A/N Review responses and final notes at the bottom!

It's an hour before Merlin is half carried back to his cell. It's half an hour later that Gwen arrives, Merlin sighs and shuffles towards the front of the cell, because if Arthur was under a spell then Merlin needed to know as much as he could.

He'd tried to get something more than the fact that Arthur wouldn't wake up out of the guards that had tried to – interrogate him but after a while he had stopped trying because he just wanted it to be – over, he sighed and used the bars of the cell to lower himself to the ground as the world tilted on its axis.

This was getting out of hand. He was about to speak but Gwen beat him to it, she spoke in a hurried buzz, her words jumbling together in ways they hadn't in years.

"Arthur will not wake Merlin, I do not know what to do, people fear sorcery and I am inclined to believe them, I know it wasn't you, your reactions yesterday prove that but that leaves the question who did do this?"

It's silent for a moment.

"What can you tell me?"

"Not much. Arthur wouldn't wake this morning, he still breathes but he doesn't move, he just lays there as if he's asleep."

Gwen sounded so helpless that Merlin wished he could hug her. But the best thing he could do right now was to try and figure out what the hell sorcerer the king had pissed off now. He sighed as realization struck he hated asking this of Gwen but the best way he could tell if there was a spell placed on Arthur was if he could actually see Arthur. See if there was some kind of aura or something someone who didn't know what to look for would miss.

"Gwen is there any way I could see Arthur?"

Gwen pierces her lips.

"Yes, but you'll have to hurry. The guards shifts changes in an about half an hour so you'll have to go quick - " she pireced her lips again " - but I can't be traced back to this Merlin you understand that right?"

Merlin nodded, of course she couldn't with Arthur out of commission Camelot needed a ruler they could trust indefinitely, one that was strong and certainly not one that released a man who was considered a prisoner awaiting execution.

With a nod Gwen pulled a key from out of the folds of her dress and hastily handed it to him. He took it and gave her a small smile.

"I'll be able to get the guards away from our chambers for an hour or two but Merlin, I don't know – "

"Thank you."

Gwen smiled slightly.

"No, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, I still haven't figured out what's wrong."

"I know, but you will, thank you Merlin."

Then she was gone, purple velvet trailing behind her, Merlin sighed sliding the key over in his hands, warm medal sliding between his fingers only to be caught in his other hand. It would bloody well hurt but he needed to go now otherwise he would lose his chance.

Arthur watched as Merlin grew. That's the best way to describe it, because in one memory – because that's what they had to be – he's six and in the next he's twelve. It's strange and frankly a more then a bit disturbing and yet it's not unwelcome either, there were times in the past when he'd wondered about Merlin's roots.

The brief time he'd spent in Ealdor had shown him very little and he'd wondered what kind of town – what kind of people – could shape someone like Merlin, someone that seemed to defy everything Arthur was ever taught.

So he supposed if he couldn't escape the spell then he might as well sit back and enjoy the show.

"It's cold!"

"That's because it's the middle of winter."

"Well why can't winter be warm?"

"Because it's winter Merlin, generally it's cold."

"Prat."

Will laughed and Arthur sighed, they were about sixteen he would guess, and in another two years Will would be dead, and Merlin – Merlin would be devastated, really the way Merlin had looked after Will's death was just – it had hurt to look at him.

Arthur followed behind them as they trekked towards the woods that bordered the town. It was quite except for the sound of the two boys breathe and the dull lull of bird song, finally the two stopped in a clearing and Arthur moved to stand next to the two boys who were currently shading their eyes from the sun

"How are we going to do this?"

"Well you take your axe and you swing at the base of the –"

"I meant how are we going to cut down that beauty – "

Will gestured towards the largest tree in the clearing and Arthur watched alarm flash across Merlin's face.

"- down?"

"It's simple we're not."

"Why not? That's enough wood to keep the whole village warm for at least a couple weeks, if not a month, we'd be doing them all a favor. Aren't you the one that's always complaining about how cold it is?"

"Yeah well, I doubt your mum will thank me when I bring you back crushed to death."

"Lighten up Merlin, it'll be fine."

With that said Will began to hack away at the base of the tree.

Merlin sighed as he passed through the iron doorway, the headache that had been pounding through his skull lessoned to a manageable level and some of the aches that had been present even before his – interrogation faded away.

He knew he only had a small window of time before a guard came back down, and even then it was a long shot to get up to Arthur and Gwen's chambers without being seen. Idly he wondered why he was doing this for a man who had ordered his execution.

But then he remembered who that man was. What he was – because no matter what Arthur was a good man, he fought for what he believed to be right for his people, and in a world where people only thought about how something would benefit them – well it was a rare and incredible thing.

He truly believed that Arthur was the king of destiny.

Then there was their destiny, something that while Merlin had initially believed in the beginning – well okay not completely but it had been enough – didn't even matter anymore, it didn't. It hadn't been about destiny in a long time.

He sighed and ducked around a corner as a guard passed. Finally after what seemed like ages he came upon the door he was looking for, and relieved that no guards were posted outside – and knowing that none ever would be posted on the inside, it had been something Arthur and then Gwen had always been adamant about – he slipped into Arthur and Gwen's chambers silently.

Gwen was sitting in a chair next to the bed, her hands carding through Arthur's light sunny hair. She was whispering to him and Merlin knew he was intruding on a private moment, he briefly considered leaving and entering with a bit more noise but that would be risky, so he simply cleared his throat.

Gwen looked up startled, and then alarm passed over her face and he was being forced down into a chair as Gwen dipped the corner of her dress into a bowel of water, and dabbed at his face, Merlin winced.

"Merlin! What happened to you? You're covered in bruises and you head was bleeding! Merlin, what happened?"

"Interrogation…but…didn't you…?"

"NO! Of course I didn't order you to be interrogated Merlin! I ordered no interrogations in fact! You're the only one in the dungeons right now Merlin and I knew it wasn't you! I didn't think they would take it into their own hands! I wish Gaius was here – "

She broke off, and then, "Oh gods, here let me –"

She quickly hurries across the room to where he knows Arthur keeps his bandages and ointments – because the prat finally learned to keep some in his room – and Merlin immediately stands he's not up to being fussed over really, he doesn't think there is anything he hates more. Besides while it's painful there is nothing seriously wrong and he has bigger fish to fry.

So it's with Gwen's back turned that he stands and approaches Arthur. Gwen was right he did appear to be sleeping – except there was stillness there as well that was never present before, it was…unnatural, especially for Arthur.

If he did not breathe then Merlin would swear him dead.

But he wasn't, and that's what Merlin thought about when his eyes flashed gold. He didn't cast a spell but rather tentatively reached out with his magic feeling around the room, and yes there was a spell on the prince, he could feel it, but the difference was –

The difference, he concluded was that this magic felt – innocent for lack of a better word. It felt like it was cast almost accidentally, without any malicious intent what so ever, but a spell to put someone to sleep like this? It was most always dark magic – and yet Merlin was reminded of his mother once telling him about his earliest feats of magic – and he realized it felt like it was cast by a child.

The signature (1) was different too; it seemed to be a mix of magic's, it felt like a blatant contradiction to be perfectly honest. It felt like something hot – he translated that to hot hotheadedness – and cold – a sort of soft determination – there were other things mixed into it as well and Merlin couldn't make sense of this – it was bizarre.

Perhaps –

But no that made little sense!

"This makes no sense…."

Gwen whirled around, and seeing Merlin's gold eyes and honest to god perplexed look, her stomach sinks.

"Merlin…what doesn't make sense?"

He turns his eyes to her, gold and wide and compelling.

"Gwen I don't – this magic it feels different – I don't, I don't know if I can fix this!"

Oh dear, oh dear! Silly Merlin let Gwen help you!

(1) It's my headcanon that all magical creatures have a aura or rather a signature about them. This will become more important later but for now can you guess why?

Spinnerofdark: Awesome penname! Don't worry i don't plan on killing Merlin, and as for Arthur...well you'll have to see how things turn out for him.

Ruby890: Thank you! I didn't make that very clear did i? Don't worry i haven't made Arthur that cruel, i meant to put a (1) next to it but i never did. Anyway it's not so much Arthur as it's how i believe the system works. It also has to do with a paragraph in my global studies class about medieval torture and reasons for it. It stated that a person put to death could be tortured for merely speaking out against the sentence let alone doing something about it, things are a bit different here but the premise is about the same. I think? lol did that help explain? I want to involve Gwaine, and defiantly Leon but as of yet im not sure how. Thanks again!

04: Yes i imagine he would be, but as you can see Merlin is still kicking although he is still injured and that may play a part in future chapters. I haven't quite decided yet. I plan to keep up with it, there may be time between updates but It's very rare that i abandon a story. Don't worry!

Tigertiger: He's very good he's orange and bouncy lol Thank you!

April20Roses: Thank you! Indeed he does!

daily-chan: Poor Hunith indeed, i can't imagine what it was like for her, and i think she's one of the characters that needs the most love. I don't know i think he's going to see everything or at least the important parts of each episode, although i'm tempted to skip 'Goblins Gold'. I wanted to do something different and i'm glad to see people like it. Oh Arthur he really needs to stop sleeping on the job, doesn't he? lol

Nameless Secret Keeper: Thank you! Poor Merlin indeed.

ARTs ninja pal: Awesome penname just AWESOME! He needs sooooo many hugs!

Mika271170: THANK YOU SO MUCH!