place this evening.
"What is it, Arthur? Why have we been called so late in the hour?" Morgana asked, her voice non-apologetic.

"Gaius has something to tell us, Morgana." Arthur replies Morgana and then turns to look at Gaius, "Tell us, Gaius."

The Physician swallowed and started speaking, "I will only speak if each one of you pledges on the old religion that you will guard this knowledge with your lives."
Arthur couldn't say that he was surprised by this request- Gaius loved his nephew and would protect him in any way he could, although when the Prince looked at Morgana, he saw that she was starting to look scared- though she tried to mask it with indifference.
The Prince remarked, "But, Gaius… we don't have any magic to make the pledge- binding. It won't hold."
Gaius smiled a small smile and said, "Everyone has magic in their veins, Sire. Love is a form of magic… so is anger and sadness. You won't need magic to make the oath but yes, you will need it to bind the oath- and that is why I am here."

Eyes widened at this declaration but no one commented on it-everyone just nodded, nervous but determined.
The first one to make the oath was surprisingly Guinevere, "I swear on the… magic inside me that whatever I hear in this room shall not pass my lips to any other soul than the ones already in this room."
Gaius nods and looks pointedly at the Prince.

Arthur wouldn't have said 'no' to pledge an oath, either way. In fact, he was excited- he was finally getting to know something about Merlin - A man who was more elusive than anyone else he had ever met. He quickly pledged in the same way that Guinevere had and then Gaius turned to look at Morgana.

Morgana rolled her eyes and quickly repeated the words of the oath, Gaius smiled and nodded. Then his eyes changed colour and he whispered,"Gyda'r hud hon, rwy'n ymuno â ni i'r llw hwn."

Gaius's eyes turned gold and everyone around the physician gasped- magic filled the air and everyone felt the oath settle into their hearts. A feeling of…. not limitation but a realization of the Promise settled in their guts.

Everyone in the Kingdom knew that Gaius had practised magic before- but they had also known that the old man wasn't allowed to perform it anymore.
To expose himself in front of the King's son, the king's ward and a common maidservant, spoke to Arthur of how much the physician cared for his nephew. Arthur wished someone cared for him that way- loved him that way.

Gaius relaxed and started with a fond smile,
"Merlin is an extraordinary boy… he loves with his whole heart and has more kindness in him than the whole kingdom combined." Morgana keeps staring at Gaius unimpressed, but the physician wasn't done yet, "It was I, that suggested to Merlin to be a Witchfinder. It was I, that introduced Merlin to Uther… it was also I... who forced Merlin to attend the feast tonight." Morgana starts looking at Gaius as if he is deranged, confused as to why in his straight mind would Gaius ever do any of those things.

"I forced him because I knew that the King would announce the position of the Witchfinder and I also knew that Merlin would hate it. But it was necessary, one because the King had specifically asked me to make sure that Merlin was present and two because people need to know Merlin to trust him... being at the feast would have introduced him to important people, contacts that would help him in the future." Everyone looked confused but before Morgana or anyone could ask anything- Gaius raised his hand and continued,

"The King has been looking for a Witchfinder for Camelot since Arthur's 19th Birthday" Gaius looks at Arthur who nods and says, "I can confirm that- father had asked Gaius to find a Witchfinder for Camelot, I was there." Gaius nods in gratitude and continues,
"… that was now, two years ago. I had promised him to find a Witchfinder- but had also told him that it would take time. Merlin being at the feast had been an agenda- Knowing that there is a Witchfinder in Camelot- magical people would become more careful, Merlin can also use that announcement as an excuse of not finding and accusing anyone of sorcery."

Around the table, occupant's eyes widened with understanding and silence descended.

"But, why Merlin?" Gwen asks Gaius and the physician sighs, "Because Merlin has met multiple witches and sorcerers whilst his captivity, he has even spent a year amongst them- which means that he has gathered contacts." Morgana's eyes widened along with Arthur's. Morgana's eyes had curiosity and Arthur's held scepticism. Gaius took a deep breath and decided to tell the royals and the maid, the truth.

"Both, Merlin and I believe that we would be able to save more sorcerers this way… The King would be more inclined to listen to a Witchfinder as opposed to me or you, Lady Morgana." Gaius looks at the lady who was starting to realize the mistake she had made.

"In fact, Merlin has even started contacting some of his druid contacts about rescuing some of the innocent that will be captured in the King's blind hunt for Magic."
Gaius paused, gauging everyone's reaction- Morgana looked satisfied with the knowledge but also ashamed,

Arthur kept looking at Gaius with disbelief and Gwen just looked concerned, he continued before anyone else could voice their questions, "So, in short Merlin has many magical contacts, unmatched skill, the brains and perhaps the biggest heart to make this work- He, according to me, was and is the perfect candidate for the job of a Witchfinder."

Silence reigned once more before Morgana decided to break it by saying what had to be said,
"I- I wish I had known. I said some unforgivable things to Merlin, Gaius. Where is he? Perhaps I can apologize…" Morgana said, eyes tearing up remembering the words that had left her mouth in anger, she couldn't believe that she had used the delicate information he had given them in good faith and hurt him with it, instead.

Gwen loved her mistress to bits but she was also angry with her… all evening she had been saying unforgivable things about Merlin and though Gwen had listened to them, she hadn't agreed to them. She had known, known deep down that Merlin was a good man… but Morgana had completely disregarded her. Remembering Merlin's face was bringing fresh tears to her eyes. She couldn't believe that she had taken part in hurting her new friend, who had been nothing but kind to her.

Arthur still couldn't believe it. His father's greatest and oldest friend and the said friend's nephew were plotting against their own king. This was betrayal.
But then… Arthur stopped his 'blind loyalty' like Morgana always claims it to be and thought for a second….
He thought back to the years that his father had- without remorse- killed his closest friends, his nannies and anyone that Arthur had even gotten marginally close to, all because the King had thought that they were influencing Arthur into disagreeing with his father… but in all truth, it was his own father who had made Arthur turn against him.

His father was a broken man and broken men do not make good kings.
Their bitterness and hatred spreads to the people they rule over, decaying the land from within just as those feelings decayed the man, until there was nothing left.
Power and Hatred had made his father a very dangerous man… which brought him to his next piece of argument and source of more disbelief.
Were Gaius and Merlin crazy?!
Merlin was putting himself into infinite danger… he was either stupid or braver than Arthur had given him credit for. Or maybe he was stupidly-brave… there was no other excuse for committing himself to this task. And another thing that baffled Arthur was that Gaius was the one who suggested this his nephew- the nephew Gaius loved to the ends of this land- to partake in such an act. For Arthur, it was unbelievable.

Arthur's disbelief must have shown on his face because Gaius said, "Everything will be fine, Sire. Merlin is more capable than anyone for this job… I just ask you to trust me."
The Prince remained unsure for a second before nodding once. From the corner of his eyes, Arthur saw Morgana walk forward,

"I want in."

Arthur was quick to disagree, "No, she doesn't." Arthur whips his head towards Morgana, "Don't be stupid Morgana, this endeavour will be life-threatening, you will not take part in it."

Morgana's face became ferocious, "You must be willing to take part in your Father's genocide, Arthur but do not expect me to sit back and not do my part in helping those innocents."
"No, Morgana. I forbid it… and who said I want my father murdering people? You won't take part in this, but I will. I am the Prince and hence above suspicion from my father- you organize a daily protest, hence his first suspect will always be you. So, I say it again, NO."

Gaius interrupted the predicted fight that was about to happen, "Sire, My lady… I am afraid neither of you will be able to take part in this endeavour. It is made for one person and I am fairly sure that person is Merlin."
Morgana started saying something but Gaius interrupted them, "Do not forget your oath, My lady. It said that whatever you hear in this room will not be told to any other soul apart from the ones already in this room, which excludes-,"

Arthur interrupted Gaius with a voice that was low and stated the obvious, "Merlin. It excludes Merlin."

Arthur glared at Gaius- he was a clever old man, Morgana growled, literally growled and Gaius smiled.
"Yes, Sire."

Gwen came forward then, "So, we can't help Merlin directly… but we can help him indirectly, can't we?"
Arthur frowned and asked, "What do you mean, Guinevere?"
"Well, we can help him by doing small things. Like giving him whatever he needs, whenever he needs and by covering for him… or just by being there for him." Arthur rolled his eyes at the last one but he agreed with the others, even Morgana was nodding,

"Gwen is right… for doing this, Merlin will need us to cover for him in front of the King. If he needs the map of the castle for secret passages," Morgana looks at Arthur- who is starting to take this suggestion seriously, "then Arthur can provide him with it," Arthur nods before frowning at Morgana's next words, "or better… show them to him and I can help Merlin look good in front of the King and help him with his job sometimes." Morgana smiled but then frowned for a second,

"Wait, hold on… Gaius, what does Merlin's job include?"

Gaius smiled at the trio coming together in helping Merlin. His boy deserved this… he deserved the respect that these three already had for Merlin and he would probably need each of theirs's help. He was just thinking this when Morgana aimed that question at him, the old man smirked and looked at Arthur- who looked at Gaius warily.

"Merlin's job is to protect Arthur," the change in Arthur's face was comical, Gwen even giggled, "To guard Arthur against magical threats…" Morgana pressed her lips together to stop the laugh that was threatening to break free, "To shadow Arthur-,"

"Now wait, this is getting ridiculous." Arthur started protesting and the girls started laughing. Even Gaius laughed and Morgana said, "So anything that includes Arthur- Merlin is there too."
Arthur huffed and looked irritated but Gaius could see the curiosity lingering in Arthur's eyes.

Gaius realized then that the Prince wasn't completely opposed to the idea, he wanted to know Merlin better… maybe Gaius had not judged properly.

Maybe, it wasn't just Merlin who was unaware of his feelings… it was the Prince too… both had their head too up their arses to see what was right in front of them.

Gaius smiled and the Lady Morgana and said, "Precisely, my lady. Uther treasures his only son and Heir and wants to protect him at any cost- Merlin is capable of doing that too."

"I am capable of doing that too!" Arthur shouted- all he had to do now to look like a pouty child was stomp his feet. Morgana rolled her eyes and said, "Arthur, don't be silly. You must be the best swordsman in Albion but you also attract trouble to yourself like a bee to honey, personally, I feel like this is the sanest decision Uther had ever made-,"

Suddenly the door banged open and in came a windswept Merlin with a struggling Morris- who was being pulled into the room by his ear. Merlin looked warily at them when he entered the room but relaxed when he saw Gaius was with them…

"Merlin, what's wrong?" asked the physician, clearly still shocked from the sudden entrance. Merlin glared at Morris again and said, "Morris was standing outside the chambers, trying to eavesdrop when I was coming back to the chambers Gaius." Merlin forcefully pushes Morris to a chair and says, "What did you hear? Everything and the truth… or I swear I will feed every single piece of your broken ear to the castle dogs."
Everyone in the room shuddered at the threat, they all knew that Camelot's hounds were ferocious.

Morris whimpered and raised his arms in front of him as a defence, "Nothing… I promise. I just came to get the Prince."
Merlin knew the boy was lying, but still, he increased the distance between himself and the eavesdropper.
The boy breathed a relieved breath and stopped whimpering, then Merlin said, "I will count to three, speak all you heard before that. I won't give you another chance even if you start speaking after the count… I will throw you- whole and alive- into the kennels." Merlin's voice was low but the threat worked.

Arthur, Morgana, Gwen and Gaius looked at each other- no one had any doubts against Merlin's competency anymore, not that there had been any from the start.
They were all also worried about what the servant had heard.
"One." Merlin starts and a scared Morris looks up at Arthur in hope, the prince shakes his head- "Two"
Morris spoke then, quickly, "My lord," he aims at Merlin who frowns at the title but lets the boy continue, "I was searching for the prince-,"
"Why?" asks Merlin
"He needed to be dressed for bed." Merlin shakes his head and looks at Arthur with a look that conveys exactly what he thinks about this level of snobbishness- the Prince, though, grits his teeth and interprets that look as the look of utter dislike, making the young royal look down in shame- the warlock turns back to Morris,
"Then?"

"Then, my lord, I was informed by a servant that the Prince was in the physician's chambers- afraid that the Prince had been hurt, I came here." Morris looks at Prince, pleading with his eyes but the Prince ignored him, and instead focused on Merlin- seeing the man in this form was… different. He had never seen Merlin ever imposing his presence over someone.

Safe is to say that he was very... imposing. He could also understand the man's anger now- the look Merlin had given him when they had been arguing had chilled his bones... but now he supposes that they had ganged up on an innocent person- but still Merlin had not given up their plan- hence another reason that told Arthur of Merlin's competence.

Morris continued, "Then I heard laughter coming from the room, curious as to what Gaius was laughing at, I started listening- and they were mentioning you and your duties towards the Prince, my lord- that's all I heard, I promise."
Merlin had been checking if Morris was telling truth using his magic and once he was sure that he had been he lets the servant go.

He turned to the other people in the room and smiled at Gwen- who returned it and then he nodded at Gaius, yawned- ignored Morgana completely and came towards Arthur.

Arthur saw as Merlin came towards him, his eyes didn't reveal anything regarding what was going on in the man's head but then Merlin said, "As you now know what my job entails, I should inquire what your plans are like tomorrow, Sire."

Arthur's eyes widened, Merlin had never addressed him with his title – he had once, but it had been in jest, never seriously. The Prince suddenly feels like he is missing something by being addressed properly but clears his throat and says, "I plan to train for the tournament."

Merlin nodded, bowed to the Royals in the room, said a goodnight to Gaius and retired to his chambers.
Arthur looked at Morgana who looked crushed by the way Merlin had brushed her away but the Prince couldn't help but think that it was deserved- Morgana had gone ballistic over a person they hardly knew- that was something he would expect his father would do... not- not Morgana.

Arthur shook his head and they all said their 'good nights' and retired to their respective chambers. It had been a long night and perhaps everything would seem lighter tomorrow.

Merlin had been tired and angry when he had heard someone calling for him. He had hurriedly washed, donned better-smelling clothes and a cloak and then quickly made his way to the densest part of the forest, only to disappear.

He landed on the Ambrosian ground a second later- only to be greeted by Grettir and a very enthusiastic Ryojin.

He was then accosted by his little Dragon army. Merlin just laid on the ground and had taken his punishment- he took all the licks and saliva they had to give- in 30 seconds straight they had managed to make Merlin roll on the ground with laughter. He couldn't help it- everything tickled, he realized his dragons were using magic!

Not even 5 days since he had left Ambrosia and he had missed his dragons more than he could express. They were exactly what he needed right now. Even if everyone hated him in this world- these four will always love him- he knew they will and he will love them- no matter what. He kissed and petted all of them- speaking and giving attention to each one of them.

"We felt you hurt, father... is everything alright?" Kalinda asked him after Merlin had stopped laughing and just laid on the ground with his dragons, the dragonlord looked at his dragons and smiled, "It is now."

Soon they made their way back to the castle on foot- people came out of their houses hearing that the King was visiting. They all bowed as Merlin passed them, he acknowledged them with nods and smiles.
His three dragons trailing him while Ryojin remained on his person, not allowing Merlin to feel like he was alone even for a single second.

He met his parents and Gwaine along with Will and Alator of the Catha, on the Castle entrance. His mother rushed to him- hugging him to her tightly, his father came and patted his back- it didn't seem like it had just been 5 days since Merlin had left, it had felt like ages had passed. He kissed his mother's forehead and hugged Balinor too- trying not to let Morgana's comment about 'castration' come to his forefront.
He got hugged hard by Gwaine who also asked, "When are you calling me to Camelot, mate?"
Merlin laughed and replied with a, "Soon"

He hugged Will as well and patted Alator on the shoulder who bowed his head.
He visited the Druid grove to meet Iseldir and Rigga, he also saw Gemini there, apparently, she had been spending time at the druid Grove more frequently now that she was staying away from higher trees. He met Kilgharrah too, on the field just outside who said,

"The first few days of the destiny are always difficult, Emrys. Remember that- from there it will get complicated but it will also be easier to accept."
Merlin nodded thankfully at the dragon, remembering how he had denied his destiny even in the past, by saying 'how could he protect someone who hated him'.

The Great Dragon stopped him before taking flight, "Also, Emrys- a half cannot hate that which makes it whole, only the opposite."
Merlin blinked, not understanding what the Dragon was getting at but he could only hope that it meant that Arthur didn't hate him, couldn't hate him. He smiled but still, the memories of the evening pulled him down.

He shook his head and headed to his chambers with his dragons, his parents and... Gwaine- who had forcefully entered the chambers- saying that he wanted to be with Merlin as long as he could. Merlin had laughed and had told Friggo to let Gwaine enter.

They then discussed what had been going on in the Kingdom. They had applied a temporary tax system- and were trying to discern how that was working out for people- they only took what the people could give. Merlin nodded in agreement at the system and was also told that the school had been running well behind his back- Iseldir and Rigga were loved and respected by adults and children alike.

Balinor also told him that Nimueh had been spotted roaming outside the Kingdom borders- which made Merlin frown but he knew that she won't be able to enter and soon her focus will be on Camelot- it was only a matter of time- that was the only reason he wasn't too worried.

He nodded at all the updates and then Gwaine asked Mindy to get them all a bottle of her mead, who bowed and brought it. Merlin's parents laughed at Gwaine's antics and then retired to their chambers, shaking their head at Merlin and Gwaine.
Merlin smiled and got up to hug his mother, he kissed her head again and wished her a good night and nodded at his father before they left.

He then sat back down and drained his glass in one go- he had probably killed his liver tonight but it was just one of those days. Gwaine, who saw this, frowned and asked, "So, what brings you here, mate?"
He looked at the huddled dragons in his room, sighed and turned back to reply, "Had a bit of a difficult day today."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows and Merlin told him what had happened- Gwaine added humour into the conversation with his reactions, lightening the experience of repeating the whole conversation for him. By the time Merlin finished recounting his shitty destiny, Gwaine had burped 72 times in total- they had finished their bottle of mead and most of it had been consumed by the bloody ruffian.

Merlin pressed his lips together in order to not laugh when Gwaine burped again and got up wobbly from the table, making the chair fall and Yddraig growl in his sleep.
Gwaine ignored all of it and raised his hands in front of him, Merlin's confusion turned into amusement and fondness as Gwaine said, "Come-on, you need a hug, my warlock."
Merlin laughed out but got up nevertheless, walking into Gwaine's outstretched hands. They hugged for a while before Merlin pulled back, reminding himself and Gwaine that he had to get back to Camelot.

"Merlin... no matter what anyone says, remember this Kingdom, the lives you've saved...everything you've done. Let the past remain where it belongs. Alright?" Merlin had stared at Gwaine who looked so genuine saying this... Merlin swallowed and nodded.
"Thank you... Gwaine."

Gwaine nodded and said his goodbyes. Merlin smiled, he was glad that Ryojin had called him tonight and that he had come. He had needed this after such a day- he will make it a point to do this every time he felt a bit… murderous.
He kissed his Dragons, who all purred and apparated back to Camelot's forests. He walked back slowly to the physician's chambers and that was when he saw Morris, Arthur's servant- eavesdropping.

Notes:

Translation of the spell Gaius utters - With this magic, I bind us to this oath.