Hi there my lovely awesome lovely Merlin fans readers followers. Thank you to all of you. 13 followers and 13 favorites, WOW! I LOVE YOU ALL. With love to all of you :-)

The bond between friends.

Life is unexpected, some things in life will turn and twist a person so far that they're forget how they got there in the first place.

Sometimes once a person lets darkness in their heart, there is no recovering from it, and once that happens the person's soul is no longer the way it was.

It happened so fast, that at first Merlin had to take a moment to realize what happened.

Merlin knew what he was seeing, but he wanted to deny it, didn't want to accept the truth. But he had to.

Quinn had stabbed Elitherine, and she didn't hesitate, not for an instant.

But he understood, gods, he completely understood why, but the site was still shocking and unexpected.

Merlin stood there frozen as Quinn pulled out the blade, Elitherine fell to the ground and lay there motionless.

Quinn looked down at her, for a moment he saw such hatred in her eyes, but as soon as the look appeared it vanished.

She looked at the blade, dropping the sword, she looked at her own hands, then at Merlin, her eyes silently pleading.

Merlin was about to go to her, when Elitherine slowly rose to her feet, laughing like she had lost her mind.

"Wow!" She turned to Quinn. "Didn't know you had that in you"

Quinn took a step back, Merlin took a step forward.

"Elitherine!" He warned. "Don't take another step"

"Or what?" Elitherine turned to face him once again.

She had stopped laughing, now she was glaring menacingly at him.

"You'll kill me?"

Merlin raised his hand. "If I have no choice"

"Let's see you try"

Before Merlin had time to react, Elitherine turned back to Quinn, grabbing her arm doing so, and vanishing Into thin air.

Merlin screamed with rage.

Pain, that was the first thing that Arthur noticed when he awoke. The second was Merlin peering over him.

The third was that he was laying in a bed. The fourth is that they were at Quinn's chambers.

"Hey" Merlin said smiling. "I thought that you were going to sleep all day"

"Like you would let me" Arthur grumbled.

He tried to move his left arm, but the shooting pain made him rethink that idea.

"What happened?"

"You were thrown" replied Merlin.

"Tell me something else that I don't know"

"I'm a horrible manservant?"

"Something else that I don't know"

"Elitherine got Quinn, and River had disappeared"

Arthur blinked once then twice then a third time. "What?"

Merlin explained everything, including Quinn stabbing Elitherine with Excalibur.

Arthur knew that Quinn was brave, he just had no idea how brave she truly was.

Maybe he'll make her a Knight when they get back to Camelot. That wouldn't be a bad idea. A Knight that has magic, yes, he was quite fond of that idea.

But it would really be up to Quinn.

Gwaine and the rest of the knights was still out cold. Whatever Elitherine did it was obvious that they weren't going to wake up for some time.

Merlin took Arthur's arm once he was in a sitting position.

"We'll get her back" he insured his friend, as he started mumbling something he couldn't quite hear.

Whatever Merlin was doing his arm was starting to feel a lot better.

A healing spell if he were to hazard a guess. It was awkward the first time he used a healing spell on him, but now it was like second nature, in fact, he hardly noticed Merlin using any spell or enchantment anymore.

It was as normal as him taking a breath.

"Merlin" he placed his hand over his.

Merlin looked up at him, his blue eyes filled with worry.

"We will get her back, we will save Quinn, and River" he promised.

"I know" Merlin said quietly. But he still seemed to be worried.

And usually if Merlin was worried there was a reason to be.

Arthur had learned from experience to listen to Merlin's weird feelings.

He had been right so many times that Arthur was reluctant to admit.

"Then, what's with all the worry?"

"Elitherine, shes. ." Merlin swallowed before continuing. "I fear that she may be stronger than me"

"You? No, not you"

Merlin didn't look at all convinced.

Arthur wasn't too sure how to feel about Merlin cutting himself down, and he did not like it one bit.

True when he learned of his magic he'll be the first to admit that he didn't handle it very well, he was angry that he wasn't told the truth, but when he had time to calm down, he realized that he understood the reasons. Slowly he accepted his friend, magic and all.

And even gradually learn to love magic when it was used for good.

Magic could be quite beautiful at times, and Arthur was ashamed to admit that he was blind to its down faults, but Merlin showed him that not all of it was evil.

Merlin himself was far from being evil, and he realized if he wanted to end him he could have a long time ago, and he would have good reasons to do so.

And magic made people of Camelot a lot happier, especially with Merlin would create butterflies out of thin air for the children.

Merlin also used his magic to make it rain when there was a heavy drought. Merlin made him realize that magic could be a force of goodness not just evil.

Magic could be breathtaking and all this time he was blind to it because of his father's hatred.

Best of all he likes how confident Merlin was. Merlin still and always will be the bravest man he has ever known, with or without magic.

Yes Magic is who he is, but magic doesn't make what he is.

His friend was kind-hearted, and so full of love people around him practically drowned in it. And no matter what he always did the right thing.

True he made mistakes, but nobody is perfect, Merlin, his future advisor is only human.

And hearing him cut himself down made him angry a little bit.

Somebody who changed the very future shouldn't be cutting himself down like Merlin was now.

Merlin had more confidence and bravery than all the Knights of Camelot put together, Arthur himself included. And he knew with confidence that the rest of the knights and everyone back in Camelot would agree.

"Merlin, did Elitherine go back in time to change someone's fate?"

"Not that I know of" Merlin replied quietly moving his hand from his arm to his left side, repeating the chant, healing his broken ribs.

Merlin would often use his magic to heal the wounded. Never cease to amaze Arthur that if only he opened his heart to the thought of magic a long time ago a lot of people would have been saved.

"You are more powerful than anything I've ever known. ."

"That's because of my magic" said Merlin, moving his hand to his right shoulder, healing it as well.

"I don't mean just your magic, your spirit is just as strong, maybe even stronger, but nothing compares to your heart"

Merlin stopped in his actions, clearly stunned by his words.

After a moment, he met his gaze.

"Arthur, I never knew you cared so much"

"Merlin-"

"Shut up?"

"Can you read my mind as well?"

"No" he laughed returning to his task."But I can hear the thoughts of The Druids"

"Yes, you've told me" Arthur rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"You asked"

"Yes, yes I did"

After they were silent a moment, Arthur decided to break it.

"Merlin, is it still weird for you?"

"Is what still weird for me?" Asked Merlin, rising to his feet, obviously satisfied of his handy work.

Arthur rode his shoulder and moved his left arm. It felt like they were never broken in the first place.

Merlin was amazing, but of course he would never say that out loud.

"This?" Arthur gestured to his limbs that not moments ago were broken.

"Using magic around you?" He asked.

"Yes"

"Is it still weird for you?"

"No" he replied honestly.

"No, me neither"

"Good. Because, I want you to stay you"

Merlin's eyes wided and his face paled.

For a moment Arthur was confused over his friends reaction. But then he remembered.

Before Merlin found the spell allowing him to turn the hands of time backward, Arthur said that exact same thing to him before he died.

"Sorry" Arthur quickly apologized.

"For?" Asked Merlin.

"For. .you know"

"No"

Arthur had to know, there had been a question he's been wanting to ask for a while now, but he was hesitant to.

"Merlin" he got to his feet. "If. .if things were different. .if my father didn't outlaw magic. . would you have told me?"

"Yes" Merlin replied quickly. "Yes, I would have, I would have told you everything"

"Good" he classed his hand over his shoulder. "Don't ever keep anything from me again"

"Wouldn't dream of it"

"And.. Your feelings?"

Merlin looked confused at the question. He frowned.

"My feelings? For you? I'm flattered sire, truly but-"

"For Quinn" he rolled his eyes.

Merlin looked down to stare at his feet, he scratched the back of his head.

His reaction told Arthur all he needed.

"You love her?"

"Yes"

"Then let's go save her"

But it looks like it's going to be just the two of them. Just like old times.

Author's note: My mom and dad informed me that I had to have a bro moment with our guys Merlin and Arthur. For you who are reading this can take it however you want, but Merlin is in love with Quinn, and Arthur loves Guinevere in this story, but take it as you wish.

If you guys want I could do a future story with Merlin and Arthur, I'm not totally against the idea. Let me know if you do or not. And after this story I am going to be working on another Merlin story, no it is not the sequel to this one, i'm planning that one out. Now this next one it's going to be about a woman that wants to become a knight of Camelot, so if interested stick around. It's going to be called. 'As the northern wind blows' but I'm not too sure of the name, if you guys have any suggestions I am open to them.

With love to all.