Hey all! Sorry it has been so long since I posted. My muse fled the second I finished writing the last chapter. Luckily, I cornered her again and bribed her with lots of chocolate and she decided to help me out!

This is not the pranks chapter. I may write that, I may not – it depends on if I come up with a good enough idea! This chapter takes place probably several months after the last, when Merlin's magic has been announced to Camelot as a whole and they are now dealing with the transitions and everything that comes along with that. I don't explain it here, but Merlin is still Arthur's manservant for now because they are working on the transition and Merlin's movement to court warlock or adviser on magic or whatever is going to wait until it's all finished.

Also, in this AU verse, Morgana didn't steal Merlin's magic.

Also, I reference Merlin having his own chambers now. I will probably go back and write a chapter for this, but just know for now that Arthur gifted Merlin with his own chambers, in preparation for his upcoming role as court warlock/adviser/whatever.

Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this chapter! Please review! I do so love reading them, even if I don't have time to respond! Thanks! J

Merlin had known that things wouldn't be easy even after his magic was revealed to all of Camelot. He had known that having the ban lifted wouldn't fix people's attitudes. But the warlock had found that knowing something was coming and then dealing with it once it came was very different.

There were many who were varying levels of unhappy about the change, ranging from vague suspicion to outright, very vocal disagreement. Many of the older knights and advisers remained suspicious and unhappy about the lift of the ban.

To be fair, there were a lot of people who were accepting of the change as well. Many remembered the time before the purge, when magic was a part of life in Camelot, and were happy to have it back.

But as more and more of Merlin's story became known, even some of that group started to be wary of him. He heard the rumors, even when people tried so hard to avoid him. The whispers seemed to spring up every time he turned his back, every time he entered a room. Even those without cruel intent enjoyed talking about and considering the rumors.

Merlin sighed as he sat in the armory, polishing Arthur's armor. He normally didn't like chores, but recently they had become a welcome distraction. Or at least it had been until several other servants had entered the armory and begun talking – not realizing he was there. At first, the topic was general gossip, but, as so often seemed to be the case, conversation turned towards the hot topic of the month.

"You know he was born with magic? I heard he's not even human."

"Human or not, he's dangerous! Have you heard that he just blasted half of the enemy army away?"

"I'm not sure that's true. Honestly, you'd think the king would have higher standards. He hasn't even been trained. At least when Nimeuh was here serving Uther, she had been trained for many years."

"I can't even look at him! To think he was deceiving the royal court that whole time and the king still let him stay!"

Merlin finally just dropped the rag on the table and put the armor back. He would come back and finish it when the armory was empty. Not caring that he was going to scare the living daylights out of the servants who thought they were alone, he stood and walked out the door.

As he moved down the hallway, his mind turned the problem over and over. The rumors sometimes weren't the worst part. People would talk, but that would pass in time. It was the fear and the anger that bothered him most. Some people were genuinely afraid of him and Merlin hated it. Others reacted with anger instead of fear – a particular few knights came into mind with that thought.

Merlin, for the most part, had just kept out of the way, letting people talk as they wanted and even act towards him how they wanted, but several knights had nearly crossed the line. Merlin wanted to be friends with people, he didn't want them to be afraid of him, but he had never been a pushover and he wasn't going to stand by and let them beat him. A few knights had tried and Merlin had quickly shown them that was a bad idea.

He hadn't told Arthur.

He knew the king would be furious, but Arthur had enough to worry about in trying to change the law without worrying about his friend – who could take care of himself.

Of course, that's when Merlin felt hands at his back, shoving him hard. Merlin hit the ground, quickly turning himself over so he could see his attackers. It was the same two knights from before and Merlin barely restrained a sigh.

Before he could speak, one of the knights looked at him, a mockingly thoughtful look on his face. "So if this thing isn't human, what would its position in court be?"

Merlin scowled at them. "I am completely human, thank you." I think. "Now leave me alone. I won't just sit here and let you hurt me."

The knights ignored him and the second one answered the first, "Well, I think, Sir Robert, that would make it the king's pet."

Merlin began to push himself to his feet. This wasn't new either – at least not from these two – and he wasn't going to just sit here and listen to them make conjectures about his humanity. He was many things, but he was not Arthur's pet.

A hard kick to the side had Merlin on the ground again with a surprised cry of pain and he felt his magic burst to the surface, preparing to defend him. He had already warned them once – he wasn't in the mood to warn them again.

They were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. "Enough." One of the older knights that Merlin didn't know very well marched up to the small group. He ignored his fellows and instead stood over Merlin, reaching out a hand in an offer to pull him up. Relief filled the warlock – he wasn't going to have to hurt these men and just maybe he had another ally.

He reached up and grabbed the offered hand. That's when he felt something come down on his wrist and heard the soft snick of something being closed.

The pain was immediate. It wasn't the worst he had ever felt, but it was a continuous thread running through the back of his mind, even as felt a terrible burst of panic. He couldn't feel his magic. It was gone.

Merlin looked at his wrist with wide eyes. There was a bracelet there now. It had no seams that he could see, no way that he could easily remove it.

The knights' laughter brought his attention back up to them. "That should make this easier." One of them held up a hand, in which a dog collar was tightly clenched in his hand. Merlin paled, opening his mouth to protest only to get backhanded hard immediately.

"Pets don't speak." One of the knights laughed and the other two joined him. Two knights knelt beside him, ignoring his struggles as they pinned him to the ground, allowing the third knight to fasten the collar around his neck, pulling it tight. Merlin choked, bucking against their hold, but to no avail. He was physically no match for these men and he couldn't use his magic.

He was truly helpless.

But still he struggled as they began to drag him down the hall, not making it easy for them. Unfortunately, they seemed to enjoy forcing him along, yanking on the collar they had fastened around his throat, pushing and pulling and kicking till he was bruised and bleeding. Distracted as he was, he didn't realize they were in the deserted throne room until he was pushed unceremoniously to the floor beside the throne.

"Just leave me alone." Merlin rasped out, the collar pulled so tightly around his neck that it made it difficult to breathe. All he earned was another backhand across the face. This time, though, they didn't stop, kicking him over and over, their laughter echoing around him.

It finally stopped when he let out a scream as a sharp, audible crack reached their ears, the ankle a knight had just stomped on clearly broken.

Merlin fought to remain conscious as one of the knights knelt beside him and thread a rope through a loop in the collar, tying it firmly, then tied the other end to one of the feet of Arthur's throne.

"Ah, now it knows its place. Looks like a proper pet now, right? Perhaps the king will take a liking to this arrangement."

Footsteps echoed through the room, fading as the doors were closed. Finally alone, Merlin attempted to rise, only to fall back down immediately. Even with the beating, he knew he shouldn't feel this weak….ah. My magic.

Merlin had long suspected that his body relied on his magic as much as it relied on blood or bone and it looked like he was beginning to get a confirmation of that. He felt ill. It wasn't just a cold or a flu, it was deep inside him, like his very soul was aching.

Something, finally, snapped in the young warlock. It was too much. He had suffered so much in his time in Camelot, but had always forged forward, hoping for a better time. Was this all he had to look forward to? The last few months had been the most excruciating of his life as some he had once called friends shunned him because of how he had been born, something that he had used to save their lives over and over again.

He tried to be fair in his thoughts – it was also some of the happiest of his life as he and Arthur had become closer than ever, as all he had done had come to light, as he had finally been able to step out of the shadow. He didn't have to be alone anymore and he loved it.

But this….this was misery. He wasn't safe in his own home, from those he was supposed to fight beside, those he had protected and nearly died for. He had become nothing more than a pet.

Merlin let out a sob, curling on his side as best he could with his aching body, hiding his face in his arm as the tears slid down his face.

…..

Arthur sighed. He seemed to do that a lot when it came to his servant and even with all that had been revealed, it hadn't eased. The boy was always late, but this was ridiculous.

"Sire, I know Merlin has a tendency to be late, but he was looking forward to this. I'm…concerned." Leon admitted.

Arthur had gathered with his closest knights, all waiting in his chambers for Merlin, so they could go to the tavern together. It wasn't often that the group got to relax these days and they all needed it, none more than Merlin himself. Merlin had been ridiculously excited about the whole thing and the more Arthur thought about it, the more he agreed with Leon.

Something wasn't right.

"Alright. Let's go look for the idiot."

…

Arthur had long passed concerned. No one had seen Merlin for hours and Merlin wasn't in any of his normal spots. The training field, the armory, Gaius' chambers – nothing.

Finally, Arthur had begun checking every room he could think of, even beyond the normal ones. The knights had done their own search of other sections of the castle and all had rejoined here. There was just one more corridor to search before they would have to take their search outside of the castle. Arthur threw the doors to the throne room open and scanned the room immediately.

Merlin.

Arthur was running before he had even fully registered what he had seen, calling Merlin's name frantically. "Elyan, fetch Gaius, now!" Arthur barked, even as he dropped to his knees beside his limp friend.

Merlin was in bad shape. He had clearly been beaten – Arthur's thoughts stopped, his mind blank, nothing but an empty shock. Is that a dog collar? The king scanned the rest of Merlin's body, picking up details that told him more about what had happened. A rope connected the collar to the foot of his throne. A bracelet, with runes etched into it, around Merlin's wrist. Merlin's foot resting at an odd angle. Tear tracks on his friend's cheeks.

In an instant, Arthur's shock turned to fury. He turned blazing eyes up to look at the knights who looked equally shocked and angry. "Find out who did this." He snarled, livid. Leon inclined his head, the others falling into step behind him as they rushed out of the room.

Arthur didn't spare even half a thought for the men that would be lucky to be alive if the knights found them while still so angry.

The king instantly went to work, fingers gentle as he unfastened the collar from around Merlin's neck, tossing it to the side. Still with more care and softness than many thought him capable of, Arthur pulled Merlin's head and shoulders into his lap. He was wary of moving Merlin too much, unsure of how severe the damage was, but this little bit he would allow himself.

He didn't even realize that he was carding his fingers through Merlin's hair soothingly.

Someone had forced a dog collar around Merlin's neck and tied him to a throne like he was some sort of pet. They had beaten him. And, from the looks of that bracelet, they had blocked his magic – otherwise this never would have happened. They had made Merlin cry.

They were dead.

If the knights didn't kill them, Arthur would. As much as he teased Merlin for being a girl, the warlock was the strongest man the king knew. Anyone who could treat him badly enough that it would drive him to tears deserved…...

The king was pulled from his dark thoughts by a familiar, worried voice. "Sire? Merlin?!"

The old physician dropped to his knees beside Merlin's still form, frowning as he took the damage and stiffening as he saw the bracelet around his ward's wrist. "What happened?"

"I don't know. He didn't show up to meet us for the tavern this evening and when we went looking for him…"

Gaius's brow was furrowed as he gazed down at the bracelet. "This must be removed first."

"Is that blocking his magic?"

Gaius nodded, sighing. "Yes, but for Merlin, it's not that simple."

It was Arthur's turn to sigh. "Of course not."

"Arthur, you have learned by now that Merlin's magic is a part of him. This bracelet is doing far more than blocking his magic, it's making him ill. You wouldn't be able to feel it, but as I once practiced magic, I can. It's an illness that goes far deeper than his just his body. It's like his very soul is ill. His body is failing him."

Arthur felt a burst of panic in his chest that he worked hard to stamp down. "What do we do?"

"I believe if we remove the bracelet, Merlin's magic will take care of it." Gaius glanced at Arthur. "I know magic isn't fully legal yet, sire, but I will need it to open the bracelet."

Arthur nodded vigorously. "Of course. Do what you need to."

Needing no more invitation, Gaius whispered a few words, eyes flashing gold, and the bracelet popped open.

Immediately, Merlin took a breath far deeper than the shallow, pained ones he had been taking before. While he still didn't look well, some color came back into his face and something about him seemed more settled and relaxed than it had earlier.

"I think his ankle is broken, Gaius." Arthur commented, voice nearly dripping with relief at the clear change in his friend.

The physician made an unhappy sound of agreement. He gently moved Merlin's foot, hiding a wince at the pained moan from his ward. Once the bone was aligned, a few more whispered words, another flash of golden eyes, and the ankle was healed.

Gaius would have continued, but was clearly exhausted and had no choice but to stop. "Forgive me, sire. I'm afraid I don't have the energy I once did."

"It's okay, Gaius. This is already better than he would have had a few months ago."

"His ankle will be tender for a few days still and he'll be sore, but he should be okay. I would suggest we move him to his chambers. He will rest more easily there."

Arthur took the hint and gently lifted Merlin in his arms, making a mental note to force some food down his friend's throat. He was far too light, the idiot.

…

Arthur sat on his throne, looking every bit the powerful king he was. As he waited for his faithful knights to drag the offenders into the throne room, he considered the man standing off to the side between Gaius and Gwaine.

Merlin was leaning ever so slightly against Gwaine for support, his ankle still hurting him. He looked tired, though better than he had the last few days. The conversation regarding the attack had been rough, but needed. After a lot of threatening, prying, and eventually pleading, Arthur had gotten Merlin to tell him more of what had been happening, beyond even this one event, as bad as it had been.

Arthur had fiercely reminded Merlin that he didn't have to do this alone anymore, then promptly threatened to stick him in the stocks for a solid week if he kept something like this from him again. Merlin had been exasperated, but grateful.

Arthur hadn't even teased him for the tears after the king had gently refuted each of the stupid rumors that had been circulating. Merlin truly was turning them all into girls, Arthur thought with fondness, letting his lips quirk into a small smile at the thought.

He was dragged back to the present when the three knights were finally shoved to their knees on the floor of the throne room, each pale and bruised. Merlin's faithful friends had not been overly gentle while bringing them in, which suited Arthur just fine.

"Sire, why – "

Arthur didn't let him get even a third word in. "Enough! You don't get to speak here." He growled. "You attacked and humiliated a member of the royal household. My most trusted advisor and best friend!"

He noticed Merlin straighten a little in surprise at the open admission, a smile beginning to brighten his face. He kept his focus on the men in front of him, only acknowledging to himself that he knew how much he owed Merlin. An open admission of friendship was the least he could do for his friend.

Arthur was quiet a moment, letting the knights stew before continuing. "By removing his magic, you also removed Camelot's greatest line of defense." He sounded thoughtful, but the anger was a constant undercurrent that none could truly miss. "If we had been attacked before Merlin was freed, people could have died. Technically, I could execute you for treason."

The three knights looked up at him, about to protest, but all were silenced by a fierce glare.

Arthur took a deep breath and continued. "I want you to understand why you aren't being executed. If it were up to me, I'd leave you alone in a room with some of Merlin's friends. I know at least Gwaine would happily beat you all to death. However, for all his power, Merlin is one of the kindest and most forgiving men I have ever known. He requested that your lives be spared."

Arthur glared at them again. "He also requested that your punishments be light, but I'm afraid that I cannot give him. I will not go to battle with men I cannot trust. Honor and nobility – shown by your actions – is what matters to me and you have shown that you have neither. You are each hereby stripped of your knighthoods and banished from Camelot."

Satisfied, Arthur dismissed the three men, who were dragged out of the room. He caught Merlin's gaze and hoped his friend understood why he had done what he did. He hoped, somehow, that Merlin recognized how much he was appreciated and cared for by his friends.

Ultimately, it didn't matter what others thought. They would come around or they wouldn't. Those who mattered were standing by him.

Based on the bright smile that Merlin flashed him, Arthur thought he understood.