Merlin's POV in Arthur's memory

"Arthur!" I can hear a voice in the distance but I'm too focused on running in the forest, away from the castle, at night. "Arthur! Please, wait a moment!"

I can recognize the voice...it's Gaius. My body stops at a river and I can see my own tears fall into it and I can feel my body shaking. "Gaius...my father he..."

"I know" I could hear Gaius dismounting a horse and I listened as the leaves crunched underneath his boots. "He shouldn't have told you what he told you, but at the same time you had to know...I just wish you hadn't seen it at such a young age."

"He was just a boy! He was about my age! You told me lots of stories about how peaceful the druids are...why would he..." My body is shaking once more and I feel arms around me. "I didn't know him but I knew he was nice, because he played well with the other children in the lower town, but he's a druid..."

"The druids are a peaceful people, Arthur. It's just that...Your father has...suffered at the hands of magic and I think it hurt him so much to the point where he no longer cares if they are peaceful or not...if they use magic...he thinks they are bad...evil." I could hear the difficulty Gaius was experiencing having to explain this to me...erm...Arthur.

"He did nothing wrong! He healed my sword injury on my right arm because it was bleeding...a lot!"

"I know Arthur...I know." I was turned around and I looked up at Gaius who seemed to also be sad. "However, I'm afraid that to your father...it didn't matter."

"He healed me and he got burned Gaius...he was my age...he was eight years old! And you said so yourself that my wound was really bad and that it would take days for me to recover!"

"I did and it was true." I can feel more tears fall from my face and onto my lap.

"He was a good person, Gaius and I was forced to watch a good person...a good child my age...burn and scream."

I was grabbed into another hug and I felt tears on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry you witnessed that, Arthur. Please understand that I had no power in this."

"I know." I pushed away from the hug. "My father is nothing but a...I don't know a word for it but he is the one that's evil!"

"Please, never say that. He is your father. He loves you and he is trying to make you into a good prince and eventually a great king. He is doing this in the only way he knows how."

"What do I do, Gaius?"

"Not much I'm afraid, but you can hold tight to the belief that druids are peaceful and that they would never want to harm Camelot. You can hold tight to the belief that not everyone is evil."

Merlin's POV in the tent

I wake up and looked to the ceiling of the tent. I slowly sat up and looked at Arthur, and I could tell by the way he was looking at me, I had a shocked expression on my face. "Merlin, what did you see."

"I didn't actually see it...but you talked to Gaius about it...you were forced to watch a young druid boy's...you watched him in the pyre. You had no choice...and Gaius was there for you when you ran away from the castle in the middle of the night." As soon as I finish talking I see Arthur looking down into his lap. "What's wrong?"

"I had almost forgotten about that..."

"Show me one more."

"That was one of Arthur's saddest moments...there aren't many more sad ones like that. Next the two of you will be shown anger. Merlin would you like to continue?"

"Yes." Without warning I'm thrown back into his memories.

Merlin's POV in Arthur's memory

I'm rushing down a hallway and Uther is in front of me. I'm almost his height. "What's the point in having people taste for you if you're just going to get yourself killed anyway!?"

I look at him in slight disbelief and I'm definitely angry with him and very desperate that he listens to me. "I won't fail no matter what you think!"

"Arthur you are my only son and heir! I can't risk losing you for the sake of some serving boy!"

"Because his life's worthless?"

"No, because its worth less than yours." I know this is Arthur's memory but I find myself clueless as to who they're talking about.

"I can save him. Let me take some men. We'll find the antidote and bring it back."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because one day I will be dead and Camelot will need a king. I will not let you jeopardize the future of this kingdom on some fool's errand."

"It's not a fool's errand. Gaius says that..."

"Gaius say? that's exactly what makes it so."

"Please father. He saved my life. I can't stand by and watch him die." I feel my heart pounding against my chest. Rage and desperation are swimming together in my gut as I look up at Uther.

"Then don't look." I can feel my blood boiling. "This boy won't be the first to die on your behalf. You're going to be king, it's something you'll have to get used to."

"I can't accept that."

"You're not going."

"You can't stop me."

"Dammit Arthur! That's an end to it! You're not leaving this castle tonight!" I can feel myself holding back from trying to punch him in the face but it's not actually me...Arthur is holding back from punching his father in the face...why? Who are they talking about? perilous quest...antidote...tasted for him...Gaius says...Wait...They are talking about when I drank from the poisoned chalice that Nimueh had tried to kill me with! Why is he feeling so much rage over that?

The scene shifts in a way that nearly makes me nauseous but it quickly ends as I can see myself behind bars and in front of Uther I know its Arthur seeing himself behind bars but it feels so real. "You disobeyed me."

"Of course I did. A man's life was at stake. Do not let Merlin die for something I did."

"Why do you care. The boys is just a servant."

"He knew the danger he was putting himself in; he knew what would happen if he drank from the goblet, but he did it anyway. He save my life. There's more. There was a woman at the mountain and she knew of the flower. I don't think it was Bayard who tried to poison me."

"Of course it was."

Pure frustration was rushing through my veins along with more desperation than before as I reach into my satchel and I pull out a yellow flower petal attached to a stem. "Gaius knows what to do with it. Put me in the stocks for a week, a month even. I don't care. Just make sure it gets to him. I'm begging you." I walk away from him with my eyes on the flower and I see him crush it. Rage and panic immediately strike my heart. "NO!"

"You need to learn there's a right way and a wrong way to do things. I'll see you let out in a week."

Merlin's POV in the tent

I wake up once more from Arthur's memories and I can't help but stare at him. "Merlin, what's wrong?"

"When I drank from the poisoned goblet...you defied you father at every turn...you were willing to be put in the stocks just so that I would be cured...Why?"

"I don't think I knew it then...but you became a good friend, and even though I was harsh to you in our first and second meeting...you were still willing to do that for me. I couldn't watch you die." He looks up at Liya and asks, "It's my turn right?"

"Wait before that...how strong is this protection spell?" I ask because I remember the first time I was more angry than I thought my body could handle.

"Whatever he tries to do to you will happen to him tenfold."

"Alright...good luck Arthur." Without letting Arthur ask any questions he was put back to sleep and I sit here and wait for my judgment.