Thanks again for all those favouriting and following this story and a thanks to all those who keeping reading, I hope you are all enjoying it!

Now to the reviewers! I love reading reviews! So a big thank you for taking the time to review to Danda225, Frostivy, Mad Furry Cheshire Cat and CodenameWavecrest.

Also CodenameWavecrest, don't worry this is still an EmmaxArthur story I needed Merlin to save for the plot, and you are a great help don't worry! Questions about the story can only help to create more depth to it!

And Thanks to my Beta's! Find a grammatical or spelling mistake we've missed? Let us know!

Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Merlin nor the many versions of the legends, only this one :P


Bewildered Disclosure

Merlin stood trying to process what Emma had just said, whilst Emma sat unmoving, still trying to process the words that came out of her mouth. Merlin watched as her face turned paler and her expression turned quizzical until Emma burst into uncontrollable laughter.

She had surprised herself with her mixed bag of emotions; Emma's brain had allowed her to believe she was handling the night's events better to what she really was and it wasn't long before the laughter became tears.

"I was almost killed!"

Merlin knelt to Emma's level.

"I was almost killed and you, you saved me!" Emma forced him into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She let him go, he smiled and Emma through her tears tried to smile back.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone?"

Merlin looked her directly in the eye; Emma looked back attempting to show honesty in her eyes.

"Of course I promise!"

Merlin's face lit up with a full blown grin; finally there was someone other than Gaius he could talk to about magic without fear of his death.

"You know you're acting just like we first met, laughing and crying within a few minutes of each other."

Emma blanched as she recalled her first time meeting Merlin and Gaius.

"It seems so long ago now. So you're a wizard?"

"I've been called a sorcerer or a warlock but never a wizard."

"Really? Everyone calls it you back home!"

"What is a wizard?"

"A guy who uses magic and spells, like Harry Potter!"

"Harry who?"

"Don't worry, it's a 'my time' thing."

Merlin laughed whilst Emma seemed to become lost in thought. He looked at her face again and grinned.

"You're looking better now."

Emma snapped her head to him in confusion.

"You're not as pale anymore."

She felt the small smile return, her tears had stopped, realising Merlin had been trying to stop her going into full nervous breakdown.

Emma's brain was still processing the early morning events in her mind when it stumbled on to one thought.

"Wait, you're 'The' Merlin, right?"

Merlin hesitated, distrusting the sudden change in distressed young woman.

"I suppose."

"Then you are this all powerful being right? So you can just whip open a portal and send me home!"

The young warlock stood and took a few steps; Emma was quick to follow him on her shaky legs.

"Merlin?"

"I'm sorry Em, I really am but I-"

"Don't." Emma's voice began to break again, tears pricking her eyes. Her new found hope was already being destroyed.

"Please Merlin, Don't leave me here, not when you can do something!"

She was desperate, clinging to the smallest chance to return home. Merlin opened his mouth to answer only to be interrupted by Arthur storming in, eyes ablaze with his sword poised to attack.

"MERLIN!"

Merlin jumped at the screaming of his name, but his gaze quickly snapped back to Emma and began to get seriously worried that his secret would get out.

Emma just stood, attempting to stop the now uncontrollable shaking of her legs and hands; her heart felt heavy and the tears kept flowing. She almost laughed at herself for letting Arthur see her like this.

Arthur moved forward to the crying woman looking at the state of the room, the muscles in his arms tensed as he gripped the hilt of his sword. Scouting the room for the enemy Arthur aided to the poor furniture's destruction.

"If you're looking for my attacker he went splat out the window, no thanks to you." Emma's voice was laced with venom. Avoiding the glass on the floor, Arthur peered his head to view the darkness outside viewing the bloodied pulp of his target on the ground far below.

"What happened?" Arthur looked to Merlin for answers, only to be answered by Emma.

"You locked me in a room with a psycho, that's what!"

Emma rounded on him.

"What did you think? Oh, it's only her; it'll get rid of you having to 'protect' me! Honestly, even the guards you sent did nothing to help! If it wasn't for Merlin, Camelot could have been destroyed due to me being sacrificed!"

Arthur sheathed his sword and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You weren't the only one to be attacked tonight! I have a duty to the people and Camelot and those knights on guard were hurt in an attack defending you so consider that they almost died for you."

Emma stood there humiliated. Could this night become any worse? She stormed off to the other side of the room and sat on the bed and turned her back on the Prince.

"What. Happened?" Arthur's attention focused solely on Merlin.

"Well the alarm bells were ringing and the Knights were running everywhere. I ran here and the door was blown off. So I threw my torch at him and he caught fire just as he was about to stab Emma and ran out the window."

"You know Merlin, you surprise me."

"Me, Sire? I'm an open book."

"You're too stupid not to be."

Merlin and Arthur kept bantering while Emma felt the adrenaline leaving her system; she was now visibly shaking.

Emma began to breathe deeply in an attempt to stop the fear and shock creeping back in. She kept imaging what could have happened to her, envisioning a conclusion without Merlin's rescue but a dagger in her chest.

Emma had been too busy overthinking her traumatic experience to realise Arthur had been calling her name the past few minutes. Believing her to be ignoring him on purpose, the young Royal walked up behind her and called her name again. Instead of receiving a reaction he received nothing, not even a glance. Arthur thrust his hand out to grab Emma and force her to acknowledge him but stopped before her could touch her, realising that the young woman before him was sobbing. Feeling some empathy for the vulnerable woman, Arthur moved around to face her, her tear-rimmed eyes stared at him, her chest heaving as she tried to stop the sobbing from escaping.

To Emma's surprise, he held his hand out to her. Hesitating to comply with his unspoken request, she gingerly placed her hand in Arthur's, who gently helped her off the bed. She went to question his current actions and his sudden change in behaviour towards her when the young Prince decided to use her confusion to his advantage.

Using the grip he had on her hand, Arthur pulled her towards him, using the momentum to force Emma over his shoulder. She gasped in surprise, feeling stupid in falling for his gentleman-like manner and even more humiliated that her arse was stuck in the air, with Arthur's arm wrapped at the top of her legs.

"Arthur! Put me down!"

Emma's voice came out as a screech, signalling Merlin. The two men rushed through the labyrinth of corridors, surrounded by the screams and protesting. Arthur was also barrelled with kicks and punches but he still wouldn't put her down. Soon the corridors and stairwells were silent, broken only by footsteps, Emma had given up fighting and lay limp over Arthur's shoulder. When they finally reached the courtyard Emma was surprised to see the amount of injured Knights being attended to; if it wasn't for their injuries she wouldn't have known the extent of the attack on the citadel.

It didn't take long for their destination to become apparent to her, following the familiar spiral staircase she and Merlin had raced up scarcely fourteen hours before. Arthur was taking her to Gaius. Realising this, Emma redoubled her efforts to feel the floor beneath her feet, but it was too late to preserve her dignity in front of the old physician as Merlin had opened the door for them. Gaius was too busy tending to a gash on a knight's sword arm to notice the hostage on Arthur's shoulder.

"Gaius, make sure she's alright, I have to report to the King."

Instead of placing Emma down gently onto a chair, he nudged her from his shoulder causing her to slam on the wooden floor.

"What was that for?!"

"You're heavier than you look."

"You say that again!"

Before Emma could stand and throw stuff at him, Arthur left the room and continued with his duty to Camelot, leaving Merlin, Gaius and the Knight to deal with the red faced woman.

While Gaius finished up with the injured men sent to him, Emma sat watching in a chair whilst Merlin attempted to aid his guardian. Soon sounds of daily life echoed outside with the dawn chorus. Emma felt like death warmed up and really wanted to sleep. Gaius seemed to have an inexhaustible amount of energy for a man his age and was checking Emma over whilst Merlin relayed the earlier events. When Gaius heard that Emma knew as Merlin's powers he immediately became distressed.

"Merlin, no one is meant to know."

"I could just let her be killed."

"Gaius I know you want to protect Merlin, but I swear on my life I won't tell anyone, he's my friend."

Although Gaius didn't seem pleased with this response, he accepted it sceptically and continued with the task at hand. Merlin did not mention Emma's request of using magic to send her home and his refusal. Unfortunately Gaius had noticed that Merlin had kept his distance from the young woman. Before he could ask any questions Arthur walked into the room, straight to Emma; she stood to meet him distrusting his movements after he tricked her earlier that morning.

"I have spoken to the King; you are to be the King's Ward with the Lady Morgana."


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