Reply to Aaronna - a spell. I was going to make it the Forromoh but then thought better of it. It just didn't feel right when I started to write it.

The Ask of Forgiveness

Merlin groaned loudly as he placed his head in the book that was on the table. There was so little in them to do with mind control let alone how to stop it.

"No luck?"

He turned his head to the side to see Gwen. "No, nothing."

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I am sure you will find something."

"Is he still making a noise?"

"Yeah, he keeps shouting that he shouldn't be down there and that a dungeon is no place for a Prince and that they should release him."

He sat back up properly. "So we need to find something and quick."

"Maybe these will help." Morgana said as she came round the corner, her arms full of books.

Gwen smiled at her as she placed them down. Merlin took the top one and opened it.

"I will try and sneak some food in for you later." She said as she left them. She would be very little help to them.

Merlin placed the book hard down on the table, so hard that when he lifted it up afterwards, the spine remained on the table.

"Where did you find these books?"

"Why?" Morgana said without looking up.

"Because I think I might have found something."

She looked and took the book off him. She glanced over the page that he was looking at. He might be on to something. The only problem was that they didn't have the same training as many other sorcerers may have had. They didn't have the knowledge that they had. That knowledge had died with them.

"Maybe it will work. But I am cautious. We don't want to make him worse."

"I know but we have to try something."

She got up. "I am going to take it to Gauis. At least he might know what it could do."

Arthur breathed heavily as he regained consciousness. He didn't open his eyes straight away but he couldn't place where he was. He felt the soft covers that covered him and the pillow that his head rested on. Part of him didn't want to wake and he was waiting for the unruly wake up that he had last time. Part of him wanted to wake because he wanted to know where he was.

In the end his curiosity won out. He opened his eyes see the red top off his bed. He turned to his right to see the sun come through his window. He sat up a bot to quick and winced as his injured side protested at his action.

He placed his head in his hands as he tried to remember how he got here and what had happened. Had Morgause put that spell on him?

He didn't feel any different. He didn't have any urges to go and find Merlin this second and kill him. He pushed the heel of his hands into his eyes. The more he woke up, the more he came to notice the headache that was forming. It was like someone had hit him over the head with something heavy. He raised one of his hands to rub the spot.

"Good, you're awake."

Arthur looked up to see Gwen standing by the door with a tray in her hands.

"You got back to Camelot okay then."

"Arthur, you have been back for a week."

"Have I?"

She brought the tray over to the bed and put it down. "Yes, you tried to kill Merlin."

He groaned. "Please say that I didn't succeed."

"No luckily Lancelot jumped in and saved him when you had disarmed him when you two were sparing. Merlin froze to the spot when he realised that you were going to kill him."

"The idiot." He muttered.

"Merlin is going to go to the council meeting tomorrow and ask to make him a knight. He has spoken to a few of them and Lancelot's actions that day might actually make him a knight."

Arthur smiled. "Good. He deserves it." He leant forward and picked up one of the bread rolls. "Where is Merlin now?"

"Trying to make wedding plans with Morgana. He is trying to keep it as simple as possible and I know that she would like that as well but she knows that this would be a great opportunity to show off their power. I do think Merlin is so close to just asking her to elope with him."

He snorted. It was the only thing he was glad of now. He didn't have to have some big extravagant wedding. Yes he was technically Merlin's heir until Morgana gave him a son but he could have his wedding as simple as he could. He wouldn't have to invite people that he had never meet to keep alliances alive.

"At least they are together." He said as he flung back the covers and took off his tunic.

"Why?"

"Because I need to tell them that I have been an idiot."

"Merlin, please we have to invite them."

"I have never ever heard of a Lord Leafthorn or Lord Highstone."

"Nor have I but we have to invite them."

"I still don't understand why."

"Camelot have an alliance with them."

Merlin pointed to the paper. "Yes under Uther, not my grandfather."

"They are still your ally."

He huffed back into his seat. He was actually grateful for the knock at the door. He smiled at Arthur as he walked through the door and stood at the end of the table.

"Sit down Arthur."

"No, not just yet. I wanted … I wanted to apologise for the way that I have acted for the last few weeks following my father's death. It was wrong to place the blame of what happened on you two. You were trying to help and Merlin, you were right. After everything he did to your kind and family, he didn't deserve that fact that you offered to help him. I am glad that you did."

"Sit down Arthur." Merlin repeated. "There is nothing for you to apologise for. You acted as anyone else may have acted. You were grieving. I was in the same position as you were only a few months ago." He continued when Arthur didn't move or speak. "Come on. We know that you are a prat and you have demonstrated that. We are just glad that you have realised that and are back to your normal self. And please tell Morgana that we don't need to invite all these people."

"There are you allies Merlin." Morgana shouted at him.

"I bet even Arthur don't know who half of them are. Couldn't we say that their invite got lost or something? Oww." He cried as he rubbed the spot she hit.

"Well don't say something stupid like that."

"It could work." Arthur said.

Morgana looked up and glared at him.

"Umm, give me that list. I can point out the important ones." He sat down next to Merlin and opposite Morgana.

Maybe this was what he should have done sooner. It wasn't right that he cut himself off from them. It was great that they had accepted his apology, he would try hard in the future not to be a prat as Merlin called him.