I'm back! Finally! Sorry it took so long just lots of stuff happening. Thank you to all reviewers/followers/ and favoriters. I worked really hard on this so please read and review it means soooo much and keeps me going. This chapter is dedicated to my Squishy (you know who you are) and yeah... enjoy

Disclaimer: I don't really have the time, energy, or willpower to do a funny disclaimer so yeah, I don't own Merlin, if I did why the heck would I be writing fanfiction? I mean seriously I would just make it cannon, well maybe not this particular fic but hey, just saying

Gwaine let out a low whistle.

"Merlin mate, I'm sorry, I had no idea" He said resting his hand on his friends shoulder.

"Its fine" Merlin said shrugging his hand off. "you had no way of knowing." Merlin sighed and stood up, looking around at his knights and Gwaine he spoke "For now though, I will show you all to your rooms and then go to bed, We'll talk tomorrow." Gwaine quickly stood as well, followed by the Knights of Aria.

"Sire-" he began but Merlin cut him off.

"no, just no, no titles please!" he said looking at Gwaine pleadingly "I'm still me, I'm still Merlin don't treat me like I'm special." Gwaine looked at him in surprise and nodded.

"Alright mate, but let me take them to their rooms, you go get some rest." Seeing Merlin look between him and Sir Owen cautiously he added "This can be Sir Owen's room, right?" he asked turning to said knight questioningly. The knight gave a nod and Gwaine turned back to Merlin, a wide grin on his face, Merlin just smiled and shook his head.

"Very well," he relented, turning and leaving the room he said "I will see you all tomorrow."

Once Merlin left Gwaine turned on his heel to the Knights of Aria and grinned. "I have a question" he said his grin getting bigger, when the knights looked at him expectantly he elaborated, "How do I get Merlin drunk?"

Merlin was walking down the hall whistling cheerfully, but his whistling cut off abruptly when as he realized something.

He still had to talk to Gaius.

Merlin cautiously opened the door to his and Gaius's chambers hoping to sneak in. no such luck.

Gaius stood at his workbench expectantly.

"Merlin," Gaius began as Merlin walked in "I certainly hope you were not going to try and sneak past?" he asked

Merlin scratched the back of his neck, "Um, no, why- why would you think that?" he laughed nervously. Gaius raised an eyebrow at him amd Merlin broke down.

"Fine, I was going to try and sneak past you. I-I just don't want to say goodbye yet" he said letting a tear streak down his face. Gaius gave him a sympathetic expression.

"So you're going then?" Gaius asked and Merlin nodded. "I thought as much." he said, nodding. The old physician walked over to Merlin and rested his hand on Merlin's shoulder and looked him in the eye. Merlin looked back desperately.

"I know you can do this." Gaius said reassuringly. "I have said this before and I will say it again, you are like a son to me and if I didn't thi- no, if I didn't know you can do this, I wouldn't let you go."

"I know" Merlin said, sighing "I'm just, I'm just worried, worried about telling Arthur and the knights and there reaction, an- and if I can save my kingdom" Melrin said his voice breaking and tears welling in his eyes "I couldn't do it before I won't fail them again!" he said determinedly, Gaius looked at him in shock.

"Merlin! You didn't abandon your kingdom, you had to flee yes, but that wasn't your fault." Merlin just shook his head

"Thank you Gaius, for everything, a-and I swear I will come back I'm not abandoning you." Gaius nodded and patted his ward on the back.

"I know my boy, I know" He pulled him into a hug and after a moment seemed to remember something and pulled back. "I have something for you." he said walking to his book shelf and opening a small chest. He turned around and Merlin gave him a quizzical look. "Your father left this with me, saying someday the kingdom may be in dire need and that if that happened I was to protect this with my life until you were ready." he said holding u a necklace.

On a simple leather string sat a jewel encased in gold. Jewel was a saphire blue and when Merlin looked at it from a certain angle it seemed as if the gem was a million different colors at once. It was surrounded in pure gold which had small runes carved in the sides of it.

Merlin simply stared at in awe, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. After a moment he realized Gaius was still holding it out to him and with shaking hands took it, As he put it around his neck he felt a surge of power wash over him. he placed the necklace so his neckerchief hid it and looked to Gaius.

"Thank you." he whispered, his voice rough and tears in his eyes, Gaius nodded.

"Now, go to bed, you have a long day ahad and you need to get your rest." Merlin laughed and nodded.

"Alright Gaius, but you have to go to sleep too." he said walking towards his room and giving his mentor a stern look. Gaius chuckled and nodded, Merlin grinned and went to bed, soon after the old physician went to sleep as well.

-Just a line break passing through, pay no attention, also don't turn around-please, don't turn around-

When Merlin walked into Arthur's chambers that morning he was surprised to find him already up and dressed. He was sitting at his desk and appeared to be thinking.

"I've made a decision." Arthur declared as Merlin went about his morning chores. Merlin looked at him expectently and raised an eyebrow in an impressive imitation of Gaius. "I'm not going." Merlin's face fell in disappointment, maybe Arthur wasn't the man he though he was after all "I simply can't, I have to renewe the peace treaty with Queen Annis, remember?" Arthur asked and looked at Merlin expectently who nodded, now feeling better about Arthur saying no but still disappointed. "But," he said, capturing Merlin's attention who had been trying to think of a way to go to Aria without Arthur. "the knights" he continued, meaning the knights of the round table "have all requested to go when I discussed it with them so I'm sending them." Merlin's face lit up with delight until he remembered something, Arthur would want him to stay with him. He quickly came up with a plan.

"Arthur?" he asked cautiously, Arthur looked up at him expectently "I um, I recently received a message that uh said that my, um, mother, is sick" Merlin tried, hoping Arthur wouldn't see through his lie "and well. I would like to go see her." Arthur looked thoughtful for a second and Merlin prayed to every god he knew that he would say yes, after a second he nodded.

"All right" he said going back to his papers "you can go with the knights most of the way, Ealdor is on the way to Aria, right?" Arthur asked, looking up at Merlin from his large stack of papers, Merlin nodded.

"Thank you Arthur!" he beamed and Arthur just nodded, going back to his papers, Merlin knew he didn't know the full reason for his gratitude but he still said it.

-line break passing through, ignore me, excuse me, just passing through, don't look outside-

During the next two days Merlin wasn't able to talk to the knights of Aria, he was too busy running around doing chores and when he was free they were training or doing other things. Merlin managed to watch a couple of the sessions and was please by what he saw. During one such training session the Knights of Camelot were on the field as well, and well men being men, they challenged each other.

Merlin stood to the side, watching as his knights trained, the Knights of Camelot watched with interest at the technics they were using. Gwaine watched in interest and decided to put them to the test.

"hey!" he cried out walking up to the blue clad knights. "mind if I join?" Sir Richard smirked and shrugged before getting into battle stance. A few minutes later and a shocked Gwaine was on his back, staring at the sky, Sir Richard's sword to his throat.

"Do you yeild?" he asked, smirking at Gwaine's surprised expression. Gwaine nodded and Sir Richard helped him to his feet and Gwaine scowled "I wasn't prepared, lets go again." Sir Richard shrugged and got ready again. Twenty minutes later and Sir Richard ahad just won his third fight against Gwaine who lay on his back, scowling at said the knight of Aria. Leon and the rest of the Knights of the Round Table stood to the side snickering.

"What?!" Gwaine cried, glaring at his friends "You think you can do better?" Leon laughed and nodded, walking forward he prepared to fight the large knight. The rest of the Knights of Camelot quickly squared up against the Knight's of Aria, Gwaine and Sir Nathan, Percival and Sir Owen, Elyan and Sir James, Leon and Sir Richard, and Arthur against Sir Thomas. An hour later and the Knights of Camelot had all been soundly beaten by the Knights of Aria, repeatedly. Merlin stood at the side lines laughing and clutching his sides, Arthur just glared at him and told him to go muck out the stables, to which the Knights of Aria scowled at but said nothing.

so like it? love it? want to murder me because of it? Oh that rhymed! anyway please read and review.